Cukrarna
The sugar factory was built in 1828 and operated for the majority of 19th century as a sugar refinery. Later it served as a barracks and a homeless shelter, and two important poets of the Slovene modern literary movement died here. The building is also a listed heritage structure, and is practically the only remaining large-scale industrial structure from the 19th century industrialisation period in Ljubljana.
The essence of the project is the creation of a space dedicated to contemporary art and culture on the national an international level. The space is supposed to house major national and international events, such as the Graphic Biennial and Biennial of Design, and operate in synergy with nearby art academies and Centre of contemporary art Rog. Through the transformation of industrial and cultural heritage structure into a space for contemporary culture the building will receive a fitting use for its character.
The old interior structure of the factory is in a decreipt state and will be removed, and replaced with contemporary gallery spaces. The exterior walls and volume of the building are preserved, while the interior is transformed into contemporary exhibition spaces. All new interventions in the space are removed from the existing structure - the introverted gallery spaces hang from the roof structure, creating a composition of volumes in the great void of the factory space.
With the preservation of the protected exterior and transformation of the interior, the former industrial factory is transformed into a factory of culture and art.
