Community Centre Stara Fužina
The Cultural and Community Centre in Stara Fužina was built in 1983 through the self-contribution of the villagers and the wider local community. It was an extraordinary expression of collective responsibility: people voluntarily contributed part of their personal income, as well as their time, labor and knowledge, in order to create a space for the cultural, social and public life of the village. Their efforts to establish their own cultural center date back to the years after the Second World War, when a temporary hall with a stage was arranged in the former Zois manor. After decades in which this need remained unanswered, the community took the initiative into its own hands and created the infrastructure it needed. From the very beginning, the building was therefore more than a public facility — it was a material expression of local identity, solidarity and shared memory.
More than four decades later, almost half a century after its construction, the renovation continues this same story. The project is not only a refurbishment of the building, but also a renewed positioning of the cultural center within the contemporary life of the village. It is based on the belief that such a place must remain an open platform for the community today: a place for gathering, creating, working, learning and connecting different generations.
An important part of the renovation is the inclusion of the Gallery and Memorial Room of Valentin Hodnik (1896–1935), the painter of the Bohinj mountains and one of the key artists connected to Stara Fužina. His work is deeply embedded in the cultural memory of the area. The gallery is therefore not conceived as an isolated museum program, but as an integral part of the cultural center. In this way, artistic heritage becomes part of the everyday life of the community and one of the foundations of the contemporary cultural identity of the place.
The program of the renewed building combines a multipurpose hall, gallery spaces, co-working offices, rooms for the local community, spaces for the hunting association and supporting service areas. This diversity of uses allows the building to remain active throughout the year and to serve different groups of users — from local residents to visitors to Bohinj.
The renovation extends beyond the building itself and continues into the public space. The new covered stage enables outdoor events, while the renewed entrance to the market, the ATM area and covered seating spaces help form a new center of village life. A former traffic-dominated and spatially degraded area is transformed into a square for meetings, cultural events and everyday use.
The architectural expression is connected to the local building tradition. The façade is made of spruce wood, treated with a burning technique and protected with natural oils. This allows the material to age gradually and evenly, integrating the new interventions into the existing structure of the building. The wooden envelope is not only a façade, but also a layer that speaks about time, weathering and the relationship between architecture and landscape.
The project also addresses biodiversity. Integrated planters for local vegetation and nesting boxes for birds reinterpret the rich tradition of wooden elements and decorations found on Bohinj farm buildings, translating them into a contemporary architectural language.
Natural materials define the interior, especially light-brushed wood, selected for its durability, tactile quality and ability to create a warm atmosphere. The multipurpose hall with a wooden floor supports a wide range of activities — from cultural events and public meetings to exercise, dance, yoga and other recreational programs. The architecture becomes a framework for different forms of social life.
The previously unused attic has been transformed into a co-working space with views of the surrounding mountains. This new program responds to contemporary ways of working and offers young residents and local users a quality-working environment within their own village. In this way, the cultural center gains a new role: it becomes an infrastructure for the future, connecting heritage, community and new forms of living.
The renovation of the Cultural and Community Centre in Stara Fužina is therefore not only an architectural intervention, but also the continuation of a long story of local initiative. Just as the construction of the building in 1983 was an expression of collective care for the village, its renewal confirms that the cultural center remains a central space of shared identity, public life and community in Stara Fužina.
