Renovation of the Franciscan convent

By reducing existing tissue, introducing new openings in critical points and forming new buildings, the former walled garden of the convent is revived. New public space opens new connections to pedestrians in the city centre. Existing programs are preserved and divided into a private and a public part. Key structures are bound anew by the intervention.

Program nourishing the new intervention derives from existing functions. The convent library holds 80 000 units, among them an important collection of early prints. The convent has a rich collection of art; core of the collection are canvases of the baroque painter V. Metzinger and baroque sculptures made by the Franciscan woodworking fraternity. Existing built tissue is cleaned of alterations and inappropriate interventions. Thus, higher valorized parts of buildings are exposed. Programs are separated between the buildings. Visitor is guided through the filter of two city loggias along ?opova and Nazorjeva street, by the new library and art collection into the enclosed garden. Calm and revived, it presents an alternative to other public spaces. It forms an entrance to both Town theatre and convent. The Art collection building forms a paraphrase of a convent wall and connects all remaining historical structures, dividing the garden in two. Smaller garden belongs to the convent, while the bigger one is public. All important existing spaces are renovated. New interventions are distinct from the original, even if they are similar in texture and colour. The key new material is exposed concrete with different agregates and finishes. Houses are presented as program entities, connected with the new art collection building. One enters the library from the new courtyard between its building and Ljubljana bazaar pavilion. The latter is joined in a singular space by demolishing partition walls and becomes a cafe that opens onto the busy street. Ground floor program serves the parish needs. New loggia along Nazorjeva street widens the street and opens new views towards the castle. An underground connection to the library building is made in order to enable a circular route for the visitor. Library wing is kept mostly as a shell and, partialy complete in the part of the actual library. Hollowing out the space, void thus formed becomes the space of the permanent exhibition of sculpture collection and opens onto the cloister garden. Private monastic quarters are placed on the second floor of the convent.