Cultural Center of Arnold Tovornik
When we approach the building, we get an impression of a modern, monumental facility segmented into two open, compact volumes. The western unit has two halls, a big theater on the ground level and a small one above that is used for rehearsals. The eastern lamella is lifted on columns and hosts a local library with all of the additional programs on the floor above, while the roof is used as a big, paved terrace. The glazed ground floor with an in-between space amid the tracts forms a comfortable entry lobby, which beautifully connects the facility on a higher level. There is also a dressing room, a mess hall, and a tourist information office organized in this section.
The uniquely designed structure is divided into two separate parts, with a bright glass roof that helps create the flow from an interior to exterior ambience. The west part is lifted above the basement story and connects the public space with the interior. The foyer and its gallery become the extension of the public space, an ambivalent space between the exterior and interior.
Despite some of the user clumsiness and second thoughts about the facility’s placement into the landscape, the building itself is more than a correct object of culture. Not only does it enable the basic planned activities, but it can also become a meeting place for other everyday social activities.
