Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The University of Maribor began constructing its engineering faculty on Koroška Street in the 1970s. At the time, it was necessary to engage experts to repair war damage and meet the requirements of personnel. The rapidly growing informatics and electronics sectors have been dependent on university graduates. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Maribor (FERI) has recently grown to 266 employees and 3000 students, who are to be divided into four different localities due to a lack of space. The construction of the new building meant that the faculty could be reunited in one place.
The building consists of three volumes that are defined by a covered atrium in the middle. The first volume contains four large auditoriums and forms the spine of the building. The second, ring-shaped volume accommodates laboratories and classrooms. The street façade is – in conformity with the shape of the volumes – clad with horizontal cement composite panels. Irregularly placed slits equipped with permanent but movable lamellae function as openings. When the lamellae are closed, the façade is smooth and uniformly grey; when they are open, it is not only the surface structure that changes but also the colour effect since the undersides of the lamellae contrast with the grey of the cement composite. The third volume is built directly onto an existing building in Koroška Street, and together they describe a large courtyard. Here, too, the façade is characterized by silver grey cement composite panels and horizontal openings; the slit windows are, however, uninterrupted and are constructed as movable grids for sun protection.
