Ofis: apartment block, Izola, Slovenia.Ofis are a young Slovenian practice who were premiated in last year's Emerging Architecture Awards for their imaginative addition to Ljubljana's City Museum (AR December 2004). Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia managed to stay out of the toxic disintegration disintegration /dis·in·te·gra·tion/ (-in?ti-gra´shun) 1. the process of breaking up or decomposing. 2. of the Balkans and is now part of the EU. As exposure to external influences grows, Slovenian architectural culture is becoming increasingly lively and sophisticated, looking northwards north·ward adv. & adj. Toward, to, or in the north. n. A northern direction, point, or region. north across the Alps to Austria and Germany for sources of inspiration. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ofis are currently working on a number of housing projects, including this one in Izola, a town on the Slovenian coast. The brief is for a block of 30 affordable apartments aimed at young couples and families, so budget and space standards are far from generous. Despite these constraints and a site on the industrial edge of town, Ofis manage to create a lively and eye-catching block, its facades animated by a series of angular angular /an·gu·lar/ (ang´gu-lar) sharply bent; having corners or angles. , pod-like loggias. Sun and privacy shading See Phong shading, Gouraud shading, flat shading and programmable shading. is provided by textile screens which add to the general gaiety Gaiety See also Cheerfulness, Joviality, Joy. Gallantry (See CHIVALRY.) butterfly orchis symbol of gaiety. and variety of the composition. Now on site, the project is due to be completed later this year. C. S. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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