Edvard Ravnikar and The Heart of the City. The genesis of cultural centers in Slovenia and in ex-Yugoslavia

Abstract
This article discussess Cankarjev Dom and Republic Square in Ljubljana, Slovenia, by Edvard Ravnikar with the focus on three stage of the genesis of cultural centers in Slovenia, starting with the pre-war Slovenian cultural centers by Max Fabiani, Danilo Fürst and Gustav Trenz. The second phase is represented by the cultural centers of the architects Oton Gaspari, Marko Župančič and Emil Navinšek from the 1950s built in the Slovenian industrial towns of Trbovlje, Velenje, and Zagorje, and the third phase by Edvard Ravnikar and his students such as Biro71 and Marko Mušič from the late 1970s and early 1980s built in Ljubljana, Skopje (Macedonia) and Kolašin (Montenegro).

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Slovenian modern architecture, Yugoslavian modern architecture, Edvard Ravnikar, Modern cultural centers.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 54-59
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.B3CK6W9A

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Metallic brutalism and its present embellishment. The addition to the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava

Abstract
This paper summarizes the creation and formulation of the modern addition to the Slovak National Gallery, an iconic architectural work of post-war Modernism in Czechoslovakia which instigated a major discussion between specialists and the general public already from its construction time. In the second part of the text, related to the reconstruction currently underway, I attempt to interpret the actual process of this building’s reconstruction and remodeling, which could be viewed as a physical dimension of the discussion on the polarizing effects of Modern Movement architectonic concepts as well as the impoverishment of the authentic heritage value of this unique instance of Slovak modernity.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Bratislava modern architecture, Brutalism, Slovak National Gallery.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 46-53
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.XP9N7E35

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Friedrich Weinwurm: Slovakia’s nearly forgotten contribution to the European architectural avant-garde

Abstract
Work of the architect Friedrich Weinwurm represents the most consistent contribution from within Slovakia to the activities of the international architectural avant-garde. Friedrich Weinwurm fully matched the idea of a socialist-minded architect, organizer of public life and visionary of a new social order. The new way that Friedrich Weinwurm followed in his architectural work ran parallel to the paths of the leading representatives of the European left-wing avant-garde. In Slovakia, these works represented the most coherent allegiance to the program of the New Objectivity, and the vision of a Marxist-inspired architecture. As such, Friedrich Weinwurm held a key role in ensuring that inter-war Bratislava formed one of Europe’s important focal points for modern architecture.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Slovakian modern architecture, Friedrich Weinwurm.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 38-45
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.2WJKNTFV

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Czech hotels in the late-modernist style set against the landscape

Abstract
This paper looks at the changes in hotel architecture in post-war Czechoslovakia. In particular, the way in which architects, either with the support of or, in some cases, in resistance to the political dictate, handled the inspirational influences that came from abroad. Namely the Soviet models forced on them, or the ideas that seeped through from the other side of the Iron Curtain that were closer to the Czech modernist environment. The resulting approach of compromises and mixing influences, typical for a small country in the middle of Europe, gave rise to imaginative combinations of the universal principles of the International Style with structural experiments, a return to sophistication and refined craftsmanship, a cautious criticism of Modernism, or an intensive effort to strike a balance and harmony with the poetic character of the landscape.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Czech Republican modern architecture, Modern landscapes, Modern hotels.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 32-37
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.AJVVS2V8

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Ignoring and erasing: collective housing in 20th century Czechoslovakia

Abstract
A concept of a collective house that would include apartments and a wide array of communal facilities was a topic of intensive debate in Czechoslovakia throughout the 20th century. This topic was popular not only among architects, but most importantly among feminists, social activists, sociologists, politicians or businessmen. Debaters projected onto these houses their ideas of a future political and social system of Czechoslovakia. For some, shared living was a way to facilitate the arrival of communism, for others it represented a means to develop liberal capitalism. This article presents the political framework behind the idea of collective housing in Czechoslovakia.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Czechoslovakian modern architecture, Modern housing.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 26-31
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.RU7AKBT6

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Communicating “space and form?”: The history and impact of the journal Tér és Forma as the Hungarian pipeline of Modernism

Abstract
In the interwar era, architectural journals were at the forefront of professional attention and had the power to disseminate the Modern Movement in architecture globally. The Hungarian journal Tér és Forma (1928-1948) took the lead to introduce international modern architecture to the Hungarian public, while continually reporting on the newest building projects in interwar Hungary. Virgil Bierbauer, the periodical’s long-time editor (1928-1942), presented the broad panorama of contemporary architecture and his followers from 1943 intended to continue his legacy even in wartime. The impact of the periodical did not halt at its cessation in 1948 but, directly as well as indirectly, continued to define 20th century architectural historiography in Hungary.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Hungarian modern architecture, Tér és Forma.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 18-25
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.YXTYK1Q6

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Revisiting interbellum architecture of Hungary

Abstract
Though there are fans of the “Bauhaus style” and the term is largely used by the real estate market (in an incorrect way), modern architecture cannot arouse interest and sympathy in the majority of Hungarian society. Far from being a closed chapter, interwar architecture does not stand in the lime-light of Hungarian historiography either. This paper tries to find causes of this indifference and highlight achievements in historiography and preservation. Its aim is in particular to report on new scholarly publications as well as case studies that are occasionally good examples but more often controversial.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Hungarian modern architecture.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 12-17
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.0PQF6SNC

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Historiography of post-war modern architecture in Hungary – evaluation – research – preservation

Abstract
Reviewing the research on post-war modern Hungarian architecture we find a serious backwardness. This paper presents an overview of the situation and an explanation focusing on three factors. The first is the underestimation of the socialist modern architecture by the lay public, but also by some professionals. The second field of investigation is the research background: institutes, researchers, funds and the accessibility of archival material, and the results achieved despite the difficulties. The paper also surveys the preservation of this heritage, and finally presents a recent rehabilitation project, one of the few positive examples.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Eastern European architecture, Cold War architecture, Hungarian modern architecture, Post-war architecture, Documentation of modern architecture.

Issue 59
Year 2018
Pages 6-11
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/59.A.YC5F5VGB

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Education for Adaptive reuse – the TU Delft Heritage and Architecture Experience

Abstract
The Section for Heritage and Architecture of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at the Delft University of Technology specializes in architectural education for adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, with a specific focus on the built heritage of the 20th century. Our approach combines architectural design and technological knowledge with an approach that places values as central informants. Here we present our approach, explore the past and project a future evolution of our educational methodology. Finally, we reflect on the lasting relevance of the tangible and intangible heritage of the recent past as aim and source of our educational practice.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Architectural education, Reuse, Bauhaus, Conservation of modern architecture, Dutch modern architecture.

Issue 61
Year 2019
Pages 67-75
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/61.A.JYDU6QAF

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Teaching the Laboratory of the Techniques and Preservation of Modern Architecture (TSAM) at the École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne

Abstract
More than a decade ago the TSAM addressed the question of teaching the preservation of modern and contemporary buildings as a new discipline, specifically and radically different from that of new architecture, both in terms of theoretical courses and the contemporary architecture project. It has established a methodology and a practice based on its research that embrace the whole of polytechnic or university education, whether basic or advanced. Finally, the TSAM affirms the richness and the educational power of preservation and its project, and, beyond the subjective feelings and formalistic emotions, base them on an objective and multidisciplinary argumentation combining fine observation of materiality, essential theoretical knowledge and thoughtful creativity.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Architectural education, Reuse, Bauhaus, Preservation of modern architecture, Swiss modern architecture.

Issue 61
Year 2019
Pages 61-66
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/61.A.8CHD4L9K

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