School for Children with Special Needs

Glazija Elementary School (originally the Ivanka Uranjek Institute) was an architecturally significant school for children with special needs. The project was the result of collaboration among all responsible and directly involved experts and services, and served as a basis for formulating new design standards.

Designed by architect Milivoj Lapuh in the early 1970s, it exemplifies the integration of innovative educational theory and practice.

Ivanka Uranjek Institute was designed as a pavilion-style school within a green park. The complex consists of classroom clusters oriented toward the southern park, connected by a central east–west spine. Dormitory units are separate pavilion-style buildings.

The floor plan is organized along two main axes: north–south for entrances and east–west as the main circulation spine, linking classrooms, the gym, administration, specialized rooms, a swimming pool, and the janitor’s apartment, with a central multipurpose space and dining hall illuminated through an atrium and skylights.

The school is set within a public park, but due to frequent disturbances, it is increasingly enclosed by fences. Numerous additions and a façade renovation have altered the original 1970s exposed brick appearance, which was later covered with insulation and finished with orange plaster during an energy retrofit. Despite these changes, the layout still preserves views from the classrooms to the southern park.

The northern service yard, once used for kitchen deliveries, now serves as the school’s main entrance, as most arrive by car or bus. Former southern park entrances to classrooms are rarely used. Over the decades, extensions and alterations have turned the school into an architecturally complex mix of buildings, now surrounded by commercial, residential, and educational developments.

The current layout of the school is a thoughtful combination of classrooms, support spaces, and multifunctional areas, carefully organized along north–south axes (entrances) and east–west axes (main circulation spine).

The new concept builds on this basic organization by introducing clusters – smaller spatial units where classrooms are combined with support spaces and additional features for rest and informal learning.

The design introduces two new main entrances on the north side of the building: one leading directly into the multifunctional space or dining hall through a vestibule, past the kitchen, and the other connecting directly to the circulation of the new section to the east. A green barrier defines the secondary vehicle entrance.

The new site plan proposes the transformation of the northern service yard into a one-way drop-off loop with parking for children with mobility impairments and staff.

In the first phase, the eastern wing with inadequate facilities for students with mobility impairments will be demolished. The second phase adds an additional floor, requiring the removal of the technical classrooms and gym, restoring the atrium and bringing natural light into the multifunctional space and central corridor.

In addition to the two new main entrances on the north side, the extension also provides access to and from the south, with the entrance positioned opposite the atrium or outdoor classroom, enhancing circulation and connectivity throughout the building.

The new part of the building is thoughtfully connected to the existing section through carefully renovated spaces, where the corridors in front of the specialized classrooms are widened by strategically rearranging partitions and creating new openings, improving both movement and visual continuity throughout the school.

Along the vertical circulation, there is a dedicated core with sanitary facilities designed for persons with limited mobility, while the existing separate spaces on the upper floor are horizontally linked to the rest of the school via a series of thoughtfully positioned stairs and ramps, fully suitable, safe, and accessible for the movement of all students.