Loggia

Ledina Grammar School is located on one of the busiest streets in Ljubljana. In front of its main entrance there is no broadening of public space, which would serve as a platform for social interaction of students. However, a small hall inside the school represents the always bustling semi-public foyer and is in this project interpreted as the school’s loggia.

In the classical architecture’s language, term loggia represents the city’s living room. It is a representative urban space, where the citizens meet and gather. By its function, the foyer in the school corresponds perfectly to the function of loggia in a city. It represents the main meeting point of students and school’s visitors. It is also the most representative space on the ground floor, being the first space upon entering the school.

The new loggia is formed as a programmatic framework, inserted into the existing structure of the old building. It frames the view of the new gym and at the same time creates a new spatial quality in the existing foyer. The programmatic framework, which functions as a thick wall, hides many movable items, which can be formed into various spatial configurations.

If all the props are stacked inside the wall, the loggia is completely empty and as such suitable for large meetings and school exhibitions. Inside both thick walls on each side there are 12 tribunes, 6 tables and 26 soft elements. The two walls are connected with a ceiling-wallpaper with historical and educative content, explaining school’s rich history.