restoring 1930s glory of ring house in slovenia
Slovenian practice OFIS Architects takes us to the former suburbs of Ljubljana, where the curious Ring House finds shelter amid middle-class villas erected between the wars. The project revitalizes a 1930s modernist dwelling with a light and floating pavilion that follows the cubic building’s original curvatures. While touring the house, one notices semicircular fringes and subtle detailing extending towards the garden, as well as a slanted roof that crowned the originally flat top following a 1980s intervention. In light of that, OFIS sought to restore the building’s original qualities. The first step involved omitting the added roof and introducing a smaller terrace that effortlessly completes the existing volume and features.
Ring House by OFIS Architects | image © Tomaz Gregoric
OFIS Architects weaves new and seamless connections
At the start of the renovation, OFIS Architects (see more here) attempted to resolve the challenge of connecting the Ring House to its existing garden, which occupies more than double the building footprint. Another challenge was the height difference between the ground floor and the garden, preventing a direct exit to the outdoors. In response, the design went much further than conventional solutions, creating a pillar loop as an extension of the living area and pavilion simultaneously. This intervention creates a cruciform corridor that partly encloses the garden into the inner ‘Zen’ atrium and connects the interior with an open garden on the southern part through a gradual descent. In doing so, the intervention overplays classic modernist themes, such as architectural promenade, ramp, transparency, and free-floor plan.
floating pavilion | image © Janez Martincic
Meanwhile, a newly created circular path widens in two places, creating two different environments for residents of the Ring House by OFIS. A living area in the glazed part of the colonnade unfolds slightly above the floor, connecting old and new volumes. Just above the lawn sits the garden pavilion, which is already wholly open, limited only by columns and a curtain. The pavilion and the colonnade ultimately engage in a witty dialogue with the modernistic house, fostering the architectural languages of two periods into a coherent whole.
image © Janez Martincic
image © Tomaz Gregoric
gradual descent toward the garden | image © Tomaz Gregoric
image © Janez Martincic