Original name
Mladi Rod Vrtec [Mladi Rod Kindergarten]
Original use
Education/kindergarten
Current use
Education/kindergarten
Architects
Stanko Kristl
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Beams are the horizontal load-bearing elements of the frame. Columns are the vertical elements of the frame and act as the building’s primary load-bearing element. They transmit the beam loads down to the foundations.
State of Conservation
Description
This kindergarten was built at the same time as a social housing block, occupying the central courtyard of the development. On a lawn and a surface raised slightly above it, there are three volumes that form a fan or flower petal shape, which house a variable number of classrooms, grouped into each of the volumes.
The classrooms are accessed through the central, narrow end of the fan, so that each classroom looks out onto the landscape through a large glazed surface at the far end; the glass is not exactly flush with the edge of the structure, generating a small covered porch for playing on the outside of each of the classrooms. A continuous, rectangular linear volume of concrete connects the three classroom pavilions at the back, providing access points and an area for services.
Each of the classrooms is covered with an exposed concrete domed shell that sits atop load-bearing walls. The structure is divided at the end of each classroom, generating a continuous section between the walls and the ceiling. As a result, although the classrooms share their adjoining walls, each one is expressed externally as an independent structure, giving the impression of a system that aggregates independent pieces, which could easily be prefabricated elements.
The architect, Stanko Kristl, was known for his study of the forms of organic growth and their application in architecture; in addition to his intense academic activity in the fields of architecture and civil engineering (specialising in geodesy), he was also a professor at the faculty of biotechnology in Ljubljana.
Slovenia
Črtomirova ulica 14
Ljubljana 1000 Ljubljana
Commission
1962
Completion
1972