As part of the Charm of Wood 2025 exhibition, which will be on display at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana from the afternoon of 5 May through 11 May 2025, Prof. Dr. Franc Pohleven will deliver a lecture titled Environmental Aspects of Wood Processing and Use. Following the lecture, he will personally guide attendees through the exhibition.

The lecture is part of a series organized by the Natural Sciences and Technology Section of the Slovenian Matica. It is financially supported by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).

About Prof. Dr. Franc Pohleven

Prof. Dr. Franc Pohleven is an emeritus full professor at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. He began his scientific career researching mycorrhiza and, since the 1990s, has focused on wood pests (wood-decaying fungi and insects) and the development of environmentally friendly wood protection methods and products, particularly for objects and structures of cultural heritage. His research also includes the biotechnology of higher fungi. He has organized four international scientific congresses in Slovenia in these fields.

He served as head of the Slovenian Forest-Based Technology Platform (SGLTP) and was a board member of the EU Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform. He has also contributed to public policy as chair of the Forest-Wood Chain Council at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, and as a member of the Forest-Wood Working Group at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology. Prof. Pohleven is a corresponding member of the Slovenian Academy of Engineering (IAS).

His extensive scientific collaborations include national and international research institutions such as the Jožef Stefan Institute, the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, the University of Maribor, Imperial College London, TU Vienna, and the Federal Research Institute for Forest and Wood in Hamburg. In the fields of conservation and biotechnology, he has worked with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In the area of edible and medicinal mushroom cultivation, he has cooperated with the Edible Mushroom Institute in Shanghai through bilateral research projects. He is the author of numerous scientific and professional articles and co-author of several patents, two of which have been brought into industrial production.

Prof. Pohleven has long been dedicated to promoting the use of wood for products and construction through voluntary efforts. Since 2009, he has organized the Charm of Wood exhibitions and events at Cankarjev dom and across Slovenia, raising public awareness of the importance of wood in mitigating climate change, protecting the environment, and safeguarding human health. He is also the initiator of the proposal to declare 13 May as International Wood Day.

An exhibition dedicated to outstanding final projects by students of Visual Communication Design, as well as Industrial Design and Applied Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (University of Ljubljana, UL ALUO), created over the past ten years. The exhibition forms part of the celebrations marking two jubilees: the 80th anniversary of the founding of UL ALUO and the 40th anniversary of design studies at the University of Ljubljana.

In addition to the UL ALUO team, the O! project involved a robot as a precision bender and welder of exhibition structures, as well as silkworms, subtle and persistent builders. Together they formed an unlikely alliance, allowing biology, technology and design to breathe as one. With the assistance of light and heat, the silkworms weave threads into new structures, while the robot regulates the cocooning conditions and humans develop the vision. Not simply a production – it is a living organism of creation where the natural and the artificial work together in perfect harmony, which is nonetheless unpredictable in terms of timeframe and result. So evocative, uncharacteristic of today's increasingly derailed, predictable time. Here, biodesign is not the future, it is an exciting present.

UL ALUO team: Assoc. Prof. Primož Jeza, Assist. Prof. Roman Ražman, Assist. Prof. Boštjan Drinovec, MA, Assist. Prof. Matej Stupica
 

Due to illness, today's lecture on Modern Self-Build has been cancelled. The new date is Friday, 11 March, at 18:00.

Biennial Exhibition of the Architects' Society of Ljubljana 

Space is a finite, irretrievable commodity. With every intervention into space, we also change its context, ecosystems, usage and future potential. As architects, we are committed to protecting public space, the built and natural landscape, the meaningful preservation of the existing, and the continuity of technological know-how about building. On the other hand, we are also dedicated to well-considered land development and sensible urban densification, the development of new construction technology and the creation of spaces that allow for modern living and usage. Responsibilities towards the past, the existing and the future are not mutually exclusive. 
How are the architect's responsibilities perceived in this day and age? Which values are particularly relevant to the environment in which architects work today? What is responsibility in architecture and which areas of practice does it affect? The Architecture Inventory exhibition, an overview of the projects implemented by the members of the Architects' Society of Ljubljana over the course of two years, reflects on architecture's responsibility towards space.

Architecture – Inventory is a traditional biennial survey exhibition of the members of the Association of Architects of Ljubljana. The 12th Architecture – Inventory show will present a cross-section of the work of the members of the Association over the past two years. The exhibition will showcase 117 architectural and 8 student projects by more than 100 architects, ranging from urban planning to architectural designs and renovations of public buildings, apartment buildings, single-family houses and interiors, as well as graphic and industrial design projects and written works dedicated to architecture. 

The Architecture – Inventory show is the most comprehensive overview of architectural undertakings in our country, as the Association of Architects of Ljubljana, which also chairs the Association of Slovenian Architects' Societies, has again invited participation of architects from other Slovenian societies, as well as guest projects from the Europan Celje competition, and has selected eight projects by students from the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana.
Throughout the showcase, architectural lectures and roundtables will be held at the exhibition space under the common title New Spheres.
The accompanying programme devised and conducted by Ajda Bračič.

Contemporary self-building
FRI, 11 March, at 18:00
Anja Trobec
Vid de Gleria; STRIP Lab
Jernej Markelj; AaJM+
In Slovenian, without translation.

Flats, residential neighbourhoods
WED, 5 March 2025, at 17.00
Boris Matić; Scapelab
Aleksander Lužnik; NAVA Arhitekti
Boštjan Vuga; Sadar+Vuga
In Slovenian, without translation.

Architectural transformations
WED, 12 March 2025, at 17.00
Maruša Zorec, Arrea arhitektura
Matej Gašperič, Biro Gašperič
Matjaž Bolčina, ARP studio
Students: Maja Julijana Šket, Matic Hlede, Petra Zoubek
In Slovenian, without translation.

On Tuesday, August 20, the exhibitions in the Cankarjev dom will be open until 6 pm.
 

In connection with the Museum of Architecture and Design's exhibition dedicated to Edvard Ravnikar – The Structure of Modernism –, the authors of the exhibition at Cankarjev dom have worked with Ravnikar’s heirs who keep an archive of his sketches to offer an insight into the architect's rich, interesting and as yet largely unknown legacy. The Searchings in Drawing, Findings in Thought exhibition features magnifications of his drawings that echo Ravnikar's comprehensively designed and preserved architectural setting of Cankarjev dom. 

The show offers an immersive experience of the architect’s imaginatively rich inner world, which differs from the more rational process of formulating great modernist concepts. Edvard Ravnikar's sketches are of superior quality and rank among both the continuation of Jože Plečnik’s drawing tradition and the sketches and drawings of the finest twentieth-century architects on a global scale.

In the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the death of one of the most magnificent dancers and choreographers of all time, Rudolf Nureyev, this special exhibition – forming part of Slovenia’s 1st International Ballet Festival – chronicles some of the greatest moments in the storied and glittering career of this legendary Soviet-born artist. The exhibition will showcase stage costumes and as yet unpublished photos by the French photographer Francette Levieux from the personal collection of Charles Jude, a former principal dancer of the Opéra de Paris who danced alongside the famous Nureyev. Nureyev was particular about his costumes; the exhibits include elaborately designed and embellished doublets (close-fitting jackets), which are typical of the artist’s choice in costume design. Dressed in these doublets, he danced in such classical ballet pieces as Swan Lake, Giselle and Don Quixote. Francette Levieux’s photographs feature some of Nureyev’s most memorable moments on stage, bearing witness to his brilliant artistry. Accompanying the 1st International Ballet Festival, the exhibition honours this charismatic artist and offers an insight into Nureyev’s life and work that continue to inspire ballet dancers around the world.

The exhibition is dedicated to Nureyev, the most charismatic dancer of his time. Showcasing stage costumes and photos of some of Nureyev’s most memorable moments on stage, it offers an insight into the artist’s legacy that continues to inspire ballet dancers around the world. 
 

Taking place within the context of the 2023 Architecture Stocktaking exhibition, the series of lectures and a round table organised by the Architects’ Society of Ljubljana aim at exploring architecture FOR: architecture that is socially conscious, stimulating, proactive, and sustainable. 

An architecture that is not ‘sustainable’ only as regards energy balance at the moment of handing over the property, but is proactive throughout the complete cycle of its creation and use. The architecture whose engagement is reflected in its design, the architects’ modus operandi, its materials and form, the foresighted reflection on its function, in the origin of its materials, in achieving harmony with nature, in urbanism, flexibility, endurance, as well as removal and recycling/reuse possibilities.

What kind of architecture looks ahead, instead of only seeking answers? What kind of architecture creates a better, more sustainable future, instead of only preventing deterioration and maintaining status quo?

The exhibition includes architectural lectures and student presentations held under the common title Architecture FOR.
 

Architecture FOR the Quality of Life in Old Age
Tuesday, 21 February 2023, at 17.00
Mojca Gužič Trplan
Gregor Trplan
Meta Kutin
Students: Maja Cvelbar, Tjaša Čakš

Architecture FOR A Happy Childhood
Tuesday, 7 March 2023, at 17.00
Matjaž Bolčina
Ernest Milčinovič 
Denis Rovan
Aleš Žmavc
Students: Rožle Toš, Eva Hočevar, Nika Jeromel, Monika Golob, Danijel Ilijeski, Žan Pirman

Architecture FOR the Renovation of the Housing Stock
Tuesday, 14 March 2023, at 17.00
Žiga Ravnikar, Eva Senekovič, Klara Bohinc, Andraž Keršič
Jernej Girandon
Students: seminars Glažar / Perović / Žnidaršič

Round table: Gentrification
Tuesday, 21 March 2023, at 17.00

The event will be held in Slovenian without translation.

The catalog of the overview exhibition of the members of the Association of Architects Ljubljana ARCHITEKTURA INVENTURA is available at the reception of Cankarjev dom (at the entrance to the CD Gallery) and the CD Information Center (box office) in the Maxi hallway, as well as in the CD online store.
Price: 20 EUR

For the 15^th consecutive year, the Association for the Protection of Wood of Slovenia and the Wood Council are promoting wood and wood products. Products made of wood contribute the most to reducing the emission (they act as a sink) of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which is essential for controlling climate change and protecting the environment. That is why wood as a biomaterial is at the forefront of the EU's economic policy, which will aim to promote a green local economy in the coming years.

The exhibited products will be displayed at Cankarjev dom until Sunday, 21 May 2023.

How to build sustainability in space?
Whereas the characteristics and specifics of local space and environment used to indirectly dictate the method of construction, the selection of materials and their processing, the importance of localness is today “out of the equation” due to the development of modern technologies. The development of modern urban planning and building construction thus largely neglects localness while putting a great burden on the environment. In an era when awareness of our shared responsibility for the environment is internalized, new solutions are sought in architecture and spatial planning. They are reflected in new design practices, architectural designs, selection of materials and the trend towards modern approaches to renovating and constructing flexible and durable buildings.

Architecture Inventory is a traditional biennial exhibition organized by the members of the Association of Architects of Ljubljana. This year’s eleventh edition, taking place in Cankarjev dom’s Grand Reception Hall between 13 February and 23 March 2023, offers an overview of the output of the members of the Association of Architects of Ljubljana over the past two years. Over 150 architects will present 143 architectural and 13 student projects, from urban planning, architectural design and renovations of public buildings, multi-unit residential developments, single-family dwellings and interiors, as well as graphic and industrial design projects and written works on architecture. 

Architecture Inventory is the most comprehensive overview of architectural output in the country: the Association of Architects of Ljubljana, which holds the presidency of the Union of Architects’ Associations of Slovenia, has again invited participation of various Slovenian societies and visiting projects of the members of the Association of Architects of Croatia, and selected 13 architecture student projects (the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana).

At the previous stocktaking, we reflected on durable architecture. Since the last exhibition, in 2021, the world has changed, and so has architecture and the issues it tackles. Architecture must become actively involved in co-shaping the world and society for a viable future. The Architecture Inventory 2023 series of lectures and a round table explore “Architecture FOR”: an architecture that is socially conscious, proactive, sustainable. Architecture that is proactive in all stages of its development and life. Its engagement is reflected in its programme, the modi operandi of architects, the materials and forms, in its reflection on long-term function, the origin of materials, in achieving a harmony with nature, in urbanism, flexibility, durability, as well as the removal and recycling possibilities. 

The exhibition includes 6 architectural lectures and 6 student presentations held under the common title Architecture FOR.

Architecture FOR the Quality of Life in Old Age
Tuesday, 21 February 2023, at 17.00
Mojca Gužič Trplan
Gregor Trplan
Meta Kutin
Students: Maja Cvelbar, Tjaša Čakš

Architecture FOR A Happy Childhood
Tuesday, 7 March 2023, at 17.00
Matjaž Bolčina
Ernest Milčinovič 
Denis Rovan
Aleš Žmavc
Students: Rožle Toš, Eva Hočevar, Nika Jeromel, Monika Golob, Danijel Ilijeski, Žan Pirman

Architecture FOR the Renovation of the Housing Stock
Tuesday, 14 March 2023, at 17.00
Žiga Ravnikar, Eva Senekovič, Klara Bohinc, Andraž Keršič
Jernej Girandon
Students: seminars Glažar / Perović / Žnidaršič

Round table: Gentrification
Tuesday, 21 March 2023, at 17.00