Drawn up by the local practice of Anja Vidic and Jure Grohar, the scheme adapted former industrial buildings – built in the 1960s in Litostroj, on the outskirts of Ljubljana – as a temporary home for the Slovenian National Theatre Drama's entire program. Through an important cultural offer, the project has revitalized a fringe area through a new culture hub that symbolically expands the city center.

The challenge was working with a limited budget, a ten-month construction deadline, and spatial and material specifications based on sustainability criteria. The new architecture introduced a recognizable element within the generic context of the business-industrial area.

The site’s transformation was gradual. The first trigger was the opening of a small bar in 2017, followed by sports facilities in 2018, a business program in 2020, and finally exhibition and entertainment spaces in 2022. This evolution consolidated the site as an ideal location for a major cultural institution.

The theater includes the 361-seat, large-stage main auditorium, an adjoining foyer, a public bar with a ticket office, and a terrace giving onto the inner courtyard. It also features a smaller, 100-seat performance hall with its own foyer and technical and service areas, two rehearsal rooms, and a staff pavilion with a bar, also facing the inner courtyard.

With the aim of minimizing waste generation, the temporary architectural interventions were carried out with recycled or reusable materials. Of particular note are the large panels of cross-laminated timber (CLT) used in building the main stage, chosen for their excellent thermal and acoustic properties, which allowed for quick and precise execution of the project.

This is one of 40 works pre-selected for the 2026 Mies van der Rohe Award.