@Ana Skobe - AA Nanotourism Visiting School 2025, Ljubljana, Slovenia

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In 2025 AA Nanotourism Visiting School yet again returned to Ljubljana, the compact Central European capital whose rich architectural heritage includes several works by Jože Plečnik, which were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. These works, celebrated for their human-centred design and urban coherence, formed the backdrop of last year’s investigations into the contradictions and potentials of tourism in the contemporary city.

Building on the work from 2024 edition, our research confronted the unresolved tensions between Plečnik’s carefully choreographed public realm and the reality of today’s Ljubljana: a city increasingly shaped by tourism-driven commodification and global urban pressures. The 2025 edition expanded on that and further focused on three distinct research territories - the work of Plecnik’s Foundation, materiality in Plecnik’s work and the Central Market under a common roof through which the participants uncovered deeply embedded cultural, spatial, and political narratives. These served as critical lenses through which we reimagined alternative modes of engagement with the city and its inhabitants.

The ambition was to expand the discourse and practice of nanotourism through 1:1 scale design and critical site-specific action. By returning to the same urban sites, the programme proposed a rare opportunity to work in architectural continuity with past research, and to forge meaningful, long-term impacts through design.

PROJECTS

MENTORS

VISITING EXPERTS

SYMPOSIOUM: PLECNIK AND THE CITY - VIEWS FROM OUTSIDE
Symposium, 29th of Aug 2025 at 15:00, Museum of Architecture and Design

The phrase “not being able to see the trees for the forest” aptly describes the research and discourse surrounding Jože Plečnik’s work. Since the 1990s, the predominant narratives have largely been shaped by a select group of Slovenian architects, historians, and thinkers. While their insights are undeniably significant, this inward focus raises critical questions about opacity in the discourse. Some perspectives may have obscured other important aspects of Plečnik’s contributions, rendering them invisible in the larger context of architectural history. This calls for a more nuanced exploration of his work to uncover the layers that may have been overlooked.

Seeking to build upon last year’s symposium and student works,  where we encouraged a re-assessment of Plečnik’s work within a contemporary context, this year we will actively look beyond, departing from positions situated outside the borders of Slovenia. Through speaker's presentations we will look for wider impact of Plečnik’s work and we will explore its broader resonance and relevance from the perspectives of architects and researchers based, active and connected outside Slovenia, all sharing a profound engagement with his work.

Simultaneously, we are interested in expanding the conversation across geographical constraints; inviting a wider participation and encouraging cross-generational, interdisciplinary and inclusive discussions. Building upon the main topics that AA Nanotourism 2024 opened up, the speakers will reflect on the relevance of Plečnik’s work beyond Slovenia – today, in the past and in the future – and expand on the ways their respective research and practices have been informed by the legacy of Plečnik.

What has remained obscured by looking at Plečnik’s work from within?
What do perspectives from the outside – beyond the geographical borders of Slovenia – offer for our understanding of his work today?
How do the readings of his work inform our engagement with the Ljubljana of today?

SYMPOSIOUM SPEAKERS

IN COLLABORATION WITH

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

SPONSORS