The Velenje coal mine in the Šaleška valley is Slovenia’s largest coal deposit and is the only active coal mine in Slovenia today. Due to lignite deficiency, ecological reasons and, above all, the European directive on the exit from coal, its operation is being phased out. The energy transition will have many consequences for the economy, society and ultimately space itself. Many cities, including Velenje, will have to deal with the question of how to cope with the transformation of the city.
In the project, I consider the “Klasirnica” as part of the coal mining production complex, which has ceased to operate for 25 years. It has been proposed for demolition several times, which would represent unimaginable damage to the space from the point of view of industrial cultural heritage as well as from the point of view of recognisable spatial dominants. The thesis deals with issues of industrial heritage, spatial identity, connecting different historical layers and reviving an abandoned built structure. The key starting point in the revitalisation of an existing degraded building is the principles of sustainable development and reuse. Flexible reuse gives the city new life and prevents the degradation of existing abandoned areas. The abandoned “Klasirnica” with its dominant position in the space represents an exceptional opportunity to place new programs for the needs of the city. With the thesis, I would like to critically draw attention to the importance of identifying important degraded structures in cities, which, without professional valorisation, become subject to demolition for new investment projects, which, of course, is not in accordance with the principles of the circular economy, and environmental protection. The main vision of the city of Velenje and its further development is based on sports and recreational tourism. The Municipality of Velenje intends to expand the existing recreation area at lake Velenje with a new adrenaline and recreational centre. Instead of building new sports and recreational areas and facilities, the abandoned “Klasirnica” building with its typological design is a great opportunity to place the planned programs and at the same time allows the complex to become part of the public city structure. The “klasirnica” building is preserved with its existing structural design of the primary reinforced concrete skeleton and the composition of flexible volumes inside the building. Important coal-industrial elements of the facility (silos) are also preserved, maintaining the coal identity of the space itself. Sports and recreational programs are reinstated and are vertically intertwined across floors. The project of renovation of the building places new activities for the needs of the city in the existing volumes and tries to establish a dialogue between the new functions and the interior of the building with the wider urban space.
The SREČNO 300 project with its name draws attention to the coal activity and at the same time symbolically wishes good fortune to the building itself in a new period of its life cycle and in new use.
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