Workshop theme direction: Ljubljana as a designer clean-tech hub
How to create a destination brand for Ljubljana? Building the brand Ljubljana and creating local sustainable strategies.
Aleksandra Zarek
Aleksandra Zarek is an architect currently working at award-winning Stephenson STUDIO in Manchester. Her internationally-oriented experience to date includes various practices in Berlin, Lisbon and Poland.
She was trained at the University of Sheffield (BA) and Tampere University of Technology (MSc Distinction), where she developed a strong interest in using architectural and urban design as a powerful tool for social engagement and urban transformation. Her social housing vision for the future was awarded a purchase prize by the City of Lahti in ARA Home 2049 international student design competition.
Her MSc thesis work commissioned by the University of Jyväskylä’s Student Union focuses on the transformation of the Kortepohja Student Village in Jyväskylä. The goal was to show how cautious holistic urban regeneration can be used as a basis in bringing back the social notion into the cities through rejuvenating the existing building stock while embedding an integrated approach at a variety of scales. The work of Alvar Aalto, the architect of Jyväskylä University’s campus, was referenced throughout the scheme.
The author strongly believes in the applicability of the multi-dimensional aspect of urban transformations showcased in the project in other European cities currently faced with the problem of adapting dated buildings to current living standards. The project was selected as part of the Future Architecture Platform Conference in Ljubljana (Feb 2016).