Sokol House with Gymnasium

A number of Slovenian institutions and civic associations sought a clear identity that could be easily associated with the national face. The gymnasium of the Sokol association is built on a site that was originally intended as a city park. The Sokol already established an outdoor sports facility here in 1919, to which they now wanted to add a multipurpose hall. In 1923, an architectural competition was held for the new hall, which was won by Vurnik's richly decorated symmetrical design meant for hosting sports, cultural, and folk festivities. His construction includes a set of six differently sized halls, accessible through a trio of axially placed entrances. The southern entrance, with its monumental projecting staircase, provides direct access to the main hall. The northern entrance, on the other hand, is recessed and provides service access to the administrative part. The western entrance connects the gymnasium to the outdoor athletic oval. This last entrance also features a guest box and a gallery for musicians on the upper floor. Vurnik's design is so flexible that all three floors can be operationally separated or, conversely, connected as needed. The thirteen-meter-high main hall, which runs through the entire building up to the attic, has sufficient natural ventilation and daylight from the roof skylights. The massive structure, with its prominent exterior decoration, surprisingly conveys a light and bright impression on the inside. When designing the sports facilities, the most modern technological equipment was also taken into account. The building boasts ventilation ducts for the central heating. Warm air is circulated throughout the building by a single fan located in the basement. The ventilation openings are placed within the load-bearing columns of the reinforced concrete skeleton. The broken arch on the façade is a reference to the popular contemporary expressionist architecture, but the decoration and embellishments attempt to define a new Slovenian national style. Similar projects of Sokol houses in the 'national style' were carried out by Vurnik in Golnik and Kranj, but those were destroyed during World War II.