Landscape Architecture: Studio AKKA (Ana Kučan, Luka Javornik, Eva Zupan, Miha Slekovec, Zaš Brezar)
Architecture: studio abiro
Informational graphics: Studio Botas
Ski-jumps consultant: Klemen KOBAL
Cross-country consultant: Uroš PONIKVAR
Constructions: Vojko KILAR, FA,
Traffic: Špela SITAR, Tegainvest
Water-management: Rok FAZARINC
Light: ARCADIA LIGHTWEAR
Competition: 2009, 1. nagrada ex aequo
Location: Planica, Slovenija

Design is based on the profound relation between architecture, the constructed site and the natural setting. As Planica is set at the forefoot of the largest protected area in Slovenia and forms one of the most exciting entryways to the Triglav National Park, large sport facilities take their own stand. The precise design of topography, the systematic reduction of material, bold shapes and clear geometrical forms, all lines itself with the monumental silhouette of the mountains and the calmness of the pines and beech forest.

Project works on many levels and relations: solid versus soft, resistant versus ephemeral, cold versus warm, monumental versus intimate. The seasonal changes span from cold and sharp mountains referring to the simple geometry of the topography and the concrete structures to the revealing colours of the late summer, when the sensation of the wooden details and green slopes is exposed.

The Nordic Centre at Planica is an intervention into the magnificent Alpine frame and it’s symbolic charge, which renders all excessive design absurd. Design follows technical and organizational requirements of a large sport facility thus revealing the new character of the space. It stands in contrast to the natural dynamics of the surrounding mountainous landscape and creates an organized, functional and technically flawless counterpart that is perfected by the logic of engineering. The ski jumps that fan across the landscape introduce a spatial order that unites all elements into a meaningful whole.