location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
client: JGZ Brdo
area: 3,2 ha
design period: 2019-2020
implementation period: 2021-2022
project team: Ana Kučan, Luka Javornik,
Marko Dobrilovič, Danijel Mohorič, Lara Gligić
photo: Tomislav Krnač

The Villa Podrožnik as we know it today is the work of architect Vinko Glanz, who in 1947 converted the existing villa from 1910 for the use of the State Protocol.

The villa’s garden is a bit more than 3 hectares in size, and was in need for renovation. The original design – if there was one – was difficult to discern, not least because until 1954 we have no documentation other than a note on the Franciscan cadastre.

The renovation respected all large stately trees and all original garden motifs such as rockery garden and fish pond. Where necessary, the non-vital and damaged vegetation as well as poorly designed planting, which was not in line with the basic plan. Despite the many alterations that have taken place in the past, the original plan is still evident precisely because of the mighty old trees. The proportions of volumes and planes were rearranged while we focused on the planting of the edges, taking into account the requirements of security and surveillance as well as intimacy necessary for diplomatic encounters, as this is a protocol site. As the moist conditions in soil vary due to the inclination of the topography, the planting is pretty diverse.

The transformation has contributed to a better reading of the space in terms of opening up views towards the surrounding landmarks (Rožnik Church, Mount Krim), which enter the garden as a borrowed landscape, while at the same time created an enclosed and dense edge that provides for privacy and helps to experience the garden as a microcosmos.

A detailed maintenance plan and instructions for shaping large shrubs by pruning have been added to the planting plan.