The design of the spa - tourist recreational complex

The study area lies in the central part of Bela Krajina in south-eastern Slovenia, between the town of Črnomelj and the border crossing at Vinica. It is situated in the vicinity of the Lahinja Landscape Park, where natural and cultural heritage sites interact in the interesting settings of preserved towns and villages. The urban planning concept developed at the workshop was based on the idea that the best space is one where the qualities of "empty spaces" and a fusion with the landscape are recognised. The concept was based on the design of a complex with several connecting structures. A green clearing was defined as the centre of activities, i.e. the core of the activity and pivot of life being the common point of all structures: it is empty, intended to allow for random connections, network organisation or spatial networking, where the key points in the built and natural structures are connected, hence representing the main communication hub between the individual structures. The concept complements the system with accommodation capacities, which are also located outside the spa complex, providing attractive accommodation in a natural setting

Quality of architectural education at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Ljubljana

The paper presents a study on the quality of architectural education at the Faculty of Architecture (FA) of the University of Ljubljana (UL) and the changes as a result of adopting the new rules, criteria and evaluation systems. In order to improve the quality of education at FA, we look at the indicators related to the data on student learning outcomes and the education as a whole. The formal data and the comparison of performance (quality) indicators between 2006 and 2012 are shown. Additionally, the basic scope of the Long-cycle Master's Study Programme in Architecture (MSPA) is presented in terms of content and mobility. The focus of architectural education at the UL FA, which includes practical, artistic and research work, and simulates work in the architectural studio, is on Design Studio course, which is directly complemented by the Architectural Workshop course. The work that includes both the individual approach and team work promotes connections among foreign and Slovenian students. Four cases in point are presented, confirming the significance of creative work within the courses of Design Studio, Architectural Workshop and Master Thesis

realms of urban design:

The traditional thematic realms of urban design, such as liveability, social interaction, and quality of urban life, considered to be closely related to urban form and specifically to public space, have long since been recognised as important, and have given the discipline a certain identity. The book Realms of Urban Design: Mapping Sustainability is certainly rooted in this fundamental urban design thinking, but its main contribution belongs to the second part of the book’s title – discourse on sustainability. Its chapters, considered as a whole, put forward the importance of the discipline and the designerly way of thinking in the context of the discussion about unprecedented environmental transformation. The eleven chapters of the book represent the major sustainability concerns that the authors have seen as being related to the urban design discipline in their specific professional and environmental contexts. Therefore, the chapters as an entity could be seen as an act of mapping the sustainability issues that are coming “from the front” of urban design research and practice at the universities involved in the project Creating the Network of Knowledge Labs for Sustainable and Resilient Environments (KLABS). They show disciplinary, mostly methodological, concerns with the larger scales in comparison to those of the neighbourhoods and public space that are traditionally connected to urban design; with the collective or common nature of urban space; and with the distinctive, underused spaces coming not only as a legacy of the 20th century, but also as an important by-product of contemporary economic trends. The first four chapters tackle the self-questioning of the disciple of urbanism in the wake of spatial, social, and environmental change at an unprecedented planetary scale. They are assembled around the question of what the sustainability concept means for the discipline and how the discipline should change to become socially relevant in the context of dynamic spatial transformation? The chapters are review contributions to recent theoretical and methodological rethinking of design approaches to the urban condition, with a focus on multi-scale and process-oriented urbanism. The chapters call for an integrated design approach in the sense of finding a theoretical and methodological common ground for separated disciplines of architecture, urban design, and urban planning. The next two chapters examine what is, in the traditional manner, considered to be the main theoretical and analytical focus and the main creative and practical outcome of urban design – the urban form. How we should understand, analyse, and design the urban form in the context of the contemporary complexities of urbanisation? Two chapters present opposing perspectives of urban form design. One is a morphological approach in which the urban form is seen as a disciplinary tool of conceptualisation and regulation of the city, using sophisticated concepts such as landscape and place, while the other maps the urban form as a resident’s basic expression of the need for shelter, territory of everyday use, and cultural interpretation of home, beyond regulation and urban design. By putting the two approaches side by side, the urban form can be comprehended as the simultaneous materialisation and negotiation of the ground of power intentions and everyday practice. Chapters 7 and 8 are dedicated to a specific dimension of urban design process – participation. Who can participate in the design of territories and places? Who has the privilege to define who will participate? How should an urbanist manage the many different and contradictory requirements? Ultimately, how can people be encouraged and stimulated to take part in the public urban debate? These are the highly important questions rising in the wake of the urbanism crisis, intensified with the disintegration of the holistic expression of the public interest, characteristic of the modernist period. These chapters present a review of important theoretical considerations and recent experience of multi-voice design methodologies. The final three chapters deal with the specific typology of urban space - previously developed and then abandoned, forgotten and underused spaces of an economic and technological past. These reminders of past urbanisation are still numerous in the western Balkan countries. What could the role of these places be in the sustainable strategies of urbanisation? How can the approach to the urban regeneration (planning, regulation, and design) of these spaces be conceptualised in order to be in tune with the ecological and social demands of a distressed planet and local historical and cultural values? By explaining the specific theoretical concepts and western Balkan case studies, these chapters tackle the most important issue related to sustainability and the management of urbanisation - the question of spatial resources

Resocialisation of Recovering Drug Addicts – Social, Spatial, and Architectural Aspects of Treating Drug Addicts

During treatment, drug addicts change their environment. The new environment and surroundings must adequately simulate and encourage the factors that positively affect their treatment, living (social, spiritual), learning, and work. The focus of this paper is the impact of the environment on the success of rehabilitation and (re)socialisation of drug addicts. Nowadays, setting foot in such an institution means an “immediate” removal from the established, everyday social environment as well as the virtual world. However, the provision of appropriate spontaneous and planned contacts with family and friends is necessary for an addict. Despite the removed social competence, it is important for an addict to settle down and strengthen the sense of belonging to a social environment. Meeting people and developing contacts with people from near and far is necessary to maintain social relationships during “isolation”, as this eases their resocialisation in their environment after the completion of treatment. This paper is based on the findings of semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis of the answers received, case studies of spatial developments based on a qualitative design of social space, and various comparisons between domestic and foreign practices in view of the evaluation of spatial values. In the Results section, we present an applicative case of architectural composition of an ecovillage for rehabilitation of drug addicts based on social competence: development of an individual’s abilities for an independent functioning in a social environment

Gene-Environment Interactions: The Case of Asbestosis

It is becoming evident that both environmental/lifestyle and genetic factors may influence the development of many diseases. This chapter highlights the importance of considering gene-environment interactions, which is shown on the example of our studies into asbestosis, one of the most frequent asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos fibres induce generation of reactive oxygen and nitric species (ROS and RNS), and it is generally accepted that ROS and RNS are involved in the pathogenesis of asbestos-related diseases. Human tissues contain specific enzymes that metabolise ROS and RNS, such as superoxide dismutases (SODs), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). As these enzymes are encoded by polymorphic genes, genetic variability in an individual’s capacity to detoxify these reactive species may modify the risk for disease. Our previous studies into asbestosis showed that the associations between the risk of asbestosis and MnSOD Ala-9Val polymorphism and between asbestosis and iNOS genotypes were modified by CAT −262C>T polymorphism. A strong interaction was also found between smoking (lifestyle factor) and GSTM1-null polymorphism, between smoking and iNOS (CCTTT)n polymorphism and between cumulative asbestos exposure (environmental factor) and iNOS (CCTTT)n polymorphism. The findings of our studies and other studies indicate that in addition to environmental and/or occupational exposure to different hazards and lifestyle factors, genetic factors as well as the interactions between different genotypes, between genotypes and lifestyle factors and between genotypes and environmental/occupational exposure to hazards may also have an important role on the development of diseases and should be further investigated

Dispersion of Traffic Pollutants in the Built Environment

Environmental modelling software can be useful for evaluating design interventions and formulating strategies to achieve a specific purpose, such as providing outdoor thermal comfort. It is less commonly used in predicting the dispersion of street pollutants. The aim of this research is to test selected morphological patterns with respect to their influence on wind conditions and the transport of traffic pollutants, and to verify the results against previous studies. The objective of the research is to evaluate relations between building typology in interactions with urban atmosphere. The method utilises a wind tunnel simulation with a static line source of emissions. Experiment results show that the exposed urban morphology models display an impact on flow conditions and consequently on the dispersion of traffic pollutants. At the same time, the results highlight the importance of urban aerodynamic perspective, particularly of urban spaces that can be expected to be subject to higher traffic pollutants in terms of urban air pollution

Urbanističke, arhitektonske, tehnološke i ekonomske prekretnice u izgradnji višestambenih zgrada u Sloveniji

The article presents the most important turning points in the development of the construction of apartment buildings in Slovenia. Urban planning, architecture and technology has, until recently, reflected foreign influences that have reached Slovenia with a delay. Significant turning points are also visible in economic organisation. The construction of apartment buildings is the only type of construction that is regulated, stimulated and (partly) also organised by the state.Članak prikazuje najvažnije prekretnice u izgradnji višestambenih zgrada u Sloveniji. U urbanizmu, arhitekturi i tehnologiji donedavno su se očitovali vidljivi utjecaji iz stranih zemalja koji su do Slovenije došli sa zakašnjenjem. Značajne prekretnice vidljive su također i na razini ekonomske organizacije. Izgradnja višestambenih zgrada jedini je vid izgradnje koji regulira, potiče i (dijelom) organizira država

sustainability and resilience:

Sustainability and resilience have become indispensable parts of the contemporary debate over the built environment. Although recognised as imperatives, the complexity and the variety of interpretations of sustainability and resilience have raised the necessity to again rethink their notion in the context of the built environment and to reframe the state-of-the-art body of knowledge. The purpose of this book is to present ongoing research from the universities involved in the project Creating the Network of Knowledge Labs for Sustainable and Resilient Environments (KLABS). The book Sustainability and Resilience: Socio-Spatial Perspective so begins with the exploration of the broadest conceptual frame-of-reference of issues related to sustainability, and the re-establishment of the connection between the built environment and the conditions that are vital to its functioning, primarily in relation to energy, land use, climate, and economy. Subsequent discussion on resilience as a term, approach, and philosophy aims to conceptualise an interpretation of key resilience concepts, explain relationships and links among them, and propose the classification of resilience as applicable to the context of urban studies. By studying the processes of transition of the built environment, the book then reveals a coherent formula of ‘thinking sustainability + resilience’ aimed at improving the ability to respond to disruptions and hazards while enhancing human and environmental welfare. The necessity to integrate the two approaches is further accented as a result of a deliberative discourse on the notions of ‘social sustainability’, ‘sustainable community’, and ‘socio-cultural resilience’. The potential of measuring sustainable development and urban sustainability on the basis of defined social, human, and, additionally, natural and economic values is presented through an overview of different well-known indicators and the identification of a currently relevant tangible framework of sustainable development. Correspondingly, the role of policies and governance is demonstrated in the case of climate-proof cities. In this way, the consideration of approaches to sustainability and resilience of the urban environment is rounded, and the focus of the book is shifted towards an urban/rural dichotomy and the sustainability prospects of identified forms-in-between, and, subsequently, towards the exploration of values, challenges, and the socio-cultural role in achieving sustainability for rural areas. In the final chapters, the book offers several peculiarized socio-spatial perspectives, from defining the path towards more resilient communities and sustainable spaces based on a shared well-being to proposing the approach to define community resilience as an intentional action that aims to respond to, and influence, the course of social and economic change, to deliberating the notion of a ’healthy place’ and questioning its optimal scale in the built environment. The study of sustainability and resilience in this book is concluded by drawing a parallel between environmental, economic, and social determinants of the built environment and the determinants that are relevant to human health and well-being

Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Genetic Polymorphism and Risk of Asbestosis

Asbestos, a known occupational pollutant, may upregulate the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and thus the production of nitric oxide (NO). This study investigated whether iNOS (CCTTT)n polymorphism is associated with an increased asbestosis risk in exposed workers. The study cohort consisted of 262 cases with asbestosis and 265 controls with no asbestos-related disease. For each subject the cumulative asbestos exposure data were available. The number of CCTTT repeats was determined following PCR amplification of the iNOS promoter region. Logistic regression was performed to estimate asbestosis risk. The OR of asbestosis was 1.20 (95%  CI = 0.85–1.69) for the LL genotype compared to the combined SL and SS genotypes and 1.26 (95% CI = 0.86–1.85) for the LL genotype compared to the SL genotype. The results of this study are borderline significant and suggest a possible role of iNOS (CCTTT)n polymorphism in the risk of asbestosis; however, further studies are needed