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Tomos Koper
Renovation of a Modernist Apartment Block
2019
Status
Built
Area
6.040 m²
Program
Housing
Architecture
Ognen Arsov
Peter Cesar
Ana Kosi
Bine Tekavec
Ana Cesar
Photography
Miran Kambič
The Tomos block was designed by architect Edo Mihevc and built in 1957 as part of the new urban design concept of Koper which was never fully realized. The renowned architect created a staple for modernist architecture - a block of single-unit apartments for the workers of the Tomos factory as a symbol of socialism in the heart of the historic city.
The main challenge of the renovation was how to transform 100 social housing units in a conservation area into modern, high quality housing that enables a Mediterranean way of living. We achieved this through three major interventions. We combined small apartments into bigger ones, connected existing balconies with a self-supporting steel structure on the south façade to create long terraces with folding blinds in front of the apartments, and removed the central hallway between apartments from the 4th to the 10th floor. Instead of this, an external hallway / porch was created on the north facade to serve as a semi-public cold terrace for the two or three-side oriented apartments. After the renovation the block has seven floorplan typologies represented in 37 new flats.
Before / Location
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Edo Mihevc's controversial urban design plan from 1957
Koper skyline - 1781
Koper skyline - Planned by architect Mihevc
Koper skyline today
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BEFORE
Service area and unused roof
10 Apartments with central corridor
NEW
Public program
5 Apartments with central corridor (1st to 3rd floor)
3 Apartments with outdoor corridor (4th to 10th floor)
Penthouse
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BEFORE: small southern balconies
NEW: shaded southern terraces
Private Outdoor living
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BEFORE: indoor central corridor
NEW: northen exterior corriodor
Semi-Private Outdoor living
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Ground Floor
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1 - 3rd Floor
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4 - 10th Floor
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Penthouse