The exhibition “Building Worlds” presents a collection of student projects developed during two architectural workshops led by the prominent American architects John David Todd (WOJR) and Hilary Sample (MOS). From the intimate to the civic, from fiction to function, the student works on display illustrate architecture’s capacity to shape not just structures, but shared worlds.
The projects exhibited reflect the creative outcomes of “New American Architecture: A Look Ahead”, a transatlantic academic initiative spotlighting a new generation of American architects whose work is resonating both within the United States and across European discourse. Organised by the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Ljubljana, the broader programme featured an opening lecture by Prof. Judith Birdsong and Prof. Donna Cohen on the work of Donald Judd; four lectures by invited architects – WOJR, MOS, Salazar Sequero Medina, and Davidson Rafailidis – presenting their own practices; and two intensive student workshops. These events set the stage for the explorations exhibited in Mala galerija.
For the workshop named “On Building Worlds” (led by John David Todd, WOJR), the architectural model became a critical projective tool – an image through which the complex interplay of architecture’s many layers, including light, space, proportion, atmosphere, material, texture, and tone can be examined, along with the narratives, stories, and rituals of the lives lived within. Through model-making, students explored space not only as it is but as it could be, constructing a complete, imagined world in a single artefact.
In contrast, the workshop “Designing Public Furniture for Ljubljana” (led by Hilary Sample, MOS), focused on the design of small-scale public furniture. Each group developed a functional public object designed to engage and provoke collective interaction. While public furniture is typically conceived as fixed, heavy, and robust, the workshop challenged this notion by exploring movable, lightweight, and interactive alternatives.
Through these two workshops, students were acquainted with architecture as a confluence of many elements coming together across differing scales, between the personal and public, between inside and out, between the self and the city, ranging from the creation of the abstract and the imaginary to the building of public space for communities and gatherings. In bringing together diverse pedagogies, perspectives, and cultural contexts, these collaborations affirm the vital role of international exchange in shaping a more imaginative, inclusive, and responsive architectural future.
Participating students:
Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana: Josef Al-Khafaji, Matic Antolovič, Lenart Berdon, Eva Bratina, Sima Bučar Fiškin, Nina Bukovec, Maja Cotič, Martin Debeljak, Ela Grasselli, Miha Judež, Lara Kadiš, Ernestina Lea Kos, Bor Kračun Pižmoht, Miha Kramberger, Nina Kresnik, Petra Kuhar, Nika Kupčič, Anja Lazić, Fia Lemajič, Deni Mihelj, Živa Miklavčič, Nuša Orešnik, Krištof Ovsenik, Gregor Pörš, Matej Rađenović, Gašper Sitar, Erika Slovša, Nika Špendal, Gašper Strašek, Edina Suljić, Lara Stanković Sušec, Nina Senih, Tea Šepić, Aida Šerifoski, Tita Šnajder, Mark Tomšič Tekavčič, Lea Vagaja, Sara Vrtačič
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University, New York City: RuiQi Ai, Devyanshi Arya, Xinkai Fan, Conrad Hiller, Jiwon Kim, Seonghak Lee, Yiu Lun Lee, Jerry Schmit, Hsin-Jui Wu, Heeryung Yu, Shuncheng Zhang, Nicholas Zhao
Lecture series organisers: Prof. Vasa Perović, Ana Jerman
Mentors: John David Todd (WOJR), Hilary Sample (MOS), Ana Jerman
MGBS curator: Hana Čeferin
Design of the exhibition: Michael Meredith & Hilary Sample (MOS), Prof. Vasa Perović, Asst. Prof. Anja Vidic, Ana Jerman
Graphic design: Andraž Tufegdžić
Sponsors of the lecture series: Calcit, Trtnik in Trtnik, ZAPS
Sponsors of the exhibition: Alkam, Cupola
