The exhibition The RevitLabs of HEI-Transform features student project proposals for flexible reuse of abandoned heritage, or heritage that is not being put to best use. These proposals arose from four experimental laboratories (RevitLabs) organised as part of the delivery of a major foundational interdisciplinary research project titled “Heritage for Inclusive Sustainable Transformation – HEI-Transform”.
Students from the Faculty of Architecture and the Biotechnical Faculty’s Landscape Architecture Department created their projects in collaboration with an interdisciplinary group of experts from ten Slovenian research organisations, and in dialogue with local stakeholders at four municipalities in the Eastern Slovenia cohesion region. They tackled the challenge of regenerating an abandoned mining area in Hrastnik, looked at ways of reviving the historic town centre in Kostanjevica na Krki, worked on the heritage of the rich cultural landscape of Castle Hill in Gornja Radgona, and examined ways of installing new programmes and activities at Hrastovec Castle in Lenart following the departure of the medical institute that had previously occupied the site. The students designed three project proposals for each municipality based on knowledge acquired through various disciplines and paying close attention to the different and specific developmental starting points typical of each local environment. These starting points were defined by local stakeholders: local government representatives, local businesses, civil society organisations, inhabitants themselves, and experts from the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, at joint workshops held in each municipality. We presented the results of the work at local exhibitions and concluding discussions, and in a series of monographs that may prove useful for local communities when they come to make decisions about reviving their heritage in the coming years.
One of the main objectives of the experimental laboratories was to gain an insight into decision-making processes at the local level by simulating inclusive planning to revive and regenerate heritage areas through flexible reuse, and to get some understanding of the readiness of all stakeholders involved, particularly local communities, to engage in open participatory cooperation. Working out how to operate in local environments, and above all recognising the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in the creation of inclusive solutions for reviving and regenerating heritage, provided the students with new areas of knowledge – knowledge that will be key to the development of interdisciplinary sustainable heritage preservation practices more widely.
More about the project: https://itd.fa.uni-lj.si/sl/hei-transform/
Participating students: Matea Atanasoska, Dora Balent, Katarina Banko, Nastja Bojc, Lara Boštjančič, Sara Dobnikar, Juš Dolenc, Nađa Dubajić, Luka Aleksander Glogovšek, Anamarija Gole, Jure Gruden, Nika Guček, Mojca Kajzer, Marie Kinkela, Maja Kobal, Katja Kočevar, Ana Kodrič, Žana Korenjak, Lara Korošec, Eva Košak, Pavlina Košir, Matevž Kranjc, Vladyslav Kvitka, Tinkara Ličen, Jakub Makarov, Tia Marc, Lara Markelj, Luka Miklavčič, Azra Mustafić, Maurin Nissen, Karolina Pavlič, Maks Petrovčič, Adrijan Piano, Metka Podjed, Pia Polič, Manca Povšin, Pia Pravdič, David Pšeničnik, Dunja Rabađija, Luka Rađenović, Gaja Rejc, Rebeka Seljak, Neža Sevčnikar, Ajhan Skenderoski, Tilen Šmid, Tita Šnajder, Kenan Tabakovič, Nina Umer, Tinkara Urbančič, Kaja Uršej, Lea Vagaja, Ana Velenik, Nejc Verbovšek, Živa Vita Vertačnik, Lana Vodopivec, Sanja Volčič, Klara Vovk, Sara Vrtačič, Hana Vrtovec, Gaja Zagorc, Katja Založnik, Marija Zdravkovska, Matevž Zgonik, Marko Zupan, Eva Žerjal, Lovro Žle, Karla Žmavc, Mara Žohar Mlaker, Vanja Žujović, Ana Žvan
Mentors: Professor Sonja Ifko, Maša Ogrin (Assistant), Gaja Žgank (Assistant), Assistant Professor Špela Hudnik, Nika Bronič (Technical Assistant), Assistant Professor Rok Žnidaršič, Katarina Čakš (Assistant), Blaž Zupančič (Demonstrator) Associate Professor Polona Filipič Gorenšek, Blaž Babnik Romaniuk (Assistant), Associate Professor Aleksander Ostan, Professor Maruša Zorec, Assistant Professor Uroš Rustja, Andraž Keršič (Assistant), Associate Professor Tatjana Capuder Vidmar, Assistant Professor Mitja Zorc, Assistant Professor Miloš Kosec, Tadej Urh (Assistant)
Participating research organisations: School of Economics and Business, Faculty of Social Sciences, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Faculty of Arts (all University of Ljubljana), Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), Faculty of Humanities (University of Primorska), Faculty of Tourism (University of Maribor), Urban Planning Institute, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS)
Local partners: Municipality of Hrastnik, Municipality of Lenart, Municipality of Kostanjevica na Krki, Municipality of Gornja Radgona
the project is funded by: ARIS (Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency)
MGBS curator: Hana Čeferin
Production: University of Ljubljana
PUBLIC PROGRAMME
Thursday, 6 November 2025, 7 pm: Opening
Thursday, 27 November 2025, 6 pm: What have we learned from the RevitLabs? (round-table discussion)