Layers of time

The Museum of Architecture and Design MAO is opening the renovated courtyard of the Renaissance Fužine Castle, thus entering a vibrant summer season. The author of this intervention is Julio Gotor Valcarcel, his proposal is understood as the addition of new layers of time. As part of the exhibition We are renovating!!!, which draws attention to recent projects for adaptive re-use in Slovenia, Matevž Čelik, the director of Museum of Architecture and Design MAO and leader of the Future Architecture platform proposed a competition for architectural intervention in the Fužine Castle, where MAO is located. We received 10 high-quality proposals made by individuals or collectives with a strong and diverse creative background, all part of the Future Architecture 2019 Call for Ideas. The jury led by the plaftorm coordinator Milan Dinevski in cooperation with Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia awarded three proposals and chose the winner. For the inauguration of the intervention, MAO will organize a public discussion with representatives of the three awarded proposals (1st Prize LAYERS OF TIME, Julio Gotor Valcárcel / Basel, Switzerland; 2nd Prize: Tentative Face, PAN- PROJECTS / Copenhagen, Denmark; 3rd Prize: ArchiPelago, Idrija2020 / Idrija, Slovenia) and will open an exhibition that will showcase all competition entries.

"This building is the result of the compilation of a collection of layers," Julio Gotor Valcarcel explained in his proposal. "The different architectures that have to modify it, the history, the age of the elements, the change of programme... A collection of layers that shapes and renders the reality of the building and its relation with the surrounding." Citing an example from his homeland of Spain, the author of the winning proposal writes: "As per Aldo Rossi, the Great Mosque of Córdoba is more interesting than the Alhambra in Granada, for its use and shape have been steadily transformed as Córdoba itself evolved, compared to the fossil and permanent character of Alhambra."

His idea is a simple, delicate proposal, according to the present reality of the castle and its use. In a nutshell, the intervention dialogues with these temporary layers which have shaped the reality of the castle, and their duration. The courtyard and corridors will be closed during the hottest months of the year: a series of retractable awnings allowing different positions depending on the programme. The proposal includes the use of curtains in the corridors next to the courtyard. A collection of flexible elements will be displayed, vegetation and furniture. Julio Gotor Valcárcel graduated from ETSAM University in Madrid in 2017. Before finishing his studies he did a short internship at Atelier Bow-wow, Tokyo. He is a former collaborator at estudio Herreros (Madrid). Currently, he is working at Herzog & de Meuron, Basel. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale 2018. He was one of the winners of the Young Talent Architecture Award by the Mies van der Rohe foundation in 2018, it was awarded to him for the project Perdido (Lost) -P.R.U.S. of Madrid. Future Architecture is the first pan-European platform for architecture founded by Matevž Čelik and led by the Museum for architecture and design MAO. The platform gives young talents in architecture a chance to connect with European architectural museums, biennals, galleries, publishing houses and festivals: it is an opportunity for young thinkers and creators in the field of architecture to present and realise their ideas.