Ljubljana, Slovenia
The project examines Hradecky Park as a public space intervention located in a sparsely built area in the center of Ljubljana, where the area south of the road is densely urbanized and includes the Ljubljana Hospice, the only specialized palliative care center in Slovenia, which notably lacks its own outdoor spaces.
Hradecky Park by Atelje Hočevar, won an “Europe 40 Under 40” Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design, and Urban Studies.
Recognizing this deficit, the City of Ljubljana, in cooperation with Lekarna Ljubljana, initiated the transformation of a neglected site overgrown with invasive vegetation and covered with deposited material into a new urban park.
From its inception, the park was conceived as a shared space, serving hospice residents and staff as well as local residents and visitors to this part of the city center.
The primary spatial challenge was the park’s constrained position between two infrastructural corridors and a height difference of approximately 3.5 meters between the park level and Hradeckega Road.
Rather than resolving this condition through conventional terracing or isolated ramps, the project introduces a continuous spiral ramp as its central spatial device.
This gently descending ramp provides barrier-free access for pedestrians, wheelchair users, parents with strollers, cyclists, hospice residents, and even hospital beds, ensuring dignified and inclusive movement across the site.
The spiral is both an infrastructural and experiential element. Spatially, it organizes the park into two distinct yet interconnected atmospheres. The inner, more communal zone forms the social heart of the park, while the outer zone offers a quieter, more contemplative landscape.
At the same time, the spiral functions as a promenade, gradually opening views toward the surroundings and culminating in a small, covered concrete niche that serves as a place of pause, reflection, and shelter from weather conditions.
The central area of the park is defined by a shallow water surface, a row of Japanese cherry trees, benches, and a gently sloped embankment suitable for sitting and lying down.
These elements support everyday use and informal gathering, while remaining understated and non-prescriptive.
The outer zone is intentionally calmer, characterized by more secluded pockets and a pergola oriented toward views of the natural landscape, offering moments of withdrawal and contemplation.
A higher proportion of paved surfaces was deliberately introduced to support maneuverability for medical trolleys, service vehicles, wheelchairs, and hospital beds, without segregating these users from the public.
Paving thus becomes an inclusive ground, enabling accessibility while reinforcing the park’s role as everyday urban infrastructure.
The park also incorporates two sculptural elements that anchor it in local history and narrative.
A portrait sculpture of former mayor Hradeckega, who played a key role in the development of this part of Ljubljana, is oriented toward the city center, while a bird sculpture on a pedestal faces the water surface.
Together, these elements provide identity and continuity, linking contemporary public space with historical memory.
Hradecky Park demonstrates how sensitive spatial calibration can transform infrastructural leftovers into humane public environments.
By integrating the specific needs of palliative care into an open urban framework, the project expands the notion of inclusivity and positions public space as a shared civic resource, capable of accommodating care, everyday life, and collective memory within a single spatial system.
Project: Hradecky Park, Ljubljana
Architect: Aleksander Vujović, Slovenia, Primož Hočevar, Slovenia
Architecture Office:Atelje Hočevar
Associate Architects: Peter Prinčič, Slovenia, and Brina Meze-Petrić, Slovenia
Design Team: Aleksander Vujović, Slovenia, Branko Hojnik, Slovenia, and Primož Hočevar, Slovenia
Contractor: KPL, d.o.o.
Client: Lekarna Ljubljana, City of Ljubljana
Photographer: Ana Skobe, Željko Stevanić, and Aleksander Vujović
