A cultural centre or a 'flying saucer' which has landed in the countryside near Vitanje in Slovenia? The new Cultural Center of European Space Technologies (KSEVT), designed by the team of architects Bevk Perovic Arhitekti, dekleva gregorič arhitekti, OFIS Arhitekti and SADAR + VUGA, is located in the hometown of Herman Potocnik Noordung, a pioneer of rocket engineering and astronautics.
The futuristic shape of this architecture, in stark contrast to the surrounding houses, begins directly from design considerations contained in Noordung's book dedicated to building space stations and geostationary satellites, entitled “Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums - der Raketen-Motor" (The Problem of Space Travel - The Rocket Motor) (1928).
The new cultural centre has been designed to accommodate scientific activities, exhibitions and events to supplement the social and cultural life already animated by the Vitanje Art Center, bringing space technology to scholars and visitors.
The building develops over three floors: on the ground floor the main entrance is defined by a glass basement surmounted by a huge aluminium cylinder. From the central circular shaped hall, lit by large skylights, ramps branch off leading into the exhibition halls, located on the upper levels .
The design of the roof terrace is obtained from the combination of the two cylindrical volumes clad in a metal skin: the area is designed to accommodate outdoor displays and an open-air library.
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