SHARE
create
live
ARCHITECTURAL
PORTFOLIO Ajla Imamovic, M.Arch.
Ajla Imamovic, M.Arch. phone email skype address
+43 676 651 2881 imamovic.ajla@gmail.com ajla.imamovic HaidschĂźttgasse 2, 1210 Vienna, Austria
SELECTED PROJECTS 2015-2018
REVIVAL of forgotten NEIGHBORHOOD Collaboration: Mia-Martina Hren Location: Hönigsberg, Austria
formalizing CONECTIONS
adapting TYPOLOGY
bringing FUNCTIONS
building PARKS & GARDENS
Neubaugasse closed for cars — pedestrian alley formed and sidewalks incorporated into the streets. The level of the trafifc roads is below the level of blocks, forming indent, bridges over it allow continuous car-free connection between left and right side.
Seven different living typologies with common entrance, passage and the stairway are kept — forms effect of micro neighbourhoods. Freedom in functional reorganisation and restoratio.
Existing living units are kept, but refurbished to own specifications and needs. Main square with additional features, easily accessible from all sides, serves as animator among the inhabitants. Each block- courtyard gets something unique to attract the users.
Car parks have been moved on the outer streets and new underground garages. Interior courtyards provide precious public green spaces. To minimize the maintenance, each tenant is obliged by the contract to take care of a small part of the garden.
The southern district of Mürzzuschlag, Hönigsberg, consists mainly of residential buildings built between the 1940s and 1950s, which no longer fully met the requirements of modern residential buildings - missing balconies, insufficient parking spaces, inadequate sound and heat protection and lack of accessibility required a thorough renovation. Due to the poor living standards and structural change in the region, decline of population was inevitable. The large courtyards in the center of the district have a very special urban design quality, likewise demolishing existing buildings is rarely economically justified. Thus the goal of the one week workshop was to analyze the underdeveloped site and to stem deterioration by preserving the character of the facilities, while gradually refurbishing and revitalizing the settlement through new functions and uses. Carefully designed social spaces were intended to promote unity, mutual respect and reliability among the inhabitants, overall neighbor interaction and physical activity. Neighbors of all ages are now able to relax, converse, play and learn in new shared green areas. Additionally new parking spaces were provided underground, enhancing the district’s urban quality with new pedestrian areas and safer streets. However, the key to success of the revival lies in challenging the status quo of controlling provision. The future tenants are free to customize their home, to add balconies or new, bigger apertures on the courtyards facades and are free to develop their plot to their own specifications and needs - actions which on the whole animates social interactions.
PEDESTRIAN ALLEY (accessible for emergency vehicles only) SECONDARY ROAD (serves as access for underground garages or car park) MAIN ROAD (main traffic circulation)
green surfaces connected with bridges to avoid clashing of traffic and pedestrians
opened courtyard with direct access to the public square
public square that encourages social interaction and physical activity
courtyards with artificial hills forming various segments
Design Studio 3: Public District House Location: Graz, Austria
SHARE
create
live
networking space
verb \’lend \ to make something available to someone or something
The Lendwirbel collective in Graz deals with activities that invigorate the public space in terms of inclusion of different social strata, especially of those people are in various migratory movements - migrants, refugees, homeless. Their new headquarter is tucked into the urban context of Lendplatz, facing certain challenges, such as height regulations, access, the movement of people and its visibility. What is needed is a space for networking, encounters, mixing, work, workshops, seminars, as well as alternative housing options that correspond spatially to urban heterogeneity. The essential architectural theme of LENDhouse is the dissolution of a clear boundary between inside and outside and the design of a permeable structure with a public character in which the interior interweaves with the exterior. The site is divided into 3 parts, with three different buildings: Live, Create & Share! Each one of them is made flexible for the users, meaning that their construction allows reorganization and even different functions to be held in the same space. As the ideas progress, the space progresses too.
BIG block for BIG space
subtract to GAIN
3 for sequence
3 for unity
transparency
ground floor
1st levelÄ?
2nd levelÄ?
3rd levelÄ?
Architecture and Energy Design Studio Collaboration: Mia-Martina Hren Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Aiming to develop highly energy-efficient buildings by means of form and construction, while comprising of 50% air, we settled on solving one of the problems at the time—lack of kindergartens in Zürich. Counting on the children’s natural impulses for exploration, the kindergarten is located in a forest area near the city center. This environment with an obstacle course of ramps, benches, bars, and climbing nets around trees, grants children to develop a much deeper understanding and respect of the nature around them. Every tree is there for climbing and this allows them to assess risks better, to learn by themselves, learn from their experiences and their mistakes and to learn from each other. The general concept of the kindergarten building revolves around the shared transparent atrium that brings the forest inside with direct connections to all classrooms. Such space allows children to use the best of their childhood throughout all seasons, but is also gives a new form of life to the kindergarten during night hours, where different types of receptions are held. The form of the project is generated by stacking units with a well known traditional shape of a house on the undulating terrain, respecting the topography. The following aspects are dealt with amongst others: building skin, zoning, wind, ventilation, passive interior air conditioning, computer simulation, power generation and supply, sustainability.
section b-b
section a-a
section c-c
E L EME NTool Bachelor Thesis: Elementary School Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
WILD PLACE
SHELTERED PLACE
LIGHTED PLACE
MYSTERIOUS PLACE
LOUD PLACE
QUIET PLACE
SAFE PLACE
PUBLIC PLACE
PLACE OF SILENCE
PLACE OF SCREAMING
PEACEFUL PLACE
ACTIVE PLACE
The design began with the relationship between the school and the surrounding. Setting back the building created an entrance square as a transition space from the busy street on the east and the office high-rise building on the south. The building was initially designed as two separate longitudinal volumes with different heights joined on one end by glass corridor and on another with a big communal space creating an uninterrupted communication and several semi-opened courtyard spaces. The programmatic layout of classrooms and communal spaces was carefully chosen to serve as an additional buffer from the noisy surrounding as well as to create a continuum between the site, exterior programs and interior spaces. Taking advantage of the existing gentle slope terrain allowed to create tablelands with different elevations giving more dynamic and spatial experience at several scales helping the kids with their development. The big monumental stairs are an invitation for those meeting on the square. They lead into the elevated enclosed gathering space used as an auditorium. From this point the classrooms are distributed longitudinally in a way to obtain the most sunlight and wind. The vivid colors in the interior and the colorful sunscreens on the facade are used as tools to build a warm environment for the first contact with the social and cultural dimension of its small users. To allow them an easier access, the classrooms for the youngest ones are positioned the ground floor with an additional entrance and direct link to the courtyards.
LEVEL -01
LEVEL 00
LEVEL +01
LEVEL +02
SECTION A-A
SOUTH ELEVATION
SECTION C-C
EAST ELEVATION
YOUTH HUB MLADENIK Master Thesis: Manifesto of Memorial Park Vraca | re-birth Location: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina exhibition space
creative space office space
plates with names
study area
multi-functional space amphitheater
conference room
Sarajevo is a city of three eras and its grandiose Memorial Park Vraca belongs to the cultural heritage of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Like the other powerful Spomeniks, it was built to honor the people’s struggles and those who died during the National Liberation War, but at the same time to celebrate the Revolution. In the polarized environment of Sarajevo, where the historical memory of this past era that celebrated brotherhood and unity was intentionally erased from the narrative and is omitted from school textbooks, the suspicions of reconstruction and revitalisation of Memorial Park Vraca run deep in the society and mistrust prevails. The aim of the master thesis is to obstruct the indifference of the new generations towards this monument by offering them a valuable source of information on the recent past represented by the monument itself. To contribute to understanding how architecture can be initiated as a collective and cohesive endeavor, this work provides a conceptual design for a universal space of unity, right at the spot divided by the two entities. It involves an ongoing process that will primarily engage young generations into the re-birth of the monument. The adaptive reuse of the memorial park and the old Austro-Hungarian fort encourages to explore contested memories of the past, promote learning and critical thinking, and facilitate ongoing cultural exchange in order to advance the social reconstruction and retain significance for rising generations.
Memorial to fighters of the resistance movement in the city AtriumMemorial to the victims of Fascism Memorial to troops of the National Liberation Army who took part in the liberation operation of Sarajevo
a
vin go ze er dH an nia ka os ps fB Sr no ka tio bli ra pu de Re Fe
Amphitheater
Museum space
Eternal fire with fountain
‘Boško & Admira’ Love Memorial
Lookout
Memorial sculpture to Woman Warrior
plateau Entrance
Memorial to the Kids of Sarajevo Ceremonial plateau Memorial to the city’s freedom fighters Occupation ‘92-’95 Memorial
Memorial to national heroes
Memorial plaque on execution site
ProHolz Student Trophy Competition Collaboration: Mia-Martina Hren Location: Graz, Austria
Kapistran Pieller Platz
Kaiser Josef Platz
Schlossberg
In order to overcome the height obstacles from surrounding buildings and trees on each site, which prevent from having unusual involvement with the city and entirely new foresight, giving almost the same image and sensation when on top of an observatory as on the ground, a new innovative concept was created. It allows the user to have an individual experience of the city moving from the familiar environment by looking through different frames on the tower. Picking up the images, the user interprets the city through different details, colors and materials, that show an unseen magic of Graz, its architecture, its history and culture. This unique experience and simple design can be adapted to any surrounding providing more for less, but at the same time ensuring a creative afterlife. The temporality and mobility of the tower is reflected through purity of its structure. The initial idea was inspired by the simplicity of a ladder, which we use to reach something that is much higher than us. Fully stable structure was achieved with diagonally placed supporting columns, steel cables and heavy foundations enclosed with the platform, creating a space for info services along with interactive space for the users. The whole story is wrapped up with prefabricated wooden panels. The LED stripes from the inside allow the light to break through the small gaps on the wooden case and through the small openings, bringing the focus on the lean tower even at night.
culture
architecture
history
tradition
GROUP EXPERIENCE
INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE
INITIAL IDEA INITIALINITIAL IDEA IDEA INITIAL INITIAL IDEA INITIAL IDEA IDEA
DEVELOPED IDEA DEVELOPED DEVELOPED IDEA DEVELOPED IDEAIDEA IDEA DEVELOPED DEVELOPED IDEA Developing the idea, fully stable structure was achieved through heavy foundation the platform, Developing Developing theDeveloping idea, the fully fully idea, stable the fullyidea, stable structure fully structure stable was achieved was structure achieved through was achieved through heavy heavy through foundation foundation heavy enclosed foundation enclosed with the enclosed with platform, theenclosed platform, withplatform, the with platform, Developing Developing the idea, the idea, stable fully structure stable was structure achieved was achieved through heavy through foundation heavy foundation enclosed with enclosed the platform, with the creating afor space for along info services along with interactive space for This allows the sleek creating creating a space a creating space for info for a services space info services along infoalong with services interactive with along interactive with space interactive space for passerbys. forspace passerbys. This for still passerbys. This allows still allows the Thisallows sleek still theallows and sleek lean the and sleek lean and leanand lean creating acreating space for a space info services for info along services with interactive with interactive space for space passerbys. for passerbys. This still allows Thispasserbys. still the sleek and thestill sleek lean and lean design of the tower to in focus. adding the additional steel whole structure is fixed design of of tower design the to come the to come tower in focus. in tofocus. By come By in come focus. adding the additional Bythe adding additional steel the additional cables, steel cables, whole steel whole structure cables, structure whole is fixed and fixed and is from fixed safe safe and from safeand fromsafe from designdesign of the the design tower of tower to theof come tower into focus. come By inadding adding focus. By theadding additional theBy additional steel cables, steel whole cables, structure whole iscables, structure fixedisstructure and is safe safe fixed from and from forces. Anight special night scene is stripes created using led stripes on the inside of the tower. The light breaks through the wind windwind forces. A wind A special forces. night scene A night special scene is is created scene using isled using created stripes led using on led on inside stripes the of on the the of tower. the inside tower. The oftower. light the Thetower. breaks light breaks The through light through breaks the the through wind forces. forces. A special special forces. night Awind special scene night is created created scene is using created led stripes using on ledthe the stripes inside oninside of the the inside tower. of the The light breaks The light through breaks the through the the gaps onthrough the case andsmall through the small openings, creating an interesting playviewer. for the viewer. small smallsmall on gaps the small on wooden the gaps wooden on case theand case wooden andwooden case through the and small the through openings, small openings, the small creating openings, creating an interesting an creating interesting play an interesting for play the for viewer. the play viewer. forviewer. the small gaps gaps on the gaps wooden onsmall the case wooden and through case and the through small openings, the openings, creating an creating interesting an interesting play for the play viewer. for the The of this whole structure reflects the possibility to prefabricate all tube, the main The The advantage The of advantage of whole this whole structure ofwhole this structure whole reflects reflects structure in the in possibility reflects the to the prefabricate possibility toinprefabricate to all the main the elements, main the elements, main the elements, the the tube, the the tube, thetube, the The advantage advantage The advantage of this this whole ofadvantage this structure reflects structure in the reflects possibility in possibility thein to possibility prefabricate to prefabricate allprefabricate theall main all elements, theallmain elements, the tube, the the elements, tube, the the supporting diagonal beams and the platform, bring them tothem site, and join them with the help of small crane and supporting supporting diagonal supporting diagonal beams diagonal beams and the and beams platform, the platform, and bring the them platform, bringbring all them to bring site, all to them and site, all and to join site,all with them and the join with help them theof help with small of the crane small help crane and of small and crane and supporting supporting diagonal beams diagonal and beams the platform, and the bring platform, them all to them site, and all tojoin join site, them and with join the help with of the small help crane of small and crane and scaffold that will temporarily hold tube, the diagonal beams are fixed. Its ofit12 meters allows scaffold scaffold that will that scaffold temporarily will temporarily that will hold the hold tube, the while tube, holdtube, the while tube, diagonal thethe while diagonal beams thewhile diagonal beams are fixed. are beams fixed. Its are Its of fixed. 12 of 12 Itsof size meters allows 12 allows it meters to be toallows be it to be it to be scaffold that scaffold will temporarily that will temporarily holdtemporarily the tube, hold while the the diagonal while the beams diagonal arebeams fixed. are Its size size fixed. ofsize 12 Itsmeters meters size allows 12 of meters itsize toallows be it to be transported easily, and the whole process ofthe joining the is fast and easy. transported transported easily, transported easily, and the and whole easily, the whole process and the process of whole joining ofprocess joining the structure of the joining structure together structure is fast and is together fast and isand easy. fast easy. and easy. transported transported easily, andeasily, the whole and the process whole of process joining the of joining structure thetogether together structure istogether fast structure and iseasy. easy. fasttogether
GROUP EXPERIENCE GROUP GROUP EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE GROUP EXPERIENCE GROUP EXPERIENCE GROUP EXPERIENCE
INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE
4th Anatomy of the Island Workshop Collaboration: Stipe Dragoja, Mia-Martina Hren, Location: Okljucna, Vis Island, Croatia
“Anatomy of Islands – Centre for Research and Development” is an association established with the aim of creating interdisciplinary knowledge about islands, island communities, and models of island development. This project is a result of 5 days long workshop on the 4th Anatomy of the Islands dealing with synergy of tourism and year-round life on the island Vis, Croatia. The jewel of the northern and inactive part of the island Vis is an old Dalmatian scattered village, Okljucna - nowadays just a shadow of a lovely village it used to be. With only 2 permanent residents, most of the old traditional houses are neglected and abandoned. As there are no registered ethno-eco villages on the island, the idea was to provide the tourists with entirely new experience that would allow them to participate and to leave their trace in the redevelopment of the village. Through variety of workshops and seminars the volunteers from all over the world will get to rebuild old dry stone walls- belonging to the cultural heritage of Croatia, to learn the traditional way of building a stone house and roof, to participate in local farm work, harvesting crops and food preparation, to learn fishing and knitting. Re-built houses are given new functions depending on their size with a focus on educational and cultural center. Yet another unique experience provided is sleeping in traditional single bedroom houses and eating only locally grown food.
WORKSHOP AND SOCIAL INNOVATION EXCHANGE HUB
20% LOCALS 80% WORKSHOPS
fishing and boating
INFORMATION CENTER WITH ACCOMMODATION
restored drystack walls supporting the local agriculture
cultural center
workshop and social innovation exchange hub
hotel
parasite accomodation in local houses
local animals farm
BUSting Berlin BUSting Berlin. Bus Terminal as a Loft Master Studio Location: Berlin, Germany
With bus transport, the studio re-introduced the topic of mobility and transport infrastructures as an architectural issue in the dialogue on the contemporary city. In order to develop an integrated urban typology, new types of mobility processes were observed and traditionally mono-functional use of a bus terminal was upgraded through hybridization. The site is a fractured urban area because of the proximity to the highway and big urban structures such as the trade-fair Berlin. The proposal aims to create a plaza to encounter the dispersion felt in the area- a place meant to serve as a meeting point for those traveling by bus and also for those who work, live and spend time in the area. People have been using bridges for centuries to overcome distances and to connect with each other. This structure did not only help to connect fragmented site cut by several underground lanes, but it also stressed out the obvious meaning of it. It has been placed there to connect people. It stretches over the site in horizontal movement creating slender and elegant figure with accentuated horizontal lines achieved by different types of glass on windows. Under the bridge is where the buses are, open and intuitive, giving pedestrians a hint, that the meeting point is there.
MAIN ROAD SECONDARY ROAD HIGHWAY ROAD USED TO ACCESS THE BUILDINGS BUS
MOST FREQUENT PEDESTRIAN FLOW BICYCLE PATH SECONDARY PEDESTRIAN FLOW
Borders + Boundaries Sports Center: joint Master Studio with University of Houston Collaboration: Christopher Al-Juimah, Johanna Schmeizl Location: Gornja Radgona (Slovenia) and Bad Radkersburg (Austria)
HANDBALL ACADEMY & SPORTS CENTER
FREE TIME
HEALING CENTER
SOCCER ACADEMY
Working together with colleagues from the University of Houston the task was to develop a master plan for 15,000 m2 cross-border Sports Center on the Austrian-Slovenian border and with this to acquire new soft and inter-cultural skills. Understand how people use their everyday space, buildings, rooms, streets and fields to establish their identity and articulate their social relations was crucial. Slovenians are oriented toward the volleyball and Austrians toward the football. By shifting the less desired sports ground to the other country, the circulation from one side to another is enforced. Instead of exposing the layers of the landscape in both countries, they are made to distort and dissolve the boundary naturally created by the Mur river. With controlled landscape that is employed on the new set of interactive bridges carefully positioned as a continuations of forest paths, a new language is created that blurs this natural boundary and ties the countries together encouraging the transit between the two. Pockets created in-between the circulation paths and the river form various programmatic spaces. The vital facility of the Sports Center is a multi-functional sports hall (Arena) with a common architectural language - shaped by the flow of people and public life, turning infrastructural necessities into opportunities for social interaction.
Austria Slovenia
b
a
a
a
b
b
PRESS
c
c
c
c
c
c
a
d
a
PLAYERS
d
a
d
VIP
LEVEL -1
LEVEL 0
LEVEL 1
• • • • • •
main hall strength & conditioning hall equipment rooms changing rooms sauna & spa doping control & first aid
• • • •
lobby areas cloakrooms strength & conditioning hall equipment room
• • •
entrance area reception lobby areas media center printing & processing data recording
multipurpose room conference room press room mixed zone
rent a bike coffee club shops (equipment, souvenirs, food...) cafeteria and catering (VIP) kitchen area
• • •
• • • •
• • • •
staffs room technical rooms storage rooms sanitary facilities
administration room staffs room technical rooms storage rooms sanitary facilities
multi-functional space meeting rooms multimedia rooms
• • • •
• • • • •
• • • • • •
technical rooms storage rooms sanitary facilities
section a-a
section b-b
section c-c
Appendix
Lighting Design Chapel of St. John Mentor: Birgit Schulz Collaboration: Mia-Martina Hren Location: Purgg, Austria
In Christianity, the presence of light in a place of worship is the greatest manifestation of God himself. DAY In the first period of the Middle Ages, religious buildings were characterized by the darkness, with small openings in the facades. The St. John chapel fits into this pattern. In order to respect what our ancestors created in this space, there are no contemporary artificial lights added to illuminate it. The beauty of play between the daylight, form and shadows is accentuated with pure and comfortable candle lights, providing a unique, traditional feeling to the visitors — going back to the roots. For the Christian such an experience causes one to contemplate his existence and purpose here on earth. NIGHT But when the night falls, the effect is even greater. The journey begins outside, where the chapel at the highest peak is lit up with the last sunlight. As one enters the space, the daylight is replaced with the yellow artificial light entering the small windows from the outside of the chapel, framing the specific wall paintings. It creates a holy moment for the believers and a mesmerizing sight for other visitors as it revives the beauty of night that was forgotten in many places due to the abundance of light.
Space Experiments using LIGHT Mentor: Birgit Schulz Collaboration: Mia-Martina Hren Location: Graz, Austria
‘Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of volumes brought together in light.’ Le Corbusier
New Life of a Staircase
Aarchitecture Photography Mentor: Helmut Tezak Location: Graz, Austria
Arbeit mit der Ă–ffentlichkeit. 63 Jahre danach PERFORMANCE ART Mentor: Milica Tomic Collaboration: Mia-Martina Hren Location: Graz, Austria
Weisst du wo du stehst?
Arbeit mit der Offentlichkeit. 63 Jahre danach by Werner Fenz (Hg./Ed.), Nov 2016 based on the case of Artistic intervention in public space
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME For more projects click