Reflections of an architect Kristijana Čuka: "The whole project started with the desire to create an architecture that is first and foremost correct to and inspired by its environment, while capturing the essence of the City of Acrobats, with Dewesoft at the forefront.

Dewesoft is a high-tech company that builds its reputation on amazing, bold, almost crazy ideas. For Dewesoft there are no boundaries, they dare to think beyond the possible, their thoughts are abstract, associative and highly innovative and therefore incredibly successful. They dare to go where others dare not. Into the delusion of limitlessness, infinity and timelessness.

They support startups with crazy ideas and believe in their success. This is the meeting point between the core company Dewesoft and the satellite companies and startups that get support from Katapult. The thought of Juret Knez, co-owner, is - to combine all this potential into the City of Acrobats."

He spent several months studying the background of this successful company and, in particular, the majority owner, Dr Juret Knez. "His dreams, his inspirations, his conscious and unconscious actions, his genius and his weaknesses, his business activities and his own models of acrobatically bringing ideas to the market, and his broad, unrestricted and unconstrained thinking..." explains Kristijan.

The basis was the book AKROBATIwritten by Petra Škarja, which gave rise to the name "Akrobati" and thus the name "City of Acrobats". The book reveals the thinking and actions of Knez. It says: "If as a pilot you had an aerobatic plane and a passenger plane in front of you - which would you prefer to sit in? Most people want a passenger one, so clear instructions, familiar routes without big shocks. But there are a few of us who don't find familiar routes interesting, who want to test our limits with new challenges. We are the ones who would not hesitate to get into an aerobatic plane because we know how crazy fun it can be. ACROBATES." 

The book says that AKROBATI in this sense are those who are a little different. Who stand out from the average. Who are often misunderstood. Visionaries. Geniuses. The special ones. Perhaps strange to some, or at least unusual. Those who are not interested in the usual and mediocre paths. Because these are the people who end up leaving a strong mark on this world. 

"Dr Jure Knez is certainly one of them," says Kristijan Čuk. "Ours, the work of architects, and the work of everyone whose mission is to create through ideas, and therefore also the work of Jureto Knez, has the goal of creating something new, something not yet known.."

Further thoughts led to the essence of the conceptual design of the city: 'If we look a little deeper - isn't it idea a journey into the future? It cuts a path through the universe of thought towards a single goal... to beat time. Thus, in the same endeavour, architects and Dewesoft find themselves in the same time and space. Creating through an idea. 

This is the key moment of City of Acrobats for me. Like flying an aerobatic plane, it's going beyond yourself and into space, where anything is possible."

Inspired by outstanding architecture

Kristijan drew inspiration from architectures that are attractions in their own right, drawing visitors from all over the world.

• Zaha Hadid Architects Selected to Design the Jinghe New City (Science and Technology Nexus)

• Google, designed by architects at Bjarke Ingles Group (sustainable workplace design)

• Jet Brains, UNStudio and Saint Petersburg (connectivity, comfort, versatility)

• RIMAC by 3THD Architects (within the natural landscape, following the natural topography, buildings under a green roof)

• APPLE, Foster + Partners Apple Campus and Cupertino (innovation, simplicity, beauty)

• ATES Wind Power Headquarters / d.a.arhitects, Izmir Turkey (flexibility to adapt to space requirements, "all under one roof")

• ATHLETIC CENTRE LJUBLJANA, Fin Ars d.o.o. (legislation, ergometry, environmental comfort + emotions, happiness, well-being)

• MCT Trbovlje, Fin Ars (building that does not damage the bank, the meadow, the trees, nature and does not obscure the facade of the retirement home)

"Architecture is not primarily a test of the architect's knowledge, it is a test of his ability to adapt to the moment he is given. The principle of fusion with nature and the built environment. We are here and we are not here, we are with you and for you. For nature, for space and for people." Kristijan Čuk

Could the City of Acrobats also be put on the world map as a unique piece of architecture?

SPACE: Lakonca, Trbovlje

We are located in a natural environment, just 100 m above the city, where the city as such will never expand, as we are talking about areas that have been degraded by coal mining. A vegetation belt should be provided at the edges of the zones to reduce the visual exposure of the built structures.

Kristijan points out, "Beech Mountain is a prominent landmark in the area. The prominent feature of the area is Bukov Mountain, a prominent feature of the area. Today, after a kind of harmony between man and nature has prevailed, Beech Mountain is an unmistakable quality of space. With its spiralling strata, it forms a natural monument to the spirit of space and time."

"The play of the relationship between technology and nature has created a natural amphitheatre and has marked the entire space beneath it, thus addressing both the landscape and the urban forms of the future and existing space with its appearance. The interplay of plains and hills, forest and meadows, and the relationship between rocks and vegetation is fascinating and in a sense dramatic, inviting the observer to reflect on the dialogue between technological achievements and the preservation of nature, on the ever-victorious nature, on its indefatigable spirit of regeneration. It's really just a question of whether we can respect what it offers us."

Measurements and balance

Measurement is the core and driving tradition of Dewesoft.

"I guess all events in life are measurable in some way. In one way or another. But if we look at the matter through the eyes of someone who cannot understand the full dimensions of measurement technology, the question of the need for measurement presents itself, and the answer reveals itself - balance. The matter must be in balance. 

Everything in the world is in balance. It has to be, or something is terribly wrong. Dewesoft makes sure that balance is established and maintained. It is a great challenge to create an architecture out of all these facts," reflects Kristijan Čuk. 

What is the City of Acrobats?

Petra Škarja wrote: "The City of Acrobats is an environment of like-minded people, created to share knowledge and experience. It is an environment where we all give and receive. It doesn't matter what industry you are in or what your CV is. It's the passion in your heart that matters, and it's the sparkle in your eyes that convinces us. Otherwise, a little bit of madness doesn't hurt either."

So we create a workspace where everyone is equal and free to feel and create what they want.

The concept of a "hackerspace", which works on the principle of an open community, where each individual starts or joins a project that can later become a company. From the foundations, a path of success winds. Future-oriented.

How to show this also with architecture?

When Kristijan first showed Jure Knez the conceptual design of the City of Acrobats below, after a few moments of silence, Jure just said, "This is it. Kristijan, this is it." The only additional comment was, "But just paint that green on the top of the building orange."

Thus, the City of Acrobats is represented by the two wings of an aerobatic plane, with the central building of Dewesoft, the builder and owner of the whole city, providing the balance in the centre. The lines of the city coincide with the lines of nature, with Beech Mountain being the most prominent.

The latest version of what City of Acrobats looks like

Who is the architect Kristijan Čuk? Read more about him and his work >>

Construction progress

We keep you up to date with developments regarding the construction of the City of Acrobats, which you can follow here >>

From the first conceptual design, with many hours spent thinking and creating together, we have reached the moment when we submitted the plans to the consenting authorities. We can't wait for the moment when we can start building the first building...