Architect. Artist. Father. Husband. Mountaineer. Aviator. Adrenaline junkie. Entrepreneur. But it is not possible to determine the order. It is all of these that give him, on the one hand, the inspiration for his artistic creativity and, on the other, the tangible results of a remarkable career.

Once a passionate mountaineer, the sport has cemented the notion of friendship. "I'd rather retrieved fromthe way back to your friend as the way to the top. Without friends, even victories don't count." Even the most difficult climbing routes succumbed to his perseverance, just as the depths of the earth showed him the beauty of nature. He says: "Those who are afraid of heights and afraid of depth are deprived of the wonderful phenomenon of life."

An adrenaline junkie also respects boundaries. Or as he laughs: "Once, when downhill was still in its infancy, the rider in front of me broke his calf on the first branch that was too low before he went into the jump. Well, I carried the bike across there. No head!"

His ambitions extend beyond architectural projects. "One day I will write a book called Bird without wings. My childhood. It was so hard, and I didn't even know it. I just wasn't living. And I didn't know that either. But I knew I wanted to fly. Like the cowgirls in the hills. From the precipice to the ridge, then back to the precipice and like lightning to the top. And catch the wind at the top and sail into it. Over the top. Calmly, perfectly still, with just the edge of the wing directing the wind. Because you know what it's like in the abyss and how to get out." It's like describing your life.

He has used his artistic side to great effect in his work, as he ranks among the very top architects in Slovenia. He has signed his name to many outstanding projects that continue to stop the gaze of lovers of beautiful and functional buildings decades later.

Some notable projects by architect Kristijan Čuk

Here are some of the projects that have taken him from his beginnings in 1996 to the present day. You can feel the evolution that every architect who loves and lives his profession experiences.

• Shower Rogaška with library

• Spar Litija

• Supernova Novo mesto

• Residential block K3, Ljubljanska Street, Celje

• Passive House MIC Velenje

• Apartments Rogaška Slatina

• Youth Centre and Hostel, Trbovlje

• Dewesoft main building, Trbovlje

• Ljubljana Athletics Centre, ACL

• Novo mesto, TPV design

• Eastern Gate Novo mesto

• Zagorje, North Gate - bus station centre

He says: "These are my favourite projects, they are not the biggest, not even the smallest, but they are the way I have walked."

In a career spanning 30 years, he has signed more than 1.5 million square metres of land development.

But he proudly says: "Of course, the high point of my involvement in architecture will undoubtedly be City of Acrobats."

Read more about the origins of the architecture of the City of Acrobats.