Medprostor’s translucent canopy gently shelters the Žiče Charterhouse ruin, offering a reversible, poetic intervention that balances protection, light, and reverence — a quiet dialogue between past and present.
Nestled in the serene Slovenske Konjice valley, the ruins of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the Žiče Charterhouse now carry a new spatial narrative — one that delicately balances reverence, renewal, and architectural subtlety. Designed by Slovenian studio Medprostor, the newly completed shelter is more than a roof; it is a translucent gesture of protection, memory, and continuity.
The Žiče Charterhouse, founded in the 12th century as the first Carthusian monastery outside France and Italy, carries centuries of layered history. Severely damaged and partially abandoned through the years, the monastery's core — the Gothic church — remained exposed to the elements, its structure increasingly fragile. Rather than reconstruct or imitate, Medprostor opted for a light, restrained intervention: a timber and polycarbonate operable roof on top of the open structure to create a space "between a ruin and a reconstruction".
At the heart of the design is the principle of architectural humility. The shelter does not compete with the original structure, but rather hovers above it, following the rhythm of its former roofline. A wooden framework, echoing traditional construction methods, supports semi-transparent polycarbonate panels that diffuse sunlight and gently illuminate the space below. This choice creates a luminous, almost sacred atmosphere, transforming the ruin into a space of quiet contemplation and contemporary pilgrimage.
While protective in function, the intervention is also performative in spirit. Rainwater filters along the roof edges, sound becomes part of the architectural experience, and the shifting light animates the historic walls throughout the day. This sensorial quality anchors the intervention firmly in the present while honouring the site's past.
Importantly, the new structure is reversible — a key consideration in contemporary conservation. The timber framework is delicately attached to the existing masonry, allowing the ruin to remain legible and untouched where possible. This gesture speaks volumes about the ethical stance Medprostor takes: preservation without erasure, intervention without dominance.
In an age where heritage architecture is often either over-restored or left to decay, Medprostor’s work at Žiče offers a third path — one of quiet care and poetic restraint. The covering of the Church of St. John the Baptistis not an ending, nor a resurrection, but a continuation — a spatial pause that lets the ruin breathe again.
Nestled in the serene Slovenske Konjice valley, the ruins of the Church of St. John the Baptist in the Žiče Charterhouse now carry a new spatial narrative — one that delicately balances reverence, renewal, and architectural subtlety. Designed by Slovenian studio Medprostor, the newly completed shelter is more than a roof; it is a translucent gesture of protection, memory, and continuity.
The Žiče Charterhouse, founded in the 12th century as the first Carthusian monastery outside France and Italy, carries centuries of layered history. Severely damaged and partially abandoned through the years, the monastery's core — the Gothic church — remained exposed to the elements, its structure increasingly fragile. Rather than reconstruct or imitate, Medprostor opted for a light, restrained intervention: a timber and polycarbonate operable roof on top of the open structure to create a space "between a ruin and a reconstruction".
At the heart of the design is the principle of architectural humility. The shelter does not compete with the original structure, but rather hovers above it, following the rhythm of its former roofline. A wooden framework, echoing traditional construction methods, supports semi-transparent polycarbonate panels that diffuse sunlight and gently illuminate the space below. This choice creates a luminous, almost sacred atmosphere, transforming the ruin into a space of quiet contemplation and contemporary pilgrimage.
While protective in function, the intervention is also performative in spirit. Rainwater filters along the roof edges, sound becomes part of the architectural experience, and the shifting light animates the historic walls throughout the day. This sensorial quality anchors the intervention firmly in the present while honouring the site's past.
Importantly, the new structure is reversible — a key consideration in contemporary conservation. The timber framework is delicately attached to the existing masonry, allowing the ruin to remain legible and untouched where possible. This gesture speaks volumes about the ethical stance Medprostor takes: preservation without erasure, intervention without dominance.
In an age where heritage architecture is often either over-restored or left to decay, Medprostor’s work at Žiče offers a third path — one of quiet care and poetic restraint. The covering of the Church of St. John the Baptistis not an ending, nor a resurrection, but a continuation — a spatial pause that lets the ruin breathe again.
