PROFILE

Dekleva Gregorič Architects is an international architecture studio established by Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič in 2003 operating in the European Union and the United States of America. 

Our design approach attempts to pursue the concept of ‘research by design’ and ‘design by research’ spanning several modes (spatial, social, material, historical...), different scales and programs, diverse climates and localities. Understanding specific constraints and conditions of the context becomes the ultimate generative tool that aims to challenge the obvious and propose specific responses. We utilize a systematic design approach to establish an intense structuring of space and to challenge the use of materials by exposing their primary natures. The practice's central objective is the user’s experience of architecture and participation. The topics of new collectivity, sharing, participation, and collaboration frame the social position of architecture that aims to stimulate new interaction with the users or between the users and encourage users’ participation in the design process and customization to users’ needs.

Our work first received international attention with XXS house (2004) in Ljubljana and was awarded the European Architecture Award Luigi Cosenza in 2004, and the WALLPAPER* award, Best Breakthrough Designers, in 2005. The Metal recycling plant ODPAD was nominated and shortlisted for the Mies van den Rohe Award 2009, was awarded at the International Architecture Awards 2009, and won Plečnik’s Medal prize in Slovenia among others. Four further projects have been nominated for the Mies van den Rohe Award – the most important European architectural award: Housing Perovo (2013), Compact Karst House (2015), and two collective projects: KSEVT - Cultural Centre of EU Space Technologies (2013) and Slovenska street renovation (2017). Since 2012 the Clifftop House on Maui has received intense international attention and several awards: AIT award, International Architecture Awards 2012, and honourable mention at the American Architecture Prize 2016 among others. In 2015 we explored the potential of redefining regional tradition and condensed family life in Compact Karst House, which won the WAN House of the Year 2015 Award, Best Architects 16 Award, and was commended in the prestigious AR House Award 2015, by Architectural Review, UK. Two distinctive projects Home at Arsenale and Chimney House have been selected as Finalist at Architizer Awards 2017. In 2009 we were awarded the International 40 under 40 award and were named in 2013 Highly Commended at the 21 for 21 WAN AWARDS 2012 – a search for “the 21 architects for the 21st century. The initiative aims to highlight outstanding, forward-thinking people and organizations who have the demonstrable potential to be the next big thing in the architectural world.”

Alongside our architectural practice, Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič are intensively involved in reshaping approaches to architectural education. Aljoša is the Programme Head of the AA nanotourism Visiting School at the Architectural Association in London and Tina is a Professor of Architecture and Chair of the Research Unit Architectural Typology and Design at the Institute of Architecture at the University of Technology Vienna - TUW. Tina and Aljoša were 2019 Frank Gehry International Visiting Chairs in Architectural Design at Daniels, University of Toronto. Previously, Aljoša has been a guest professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Université de Montréal, and at ENSA Paris Val de Seine. They have both been lecturing and exhibiting extensively internationally, presenting their practice and their research with an attempt to continuously question the role of architecture in improving our society. 

Tina and Aljoša received their postgraduate Master's degrees in Architecture with Distinction in 2002 (AADRL) from the Architectural Association in London, UK. They started their research in participation, responsive environments and mass-customization at the AA and are co-authors of the book on these topics titled Negotiate my Boundary!, by RAMTV, AA Publications: 2002, London and Birkhauser, Basel: 2006. The book received intense professional attention, related particularly to the social models of sharing and co-habitation.

Since 2014 they have been leading a distinctive design research defined as nanotourism, a participatory, locally oriented alternative to the current downsides of conventional tourism. Together with their research team at BIO50 - Biennial of Design they received the biennial’s highest honour – Best Collaboration Award. They have presented nanotourism at exhibitions in Milano, Vienna and Oslo.

As curators of the Slovenian National Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale 2016, they addressed the topics of home and dwelling as current, critical social and environmental issues with [Home at Arsenale] – a curated library addressing the notions of home and dwelling performing within a 1:1 parametric site-specific inhabitable spatial wooden structure.