Whenever and wherever a piece of new “architecture” - or de facto  a new building - is wanted,  first and foremost the essential questions about the ultimate mission of it should be found and considered – and above all - without getting stuck into current conventions. This is increasingly important in the times of local economical scarcity and global exploitation of eco system. As British professor and architect Jeremy Till has often pointed out, those questions might help to evaluate if there is a need for new building at all – or at least how the current resources (whatever they include) could be used more cleverly. Small architecture is aiming to achieve big change by small scale interventions. Small projects can of course serve as a test laboratory for large ones, but in many cases and with clever design, they can also accomplish their demanding mission more precisely and efficiently than a big-size project.    

Small architecture can be more ecological, adaptable and flexible. Small architecture can fit into urban gaps, rural areas or any other spaces. It is unexpected, it creates surprise and is not standing in the center of the happening, prestigious tourist areas or any other central spots. Small architecture creates its own story about tourism, hospitality, gastronomy, temporary living, or other small-scale enterprise. It proves that touristic business ideas can be created almost everywhere, that successful business ideas are having strong, but still short ideas in the background.

Exhibition is divided into three categories: Hospitality architecture, Small urban interventions and Prefabricated units. The first category is showing small tourist buildings that are connected with wine presentations, gastronomic enjoyments, spa facilities and other temporary living requirements. The second category shows urban small scale buildings that were put into city gaps, unused areas or urban parks. They were created to attract new customers, to give new uses of the urban space and to show a statement how architecture can make a positive dialogue with the city inhabitants and society. Prefabricated units in the third category of the exhibition are on the other hand created for unknown locations and unknown clients. They are designed to show maximal flexibility of use and best prefabrication of certain material within the limits of reasonable budget.

All these three categories of the small- scale buildings were selected to show potentials that small scale architectural designs can bring for the development of the construction business – and the whole society. They could be built also in Slovenia: Ljubljana alone has still got a number of forgotten street corners, half-used parking lots, shaded urban gaps or abandoned factories (like this was) with prime locations – not to talk about many smaller towns and villages. To find at least some of the potential hidden in such places does not always need a big financial investment, maybe not suppressive bureaucratic procedures either. If the idea and its realization is really good for certain location, it can start a benign long-term development in the whole neighborhood or region even if the original project was meant to be just “temporary”.