Young people in Slovenia do not move out from their parents’ place, simply because they cannot afford to live on their own. Apartments are really expensive in Slovenia and there are not many young people that can earn enough to afford to live on their own. Because they do not move out, they do not start their own families. This is the main reason why Slovenia is already a country with ageing population.
We have dealt with that problem in the second semester with Professor Lenka Kavčič. We asked young people where and how they live in a survey. Based on the answers from the survey, we made a plan for new apartments for young people, so that they could have a place for themselves.
What we have learned from the survey was that the student apartments in Slovenia are usually 60m² big apartments with two rooms. Apartments like this are usually shared by four people. People with regular jobs and incomes usually have bigger apartments, with the size going up to 72m².
The young are usually content with their apartments. For those that are not, the main reason for their dissatisfaction is the lack of space. The amount of space per person is only 1.2 rooms, which is really little if the apartment has two rooms or more. The amount of m² per person is 21m², so the rooms are bigger and one room has consecutively more functions, which would otherwise be done in two or three different rooms.
Based on this information, we planned apartments of five different sizes (30, 45, 60, 90 and 150m²) that we combined inside one apartment building.
I worked in a group with two partners. I planned 2 out of 5 apartments for our project (the 30 and 45m² apartments).
30 I was imagining what kind of apartment I would like to have for myself. Because I am a student and I dream of my own apartment, I planned the first apartment (30m²) for a student who lives alone, needs studying space and a place to hang out with friends. I separated the social and private/studying parts of the apartment as much as I could.
45 I planned the second apartment (45m²) for a young couple, who have just got their first jobs and are trying to start their life together. The apartment itself is small, but the rooms are big, especially the bedroom, which is the place for privacy and relaxation. The living room area is smaller, because I wanted to have bigger dining room and kitchen.
This project was made a part of our school assignment, but when the professor invited us to create a project for ALICE (Architecture, Landscape, Interior, Culture, Emotion), we expanded it into a bigger project what shows us how invisible young people are in Slovenia. We really hope that someday there will be apartments that the young people can afford, so they can live a normal life, start their own family and help improve our problem with ageing population.
