Completed in 2024, the Montana Business Centre is an imposing yet elegant nine-storey complex in Ljubljana that brings together offices, shops, art galleries and restaurants. It was designed by Barcelona-based practice Bax Studio, whose architects explained: “The aim was to redefine an area of the city historically associated with industry and logistics and create a new business hub. The experience begins at street level, where the building’s rhomboid footprint integrates with the urban grid before flowing into a large atrium that rises vertically and culminates in a skylight.”
The atrium is the main access point to the offices on the nine upper floors and opens outwards through two triple-height windows. “These large glazed sections allow natural light to enter from two directions while offering views of the city skyline and the Alps. The result is a warm and welcoming workplace that encourages informal connections, with relaxation areas both indoors and in the gardens.”
The Montana Business Centre marks the first step in a broader project to transform the Moste industrial zone into a vibrant business district. “The investor wasn’t looking to create a single building but to transform part of the neighbourhood into a thriving business hub by combining new and existing structures. The development consists of one existing and two newly built units facing each other along Leskoškova Street. The three buildings are connected visually and interact through angled cut-backs. The tallest of the three, DCB Montana, forms part of the first phase together with a landscaped area of terraces and gardens. These outdoor spaces offer a variety of microenvironments with planted areas and curved benches where people can sit and talk.” Walking through the Montana Business Centre, one feels a sense of harmony and grandeur: “We felt it was essential to transfer the concept of spatial fluidity to the building’s use of materials. We wanted the transition from exterior to interior to be gradual, with an increasing richness of texture and pattern guiding visitors through the various changes in scale and perspective present in the interiors.”
The design concept draws on diverse cultural references: “The drawings and sculptures of Sol LeWitt, who explored arrangements of geometric forms and diagonals, and Eva Hesse, who took abstract art to a sensory level.”
For this project, Bax Studio chose marble-effect porcelain stoneware from Atlas Concorde: “The client wanted to add a touch of elegance to the spaces. We combined several collections to create contrasts, capture attention and highlight key points.” The chosen collections include large Marvel Stone Bianco Dolomite and Bardiglio Gray slabs for the atrium, Marvel Pro Statuario for the entrance walls and Marvel Onyx Pearl for the office floors.
The Montana Business Centre is one of Slovenia’s first sustainable office buildings. “Its compact design optimises energy efficiency, while a combination of passive and active strategies – including external screening, thermal insulation, natural light and low water consumption – minimises the use of resources. These measures have earned the building DGNB Gold certification and an A1 energy rating, making it a benchmark for sustainable architecture in Central Europe.”
