Second Day of World Habitat Days 2025 –

International Conference “Wood for a Green Future”

The second day of World Habitat Days 2025 was marked by the exceptional international conference “Wood for a Green Future”, which brought together experts, academics, architects, designers from around the world and our students. The event took place at Center Rog in Ljubljana and represented the central highlight of this year’s Urban October – Month of Design, organized by the Faculty of Design.

The conference was opened by Asst. Prof. Blažka Müller, PhD, who hosted the entire programme with warmth, professionalism, and poise.
The opening speech was delivered by Prof. Nada Rožmanec Matičič, Dean of the Faculty of Design, whose address “Urban Crises Response” emphasized the vital role of design and architecture in addressing contemporary urban challenges.

The opening was followed by honourable speeches from distinguished guests:

Bernard Likar, representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – Wood Industry Cluster,
Emeritus Prof. Peter Gabrijelčič, Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana,
Distinguished Prof. Gjoko Muratovski, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, ICONA Design Group / AIAT, Australia,
and Assoc. Arch. Takehiko Iseki, Zaha Hadid Architects, London, UK, whose reflections on innovation and interdisciplinarity deeply impressed the audience.

Throughout the morning, the conference featured a series of scholarly presentations by experts from Slovenia, Romania, North Macedonia, Spain, and Italy, each exploring the significance of wood in architecture, design, and culture from a unique perspective.

Among the presenters were Veronika Gruden Bole, MSc., Assoc. Prof. Maks Merela, Lucija Erjavec Primožič, PhD candidate, Asst. Prof. Inge Kalan Lipar, Marjan Poboljšaj, Assoc. Prof. Arch. Maria Tămășan, Asst. Prof. Arbresha Ibrahimi, Assoc. Prof. Marija Miloshevska Janakieska (video presentation), Prof. Ernesto Fenollosa Forner, Susana Iñarra Abad, and Elena Rausse.

Their contributions demonstrated how wood—through its materiality, cultural meaning, and innovative potential—can serve as a cornerstone of a sustainable future.

The afternoon programme continued with two Design Talk roundtables that delved deeper into the dialogue between science, art, and creative practice.
The first discussion, “Between Science and Art in the Field of Creative Industries”, featured Prof. Nada Rožmanec Matičič, Prof. Gjoko Muratovski, Asst. Prof. Arbresha Ibrahimi, Takehiko Iseki, Prof. Dragan Ćalović, Prof. Dušanka Komnenić, Barbara Gunčar (Design Management Slovenia – KCDM 4.0), and Emeritus Prof. Peter Gabrijelčič.

The second discussion, “Back to Basics?”, moderated by Steiner Valade-Amland (Three Point Zero, Denmark), brought together Assoc. Prof. Jordan Berginc, Asst. Prof. Robert Klun, Sr. Lect. Petra Kocjančič, Asst. Prof. Inge Kalan Lipar, and Prof. Piet Vandewalle (Belgium).

The atmosphere at Center Rog was great – professional yet relaxed, filled with collaboration, curiosity, and mutual respect. Under the warm autumn sun, new connections, partnerships, and ideas for future projects emerged. We believe every participant left the conference enriched – with new knowledge, inspiration, and the shared understanding that wood is the material that connects us to the future.

Parallel Programme for Faculty of Design Students

Meanwhile, a special academic programme – workshops took place at the Faculty of Design, dedicated exclusively to students:

Prof. Merve Özbaş Kilisli (Istanbul Vocational School of Health and Social Sciences, Turkey): “Teaching Ottoman Dress Culture through Augmented Reality”,
Prof. Jovanka Mladenović (Faculty of Contemporary Arts, Serbia): “Chlorophyll Resistance: Urban Herbariums Through the Lens of Visual Arts”,
and Steiner Valade-Amland (Three Point Zero, Denmark): “The Role of Design Manager in a Company”, which offered students valuable insight into the strategic role of design management in contemporary business.

The entire day was imbued with creativity, international collaboration, and interdisciplinary exchange – the very essence of World Habitat Days and Urban October.