Urban October 2026:
Day 4 Highlights – From Ideas to New Research Assignments

The fourth day of Urban October is behind us – and once again, it would be difficult to describe it as a quiet one. 🙂

Tuesday, 6 October, brought a varied programme of workshops, lectures and discussions to the Faculty of Design and the HDMI premises, connecting architecture, design, community, materials, sustainability and, of course, this year’s central theme: Adequate Housing for All.

Following an intensive World Habitat Day on Monday, we were back in action early in the morning – with Slovenian and international mentors, different groups of students, and plenty of new research, exploration and creative work taking place across our spaces.

From Idea to Prototype – with Our Youngest Designers Too

At HDMI – House of Design Management and Innovations, the workshop From Idea to Prototype: Suitable Housing for All was held for primary and secondary school students.

Under the mentorship of Jaka Lipar from the LILA Institute, Asst. Prof. Tamara Hajdu, Asst. Prof. Mojca Perše and Assist. Brina Lukić, the young participants researched, planned and created small wooden shelters, while learning about basic principles of construction, working with wood, functionality, stability and protection from weather conditions.

The workshop concluded with presentations of their ideas and conceptual solutions, and the participants received certificates for their involvement. A lovely reminder that thinking about space, housing and design can begin at a very young age – especially when curiosity is accompanied by the opportunity to actually put an idea to the test.

Materials with Memory, OFFICE3000 and Designing for Community

Meanwhile, at the Faculty of Design, Marta Pastor Estébanez, Fátima Ferreiro Galguera and Guadalupe Martín Hernández from Escuela Superior de Diseño de Madrid continued with Materials with Memory, Cities with Future: Earth, Timber and Upcycled Waste for Equitable Housing.

The focus was on materials that carry their own stories – earth, timber and upcycled waste – and on how they can be incorporated into the creation of more equitable, sustainable and high-quality living environments.

Work also continued on OFFICE3000 – Research and Concepts, under the mentorship of Sr. Lect. Petra Kocjančič and Prof. Nada Matičič. Working in interdisciplinary groups, students continued developing their concepts while exploring the connections between local materials, contemporary working environments, modularity and new approaches to design.

In the Visual Communications Lab, Prof. Dr. Dragan Ćalović, Dean of the Faculty of Contemporary Arts in Belgrade, explored the topic of Design and Community with our students – opening up questions about the relationship between design and community, as well as the broader social role of design.

Our Dean Means Business 🙂

A special part of the morning was the Design Talk: The EU at a Crossroads – Urban Design for Green Oases of Tranquility and a Culture of Living for All, featuring Prof. Nada Matičič, Asst. Prof. Inge Kalan Lipar and Asst. Prof. Dr. Arbresha Ibrahimi from the International Balkan University in North Macedonia.

This time, the Design Talk was led by our Dean, Prof. Nada Matičič, with our Erasmus students also joining the conversation.

And this is where one of those lovely, spontaneous Urban October moments happened. The Erasmus students and our Dean quickly found their rhythm, the conversation started flowing – and the ideas followed even faster. Since our Dean is certainly never short of ideas, within just over half an hour the students had already received at least four new research assignments and starting points for further work.

In short – our Dean means business. 🙂

Perhaps next time we should use the microphones too, so she can hear us from the front row as well. 😉

These are exactly the kinds of conversations that make Urban October so special: the content does not necessarily end when a lecture or Design Talk is over. A single discussion can lead to new questions, research topics, collaborations and ideas that students can continue developing long afterwards.

From Roots to Housing That Is More Than Shelter

The afternoon programme continued with our international guests from Spain. Belen Huertas Alos and Esther de las Heras from Escuela de Arte y Superior de Diseño de Alicante, together with Miguel Martínez Perallón, coordinator of Proyecto Terra, presented and developed the Roots project.

The day concluded with the workshop Housing Beyond Shelter: The Regenerative Potential of Living Spaces, led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Arbresha Ibrahimi from the International Balkan University.

The title itself raises one of the important questions at the heart of this year’s Urban October: a home is not simply a roof over our heads, but a space that can have a profound impact on individuals, communities and the quality of everyday life.

In just one day, we moved from wood and prototype-making to community, urban space, materials, research, architecture and broader reflections on the future of housing.

And Something That Made Us Especially Happy …

Among all the activities, it was particularly lovely to hear the feedback from our visiting professors.

They praised our students and told us how enjoyable it is to work with you and how much they appreciate the time spent working together.

Feedback like this means a lot to us. Urban October is not only an opportunity to bring international experts and new knowledge to the Faculty of Design, but also an opportunity for our guests to get to know our students – their way of thinking, openness, creativity and willingness to collaborate.

And apparently, we get along rather well. 🙂

Meanwhile, Behind the Scenes, We Are Already Preparing for Tomorrow …

As today’s workshops gradually came to an end, the day was not quite over for our team. Behind the scenes, we were already preparing everything for Wednesday’s programme, part of which is moving to our beloved Center Rog.

Tomorrow, we will meet there for the Dressing Facades Design Talk, a presentation of KOCles projects, a discussion on market opportunities for Slovenian wood products, as well as a guided tour of the Rog Labs.

The programme will continue with Sustainable Management in Practice: Between Strategy and Communication, featuring Prof. Dr. Maja Zalaznik and Meta Pezdir, hosted by MSc Veronika Gruden Bole.

In the afternoon, the programme will also continue at the Faculty of Design with Prof. Dr. Dušanka Komnenić, who will lead Designing Adequate Housing for All: Graphic Design for Sustainable and Inclusive Futures, as well as Steinar Valade-Amland and Asst. Prof. Mateja Š. Dimic, who will explore the role of design management and design managers in design-driven organisations.

And because all these lectures, discussions and workshops require a little extra energy, we also found time today to pick up something sweet to treat you tomorrow. We have also made sure there will be time at Rog for a little break, a cup of coffee or tea. 🙂

And so, Day 4 of Urban October comes to an end. It was full, inspiring, creative and, above all, wonderfully international. Today’s workshops may be over, but the ideas are clearly far from finished.

Tomorrow, we continue – partly at the Faculty of Design and partly at Center Rog.

See you there!

Part of the Urban October 2026 programme is supported by SPIRIT Slovenia within the promotion of wood.