A long-term strategy reconnecting industry, nature, energy and public life.
For more than a century Anhovo has been shaped by industry, becoming one of the most important production landscapes in the Soča Valley. Today, the area is undergoing a long-term transformation that seeks to reconnect industry, renewable energy, ecology, and public life through new spatial, environmental, and social relationships. Jasa, a new solar landscape on the southern edge of the site, represents the first phase of this broader vision.
The cement plant area in Anhovo, located in the Soča River valley, has been one of the most important industrial sites in western Slovenia since the 1920s. Established due to the availability of raw materials and strong transport connections, the factory gradually expanded throughout the twentieth century, becoming the dominant economic and spatial structure within the valley. As production grew, local life became closely intertwined with industry, while the former settlement was progressively absorbed into the industrial complex.
For decades, the cement plant shaped not only the economy of the region but also its landscape. Industrial expansion fragmented natural systems, limited access to the Soča River, and transformed large parts of the valley into a closed production environment. Alongside economic development, industrial activity in the past left significant environmental consequences, including air pollution, asbestos contamination, and long-term impacts on public health. As a result, Anhovo today carries a complex collective memory of industrial progress, environmental degradation, and the social consequences that accompanied both.
The end of asbestos-cement production in 1996 marked the beginning of a new chapter. Parts of the industrial complex were abandoned, opening the possibility to rethink the future of the area and its relationship to nature, infrastructure, and the local community. Over time, the question emerged: how can an industrial landscape be transformed into a place that supports ecological regeneration, renewable energy, and public life?
“A new habitat does not emerge overnight. It is the result of maintenance, remediation, cleaning, collaboration, and long-term planning.” (Boštjan Vuga interview for Delo, 2026)
The first phase of this broader transformation is represented by Jasa, a pilot project located on the opposite side of the Soča River from the existing cement plant. Rather than treating solar infrastructure as a purely technical intervention, Jasa approaches it as a landscape project in which energy production, biodiversity, and environmental restoration coexist. The photovoltaic infrastructure is integrated into the existing topography with minimal terrain modification, preserving the character of the site while establishing a new landscape identity. The solar power plant consists of 2,821 solar panels with a total installed capacity of 2.15 MWp.
Through the principle of dual use, the area supports both energy production and biological activity. The design envisions the possibility of a beekeeping pavilion at the entrance, while vegetation beneath and between the panels supports pollinators and the local ecosystem. It also allows for the possibility of seasonal sheep grazing, which could contribute to the maintenance of grassy areas and biodiversity. In this way, renewable energy production becomes part of a broader ecological framework that reconnects previously inaccessible industrial land with natural processes and future public use.
“This opens up the idea of a new habitat — a space in which industry, nature, and infrastructure are no longer understood as separate systems, but begin to operate together.” (Boštjan Vuga interview for Primorske novice, 2026)
The long-term ambition for Anhovo extends beyond a single project. It proposes a new model for post-industrial territories — one in which industry remains present, but operates within a broader ecological and social framework. Through the gradual introduction of renewable energy systems, habitat restoration, research programs, and public spaces, Anhovo is envisioned as a place where production, nature, and community no longer compete for space, but contribute to a shared landscape. In this sense, the transformation of Anhovo is not only a local project. It is an exploration of how industrial regions can evolve in the twenty-first century — from closed landscapes of extraction and production into open environments that support resilience, biodiversity, knowledge, and collective wellbeing.
Team:
Project Authors: Sadar+Vuga
Client: Enerton d. o. o.
Architecture: Sadar+Vuga d.o.o.(Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Miha Čebulj, Belén Villán Fernández, Matjaž Bahor, Jelisaveta Petrić)
Landscape Architecture: Studio AKKA (Ana Kučan Krajinska Arhitektura d.o.o.)
