Slovak developer Corwin has broken ground on Vilharia, a €100 million office complex next to Ljubljana's central train station which it says will set the standard for sustainable and technologically-advanced construction in the country.

Situated in a brownfield site between the train station and Vilharjeva Street, the five-storey building spanning nearly 40,000 square metres is slated for completion in 2025.

Designed by Danish architecture studio Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Slovenian engineering firm Elea iC, the complex will feature green roofs.

Advertised as the most sustainable office building in the country, Vilharia aims to join ten carbon-neutral buildings in the world with the LEED ZERO certificate.

"We want to provide upscale offices that combine innovative technology and efficient energy use," Jan Jazbec, the Vilharia project manager at Corwin Slovenija, told reporters on 22 March.

Apart from offices, the complex will also feature premises that will be open to the general public.

The site is currently being prepared for construction. "Given the current timeline, the complex will be completed in the first half of 2025, to be followed by office fitting," Jazbec said.

Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković welcomed the project for being part of the transformation of the long neglected district by the central train station.

"Experts say that this part of the city, which is really degraded, will become one of the most beautiful parts of Ljubljana in four years," the mayor said.

Corwin director Marian Hlavačka said the main reason for choosing Ljubljana was its sustainable character. "This truly is a green city. The sustainable approach is definitely part of its residents' natural mindset."

The Slovak investor has been present in Slovenia for several years, working on five projects in Ljubljana. The housing complex Kvartet in Ljubljana's Šiška borough, featuring four 15-storey residential towers, is nearing completion, and apart from Vilharia, Corwin plans to develop three more brownfield sites in Ljubljana.