Edvard Ravnikar was a student of architect Joze Plecnik in the years 1938-39. In 1939 he studied for few months in Paris with Le Corbusier. With knowledge and experience that has accumulated in Le Corbusier's studio, he created the new architectural school based on the contemporary architectural currents in Western Europe. During 1946-1980 was a professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Ljubljana. He led the new generation of Slovene architects, notable for developing the Slovene architecture field's infrastructure, organizing architectural competitions. He also promoted Scandinavian architectural style in Slovenia, particularly Finnish achievements in architecture accomplished by Alvar Aalto. Ravnikar's architecture is an unusual mixture of Plecnik classicism, Le Corbusier brutalism and vernacular architecture.

Ravnikar and his students have taken over key tasks in the post-war reconstruction in socialist Slovenia and Yugoslavia. Slovenian modern architecture that was created at that time was recognized for rational use of materials, thought floor organization and specific details. These have been the architects forced to invent because of the lack of finished construction products, on the other hand they continued the craft, which was introduced in the school by Plecnik.

Work

His most important work in Ljubljana are the Republic Square (Trg republike, 1960-80) with the cultural centre Cankarjev dom and Maximarket department store and Museum of Modern Art (1939-48). Ravnikar's work was important in the field of urban planning. He build a complete new city Nova Gorica after II. World War as an independent town on the edge of the old town Gorizia. The master plan of the city is conceived as a network, but was never implemented in full. Other important buildings, designed by Ravnikar are: Building OLO of the Municipality of Kranj, Cemetery for hostages in Begunje, Memorial Complex Kampor on the island Rab in Croatia, a residential complex Ferantov Garden and building of the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering in Ljubljana. He was also part of the project team, which designed Novi Beograd.