Stanko Kristl belongs to the oldest generation of architects who studied with Professor Edvard Ravnikar and then started their individual professional careers in the late 1950s. His career has been very successful, as more than 61 buildings have been constructed following his plans, many of which are recognised as the best architectural examples of their particular typology. His apartment building in Prule, Ljubljana, or the commercial-residential building in Velenje are still among the most acclaimed examples of residential architecture in Slovenia. The same applies to the Kranj Elementary School, where Kristl adopted an innovative approach by using atriums, thus breaking away from the conventional use of school corridors.

Kristl lectured at the Ljubljana Faculty of Architecture and at the Department of Landscape Architecture of the Ljubljana Biotechnological Faculty. He has received a number of important prizes for his work, including the Preseren Award, and he has been a regular member of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts since 2011. His intensive research of hospitals architecture has been recognized and well-received in international environment. In his architectural projects, numerous articles and research, he constantly emphasizes the need to integrate sociology and psychology into space design.