The Association of Freelance Architects was founded in 1982 by 36 architects with the primary purpose of helping private architects work in a socialist society. It has provided both a business framework and a physical space for the activities of freelance architects who work in various design fields, ranging from urban planning, architecture, interior and graphic design to theatre set design. In 1996, with 74 of its founding members, DESSA restructured itself and registered as a non-profit cultural institution, DESSA Architecture Centre, with the objective of elevating general social awareness of the cultural value of architecture. Thus its activities include publishing as well as organising exhibitions, lectures and excursions. In Spring 1989 Boris Podrecca, an internationally-renowned Slovene architect currently working in Vienna, donated his design services for a new gallery/office complex in the centre of Ljubljana. In 1991 DESSA founded Arhé Ltd, a design firm which at first assisted members to produce and sell architectural designs, but later took over all commerce and financial responsibilities of DESSA, thus allowing the Association to focus on cultural activities pertinent to the field of architecture. The gallery organises around 8-10 exhibitions of architecture each year, many of them international.