University center STU

Project idea

The aim of my work is to create a university centre of STU in Bratislava within the university block between Faculties of Chemistry, Mechanics and Civil Engineering.
The first goal of my work is to combine the university life of students and professors of faculties of University STU. Creating a university meeting point "Heart of the University of STU" where various university or faculty events can be held. To create representative and conference rooms for the university. Create quality conditions for study and contribute to better university‘s facilities. To build a technical library as a repository of a large amount of technical information that is an indispensable part of the deepening of the knowledge of students and professors, as well as practitioners and techno enthusiasts. Create recreational zones where students can spend their free time between classes. Create a catering facility for university students and staff. Contribute to improving the visibility of student‘s and teacher‘s work and their activities at faculties, thereby contributing to higher motivation of students for knowledge, information and events at the university. Resolve the issue of parking for university staff and partially cover parking needs in the area. This whole vision was also based on a low energy concept and the use of alternative energy sources.

Project description

The student is one of the most important people in the life and history of the university. Each of teachers was first a student, and then a teacher, as well as a majority of university staff. For that evolution; from a student, to the person who brings professionalism in the given field, the quality is needed. Therefore, the university must build its potential not only on the experience and knowleadge of its teachers but also on the conditions and facilities of the university. In last decade the power of information and integration them among the people has spread as much as the tradicional way of thinking for the architecture has changed. This forces us to think about the way of integration of students, teachers, universities, their facilities and the speed of dissemination of information. One of these integration methods and solutions is provided by university centers. University centers enrich academic life of students by providings with space, services, opportunities and a program for their professional but also personal growth. It is the meeting place for students, teachers, the place to get the enrichment of their knowledge.
In Slovakia, we do not form this type of integration, even though it is almost a traditional way of building universities in the world. In my work, I will focus more closely on the proposal of the STU University Center on its vision and potential within the university, its broader relationships, surrounding contexts, the philosophy of design.

Technical information

Object is located in a very restrictive area, the layout must be optimized for surrounding conditions. Its function is based on a position in a built-up area. The Facility is located between faculties, which encourages us to combine the interests of the university and the establishment of faculty relations, the meeting point, the university's representative space, the enrichment and knowledge enrichment area, and the relaxation zone for university staff and students. On the first floor we get four entrances. The main appearance of the entrance to the STU University Center is from Námestia Slobody through the entrance of the Faculty of Engineering, where the neoplasm of the pre-painted passage goes to the entrance to the university center. Another entrance to the university center will be led by the old building of the FCHPT faculty, which will take place over the building of the lecture hall and align with the main compositional axis leading from Kollar's Square to the university center also built by the neoplasm. Another entry would lead through the old entrance to the university block for students of the Faculty of Architecture and the FEI and FIIT from the public transport stop, which is right next to the entrance to the block. Another entrance will be from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, which will follow the main compositional axis and will lead from the first floor of the bookstore through the stairway through the lomenice, repeating the accent from the main entrance of the SvF. The layout of the first floor is easy to read. From the faculties SjF, FCHPT, FA we enter the entrance area, where there is a representative twin spiral staircase leading to the second floor. This space serves not only as an entry space but also as a showroom. Behind the stairway in the lobby there is an information point. On the southwest side of the building there is a cloakroom on the south-eastern side of the bookshop. There are two conference rooms in the center of the room, which can be connected automatically if necessary by the sliding bar. Several, but still in the middle of the disposition there is a dining room with a kitchen and a dispenser of food. Also, if necessary, the space between the conference room and the dining room opens automatically to the sliding partition and thus creates a large space for representative purposes. In the northern part there is an administrative part of the library, with its sanitary facilities and space for relaxation and the return of books. In the administrative part there are elevators for direct contact of the library with storage rooms on the first underground floor. There is a communication staircase for employees. The café is located in the south wing of the building, where we can reach the exhibition area. There are 6 staircases, two fire stairs and 4 lifts. Two and two staircases on the peripheral portions of the disposition, along with social facilities for women, men and disabled people and cleaning rooms and two staircases in the middle of the disposition. The space is designed very flexibly. Corridors are located on the perimeter of the building and allow for visual contact with the surroundings. This is due to the fact that in the observation of the surrounding buildings there was still a noticeable movement in the building - life and the building evoked the "Heart of the University". The corridors will serve as an exhibition space and a space for presenting the work of students and educators, thus providing more information about events at universities and faculties. The second floor is offset in comparison with the first one two meters from the facade inside the space, creating an open space across two floors not only in the entrance hall but also around the perimeter of the building. There is an entry and checkpoint in the library on this floor, and the library itself with reader and free choice. In the north of the building there is a building administration, with a library director's office, a secretariat, a methodical cabinet with a meeting room and a kitchen for the staff. On the first floor of the library is a section for readers of periodicals and technical magazines and a catalog of the library. In the next part there is a free choice with reading and study places. In the northern part of the library, where it connects with the administrative part, there is a part for lending, a consultancy service or a library service. On the third floor, the layout of the library reaches the facade. There are checkpoints for staircases and entries to the library from the walkway. On the southern side of the storey there is a cafeteria and a relaxation room, whose dispositions stand on the fourth floor and the possibility of going out onto the terrace, which goes smoothly down to the level of the first floor. In the middle of the layout there is a library with free choice and reading places on the perimeter of the floor. There are two IT centers with a capacity of 2x17 seats in the library. The rooms are equipped with a projector and a board and can also serve as a training room for IT. For the natural lighting of the space there is a distinctive elliptical opening in the ceiling structure around which there are other study places. In the northern part there is administration, but reduced to the second floor.
On the periphery in the northern part of the building there are study spaces with a projector serving for reservation. On the fourth floor, the ground floor is reduced in the south. As mentioned above in the southern part of the building there is a café and a relaxation zone and in the center of the layout is repeated the disposition from the third floor, together with the opening in the ceiling structure. The capacity of the study room is increasing in the northern part and the administrative part is diminishing. In the southern part there is a designed kitchenette with a washbasin for library readers with the opportunity to go to the sunny southern terrace. There are two glazed semi-circular elevator shafts on the roof, which can be uncovered on the roof. The roof is designed as a relaxation zone with various activities for students. It is designed paved area around the skylight in the middle of the layout with views of Bratislava Castle, Slavín Memorial, Kamzík TV Tower. In the northern part of the roof, there is a textile hyperbolic overflow. There is a furniture for relaxation (benches, deck chairs) under the slogan. There is also designed a 20 m x 15 m sports area with basketball baskets with steel mesh. The other roof area is designed as a green vegetation roof. On the first underground floor there are book stores (compact shelves) and the administrative part of the library. Technical rooms of HVAC, boiler rooms and fire safety rooms (spring spring tank and power plant) and parking with access from the new FCHPT building and the SjF ramp. This floor is largely under the terrain, but the eastern part of the parking is open, and part of the floor is naturally air-conditioned and illuminated. The capacity of the parking places is expanding on the second underground floor. There are also technical rooms here. Car access to this floor is provided by a one-way ramp from the FCHPT faculty and a ramp in the southern part of the ground plan. There is also a ramp that leads to a part of the FCHPT faculty stores. Even this floor is partly illuminated from the east and is naturally natural.

Co-authors

doc. Ing. arch. Jarmila Húsenicová, PhD., Rita Piras, doc. Ing. Juraj Olbřímek, PhD., Ing. Mária Bellová, PhD., doc. Ing. Sabah Shawkat, PhD