Katowice, Poland

Krzysztof Kieślowski Faculty of Radio and Television, Universty of Silesia

Main rule for creating spatial vision of the building was proper inscription in existing urban tissue. Complementing street frontage, subtle refering to adjoining buildings, but most of all light, not aggressive form of front elenation gives an opportunity to redefine and revive Św. Pawła street and at the same time to emphasise rank of designed faculty.

Functionally the building is divided into two main zones – administrative located at the front and educational at the back, which minimizes negative effects of the street. To deminish ardous building prosess administartive part was designed as a set of prefabricated steel elements. It gives a chance of fast completion of on-site works. In contrast to the glazed front (and consequently to the fire safety requirements) educational part is a full, rectangular cubic with window openings resembling the scale of neighboring buildings. Additionaly the space left between newly designed building and those existing ones allows to maintain their good insolation conditions. In relation to existing buildings, except from (industrial in character) glazing and steel elements, the predominant material of elevations is a narrow brick.

To achive lightness and transience ground floor is fully glazed and shifted back. It contains spatial entrance hall, cinema for 150 pers. and two storey film studio with facilities and separate entrance. Lift and straight staircase closed in kind of sculpture give acces to higher levels of department. On Level +1 are located two lecture halls each for 100 pers.. On level +2 there are smaller lecture halls in educational zone (lit through ‘light chimneys’ -skylights giving in-sight also from level +3) and deans offices in administrative zone. Level +3, which according to conservation guidelines it is shifted back, is dedicated to labs, library and academics offices. Both level +2 and +3 are divided by staircase space and connection between functional zones is maintained by footbridges.

With regard to the nature of the region and industrial reminiscences, both staircase and skylights are refering to the mine shafts and chimneys esthetics. Footbridges are designed using film reel motive and frames from Kieślowski’s movies to honor patron of the faculty.

At -1, in addition to the underground garage and technical facilities, there is student club accessible from the main hall. Thanks to partly glazed ceiling it gained ‘open to the city’ character giving passers-by the opportunity to observe the activities in the club.

Europaconcorsi Beta

Krzysztof Kieślowski Faculty of Radio and Television, Universty of Silesia