As education and teaching methods evolve and change daily, the designs of educational facilities also continue to develop and renew. The design of universities, which serve as the workplaces where teachers spend a significant portion of their lives and as the places where students spend their most crucial years, is very important. Especially, the buildings of architecture and design faculties having creative and innovative designs allow students and teachers to work in inspiring and creative atmospheres.
As ASPEN, we are celebrating the special day of our founding teacher Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and all our teachers who have been our guiding lights. In this article, we are examining the university designs that have drawn attention in recent years.
The Moody Center for the Arts, which is one of the most prominent architecture schools in the United States, also boasts one of the most eye-catching designs. The design, driven by the goal of creating open spaces for collaborative work, allows for various points of view of the production, exhibition, and workspace areas. Brick and glass materials play a complementary role to create a transparent and permeable atmosphere within the structure.
The building, designed by Steven Holl Architects to replace the old campus building, features a form composed of seemingly randomly stacked boxes. The design aims to facilitate maximum interaction and social circulation among students, emphasizing the creation of meeting spaces. Square windows, arranged seemingly at random, allow natural light to penetrate into the core of the building.
Designed by the New York-based architectural firm The Roy and Diana Vagelos, Columbia University's central facility for medical and graduate students is one of the most attractive structures. Bringing an innovative perspective to campus design, the 14-story building features distributed study areas and social spaces along the staircase. The use of glass, steel, and concrete materials in the building creates an environment conducive to new teaching methods.
The most striking feature of The Bloomberg Center is that it generates the energy used on campus. The solar panels on the canopy covering the building contribute to energy production, making it one of the least energy-consuming structures in the United States. To maximize the benefits of natural sunlight, the building's facade is adorned with aluminum panels. Inside, there are flexible and collaborative workspaces, relaxation rooms, and social areas designed to support various learning methods, aiming to create a comfortable and healthy environment.
The design of the building, located in Sweden, takes inspiration from the cultural and historical context of its location as well as physical constraints. The school building, nestled among pedestrian pathways in the area, follows a layout that promotes movement and integrates with the surroundings. The circular form creates flexible and open interior spaces, and the facades of the building feature numerous windows that bring natural light and transparency to the interior space.
The university building, designed in line with the city's scientific vision in Bergen, one of Norway's most famous cities, is intended to serve as a tool for innovations in the fields of energy, climate, and technology. The project offers an integrated concept, aiming for the building to connect with the nearby urban research park and define a new research cluster. With these objectives in mind, the design seeks to create an sustainable space and provide flexible work areas with ample sunlight.
In the interior of the university building located in Delft, Netherlands, a stylish, modern, and spacious atmosphere is created using INTEGRA Metal Suspended Ceiling systems. The project, based on the idea of designing a flexible and transparent building, features a wide and impressive atrium that can be viewed from various points, serving as the entrance. Workspaces and social areas are arranged within the space using a layout system that allows for visual connectivity.
In today's educational facilities, creating healthy and comfortable working and socializing spaces for both teachers and students relies on meeting certain design conditions. Among these conditions, the key factors include creating flexible and transparent interior spaces, maximizing the use of natural light, and enhancing interaction among users. This allows for the development of contemporary designs that can adapt to various teaching methods.
Resources
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-9-best-new-university-buildings-around-the-world
https://www.archdaily.com/896016/15-inspiring-architecture-school-buildings-from-around-the-world
https://www.architectuur.nl/project/hogeschool-inholland-delft/
