Competiton for the Faculty of Linguistics and Neophilology

The object of the competition was to design a new building of the University of Warsaw accommodating the Faculties of Linguistics and Neophilology. Location along the “university route” linking the University’s existing development with its new Library suggested a special role of the adjacent corners, where entrances to different faculties are situated. The architectural formula is an outcome of a quest for a form with possibly limited expression and adequate to the functional requirements and flexibility required. The “dense” sections of the façade conceal the teaching rooms, protecting them from outside view and solar exposure. The system of corridors along the façades groups together meeting areas and individual study places, exposing the building’s vibrant life. The layout of the façades and glazed corridors is transposed onto the organisation of internal spaces, providing fabric for the construction of the whole building. The alternating courtyard pattern defines the space of the internal street - a functional axis of the building, separating the teaching zone from that of the academic staff and administration.