A dignified abstract university building for academic and professional gatherings. At the centre of the action and the heart of the building is a receding super-floor, sandwiched between otherwise pragmatic and rational layers of offices, classrooms and stalls. The light mass of the
building is lightened by functional vertical sunroofs that soften the building and make it abstract
The architectural concept of the new university building is based on the archetypal form of a compact white block, which expresses the rationality, precision and refinement of the scientific environment through its purity
and moderation. This elementary mass is horizontally disturbed at the level of the 5th floor by a distinct gap – the so-called SUPERPATREM, which visually divides the building into a stable base and a lighter, receding upper part.
The SUPERPATRO, at the level of the main cornice of the existing building of the University of Science and Technology, becomes a symbolic and spatial interface between the educational and office parts of the building and at the same time functions as a key architectural motif that gives the building a clear identity within the campus and the wider urban context and lightens the overall mass.
The white block façade is designed as a rhythmic, modular shell that integrates transparent and solid sections in a balance between energy efficiency and visual openness.
The regular grid of the façade supports the legibility of the design logic, allows for interior layout flexibility, and creates a quiet, campus-like scale that distinguishes the building from the surrounding commercial development. The overall effect is one of timeless, dignified architecture that reflects the public and educational character of the institution through its formal restraint. The layout of the 12-storey building is based on the principles of operational rationality, clear orientation and maximum spatial efficiency. The supporting element of the concept of the above-ground part of the building is the central two-storey lobby, which forms the communication core of the building and at the same time functions as a space for social interaction and informal gathering of students and academic staff. The central lobby is naturally illuminated by a pair of hexagonal skylights that bring daylight deep into the layout
This lobby is surrounded by a ring of classrooms up to the 4th floor level. The sixth and seventh floors are laid out as an office triplex with a central square exterior skylight. Between the classroom and office floors is a SUPERPATRO with versatile teaching and conference spaces, study rooms and a snack bar. The SUPERPATRO, with a perimeter terrace, offers users several different usage scenarios. The worlds of teaching, science, research and business are expected to merge here.
Competition: 2026
Award: 1st place in international competition
Client: the University of Chemical Technology in Prague
Location:Vitězné náměstí, Prague 6
Visualization by Mangoshake
Authors Radek Lampa, Jan Mackovič, Andrej Siman, Jiří Ptáček, Volodymyr Voievodin, Maxim Petricov, Lucie Řeháková, Max Kušiak, Dominika Čižmárová, Markéta Kučerová
Team: Angela Kuzmanovská, Michal Bindr
Collaboration.