The site of the current Civil Engineering Faculty building at the Warsaw University of Technology could be transformed into a modern research and teaching centre integrating various fields related to the design and shaping of space. This vision is presented in the concept for the Warsaw University of Technology’s Centre for Integrated Design of the Built Environment (CIDEB), developed as a contribution to the discussion on the university’s future and the development of the BIS Campus.
The concept was prepared by a team led by architects Piotr Bujak, Rafał Bujnowski and Anna Tofiluk at the request of the Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology, Prof. Andrzej Garbacz, PhD, Eng. The document was produced through the collaboration of an interdisciplinary team of specialists and university staff. The design work was also carried out in consultation with the team led by Prof. Krystyna Solarek from the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology, responsible for studies concerning the transformation of the campus’s open spaces. The authors emphasise that the study presented is conceptual in nature and no decision has yet been made regarding its implementation. The project is also not linked to the initiative currently being prepared under an agreement with the city as part of the “Safe WUT Campus” programme.
The CIDEB building on Aleja Armii Ludowej
The concept presented envisages the construction of a new building on the site of the current Civil Engineering Faculty building on Aleja Armii Ludowej. This was designed in 1969 by architects Adrianna Kłosińska and Wiesława Stopnicka from the Warsaw General Construction Design Office. Its construction took place between 1970 and 1976. The simple, modernist form was shaped by combining horizontal bands of windows with vertical reinforced concrete sunshades. These distinctive elements of the façade, colloquially known as ‘razor blades’, are now the building’s hallmark. The composition of the façades is complemented by blue panels. An artistic highlight of the building is the main entrance, adorned with a ceramic decoration by Kazimierz Gąsiorowski and Teresa Chromy-Gąsiorowska. It depicts the figures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, which, according to university accounts, were intended to allude to lecturers associated with the faculty.
The original plan for the site on Aleja Armii Ludowej was much more extensive. In addition to the main building, a laboratory pavilion and an auditorium were also planned, arranged around a green courtyard. Ultimately, the project was not carried out, which continues to affect the functioning of the faculty to this day. In 2010, the representative area in front of the entrance on Aleja Armii Ludowej was refurbished. Despite new plants, paving and street furniture, however, this space has not become a popular leisure area for the academic community.
Why not modernisation?
Before developing the concept for the new building, detailed analyses of the existing structure were carried out. The possibility of its conversion was also considered. However, the final conclusions highlighted a number of limitations hindering the adaptation of the building to contemporary teaching and research needs. One of the main problems turned out to be the floor-to-ceiling height, which is approximately 3.6 m gross and approximately 3.3 m net. Such dimensions make it difficult to install modern systems and organise large laboratories befitting a 21st-century university. Creating a high-ceilinged research hall would require the use of up to three of the existing storeys, which defeats the purpose.
Expert reports have shown that structural elements (columns and floors) do not meet current requirementsfor fire resistance and load-bearing capacity. The condition of the external columns, referred to as ‘razor blades’, was assessed as particularly poor; these are not only decorative elements but also serve to stiffen the floor structure. An additional problem is the outdated services, which require a comprehensive replacement.
The new CIDEB building: a laboratory of the future
The heart of the planned CIDEB would be an interdisciplinary research laboratory. It is around this that the entire concept for the building was developed. The architects propose creating a facility that serves simultaneously as a teaching, research and demonstration centre. The building would become a kind of ‘living textbook’, where students could observe the actual structural solutions, installations and materials used in modern construction. The intention is that some of the building’s technical elements would be deliberately left exposed, allowing for the analysis of their operation and performance parameters.
Sustainability as the foundation of the project
The concept was developed in accordance with the principles of climate responsibility and the circular economy. The authors refer to the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” principle, emphasising that the reuse of resources and the reduction of the carbon footprint should constitute one of the fundamental directions for the development of modern construction. The design principles also refer to the Warsaw Green Building Standard. They include high energy efficiency, rational water management, support for biodiversity and the development of sustainable mobility. The work was preceded by consultations with the faculty’s staff and users. In spring 2024, surveys were conducted among staff and students, and their results were not only used in drawing up the functional programme but also provided an important voice in the discussion on the future of the existing building.
Garages, a shelter and new communal spaces
In accordance with the local spatial development plan, a multi-storey underground car park is planned beneath the building. A single level could accommodate 73 parking spaces. In a three-level variant, the number of spaces would increase to 215. The garages would be connected to other underground car parks planned within the BIS Campus. The designers also recommend the construction of a shelter capable of providing protection for the building’s users and university staff in emergency situations. The concept also envisages the creation of spacious social areas, exhibition spaces and experimental zones for presenting research findings and new construction technologies.
CIDEB on Aleja Armii Ludowej and the new campus gate
According to the authors of the study, CIDEB could become one of the main elements of the future BIS Campus. Together with the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer, it would form the representative southern gateway to the Warsaw University of Technology from the direction of Pola Mokotowskiego and Aleja Armii Ludowej. The visualisations and model depict a multi-storey building with large glazed areas, a central atrium, open lobbies and corridors, and numerous spaces designed for collaboration between students, researchers and external partners.
Although the future of the project remains open for now, the concept itself presents a facility that could set the direction for the development of Polish universities. The authors see CIDEB not only as a teaching centre, but also as a showcase for modern construction technologies and sustainable design.
Interdisciplinary team of authors:
Architecture: Dr Eng. Arch. Piotr Bujak, Dr Eng. Arch. Anna Tofiluk, MSc Eng. Arch. Rafał Bujnowski
Structural engineering: Prof. Piotr Woyciechowski, Prof. Robert Kowalski, Dr Grzegorz Adamczewski, Dr Julia Wróblewska, Dr Eng. Piotr Knyziak, MSc Eng. Paweł Chudzik, MSc Eng. Jarosław Medyński
Building physics, services: Dr Arkadiusz Węglarz, Prof. at the Warsaw University of Technology, Dr Szymon Firlag, Prof. at the Warsaw University of Technology, Dr Agnieszka Kaliszuk-Wietecka, Hanna Pilzak, MSc Eng., Aleksandra Surmacka, MSc Eng.
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