Building B campus KULAK

For the competition in the early 1990s, the brief called for a vision to be developed for the further expansion of the campus—an unfinished site on the edge of the city—based on a modular growth model.

The lack of recognisability, legibility and structure across the whole area was compounded by the expansions of the time, which severely hampered the intended growth. The unfinished 'spina' between the two buildings—the backbone of the modular system—was short-circuited by the construction of the rectorate.

Reintroducing the spina as a connecting yet also dividing element defined a flat, easily buildable zone between the spina and the road, and made it possible to preserve the openness of the slope from further construction.

Unlike in the original design, the campus could now acquire a face towards the street. The idea of an isolated, sprawling blot in the landscape, without any form of hierarchy, was replaced by a semi-permeable façade wall along the street. The spina became a clear and flexibly manageable growth model.