I. PRIZE IN THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION
location: Kielce usable area: 12 180 m2 project: 2018
construction: 2021-2023
investor: Główny Urząd Miar (Central Office o Meseurements)
The new Central Office of Measures (GUM) campus is to be located in Kielce, Poland, on a large lot situated in the foothills of the Hałasa Mountain. This Central Office of Measures lab complex is another addition to the unique series of several similar buildings housing National Metrology Institutes worldwide. This is where cutting-edge research & development projects in metrology will be carried out. It is meant to support the National Metrology Institute, bringing together researchers and various industries or public institutions such as schools, universities, as well as other research facilities.
The campus buildings are arranged around a central inner courtyard, which allows for the dynamic use of the irregularly shaped and vast lot, thus facilitating future development of the campus. This spatial layout aligns with the archetypal design of limited-access facilities, where data is found and stored, only to later be made available to the general public. In the past, such facilities included monasteries, universities, libraries, etc.
The functional layout of the campus is comprised of independent functional areas, namely:
a public area, including a plaza and an educational building, situated in front of the campus
an office area, located around the inner courtyard
an outer industrial area, housing research labs
a green area surrounding the entire complex
The entire complex development is positioned in accordance with a modular design. Projections, elevations, cross-sections, passageways, as well as elements of land development have all been based on a 1,5-meter orthogonal grid. Such structural rooting of the project embodies the human predilection for bringing the world into order, for measuring and weighing it in order to translate it into quantifiable parameters. Central Office of Measures is a quintessence of this mindset. The orthogonal and predictable building layout clashes with the irregular landform and chaos brought by the ever-changing nature. The materials used match the character of the project. The campus is a place where nature and simplicity of the existing land meet with cutting-edge processes typical for a research facility. Therefore, the finishes are made of natural local stone. Other elements, including walkways, window finishes, splayed windows and doors, technical roof development will all be made of glass and steel. The stone-made elevations are directly inspired by sandstone exploitation hollows located nearby (in the Tumlin-Gród quarry). Their vertical articulation – a result of the technological process of sandstone extraction, is directly recreated in the stone layout of wall finishes. Said composition is comprised of small stone elements, which together make up a unified wall structure, composed of repeatable units.