Annotation

The interior design study of the Accessibility Centre at the Technical University of Košice responds to the need for creating a contemporary inclusive environment that adequately represents the values of openness, accessibility, and support within a 21st-century university setting. The current state of the centre fails to meet these qualities and does not fully utilize the potential of the space itself. However, the Accessibility Centre is not merely an administrative office; it is an important university facility intended for students, staff members, prospective applicants, visitors, and users with disabilities, all of whom should naturally identify with the space.

The proposal is based on respecting the existing qualities of the interior. The generous floor area, tall vertical windows, and the regular structural grid create a clearly legible spatial character, which became the foundation of the architectural concept. The principal design gesture is the maximum opening of the space through the removal of three separate offices and the creation of one compact open-plan environment. This intervention liberates the glazed façade along its entire length, allowing natural daylight to penetrate the space while enhancing continuity and visual openness. The concept itself works with the principle of inserted architectural interventions that redefine the functional and programmatic organization of the interior.

The design interprets the space as a form of “micro-urbanism” – a system of houses, offices, and "houses" organized along a single axis, in front of which an open “street” emerges as a vibrant and flexible communal space. The houses are accumulated along the solid wall, thereby freeing the entire window façade and creating a continuous, naturally illuminated frontage facing the interior of the centre. These inserted "houses" function as autonomous entities that do not directly respond to the structural grid of the building but rather to the actual needs of individual workplaces and users. Their scale and dimensions are derived from the requirements of specific work positions and patterns of space usage.

The boxes are designed from CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) panels and are characterized by an unconventional spatial solution – they have neither a solid ceiling nor a closed front façade. The frontal layer consists of a system of vertical translucent PVC blinds, which create a visual filter and an ephemeral membrane between the interiors of the boxes and the shared space. This principle challenges the conventional model of the enclosed office and promotes openness and mutual communication. The colour scheme of the boxes establishes a clear identity for individual functions. The exterior surfaces are finished with a dark stain, while the interiors are distinguished by three primary colours: blue for staff offices, green for the workplace dedicated to students with disabilities, and burgundy for the entrance box, which marks the threshold into the space.

The area in front of the boxes is conceived as a flexible “street” intended for various types of activities and events. The proposal incorporates mobile furniture on casters, enabling different spatial configurations for workshops, discussions, screenings, community activities, and informal gatherings. When necessary, the space can remain completely unobstructed. In its default arrangement, the furniture is positioned along the window parapets, forming a compact line of equipment while leaving the central area open and adaptable.

The only permanent furniture element within the space is the reception desk, which represents the first point of contact between users and the Accessibility Centre. Through its massing and material expression, it contrasts with the inserted workplace "houses", thereby emphasizing its orientational and representative function within the overall spatial composition.