New architectural solutions and thoughtful design are increasingly seen in workplaces, modern offices. However, what about schools? The place where young people spend so much of their day? Is it possible to design them in such a way that they support development and learning? What can an establishment look like where being there is a real pleasure?
Warsaw’s Wilanów district is home to a true architectural gem – Akademeia High School, a private high school. The award-winning Medusa Group design studio is responsible for the project. The building itself was awarded the Grand Prix in the 2019 – 2020 European Property Award poll, one of the most important awards in the real estate industry. Earlier, it was awarded the PLGBC Green Building Award 2017 for the best green pre-certified building in the Polish Building Society competition. It received the 2017 Architecture Award of the Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw in the Best Public Service Building category. The building was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize, one of the most prestigious architectural awards. The high school also received a LEED “Platinum” Certificate for its low-energy design and sustainable use of building materials, including recycled and non-toxic local materials.
–Architecture should stimulate, inspire and give students a sense of being in a special place. This was our goal in creating the perfect place for our students from materials to furnishings. We aimed to design the building, its interiors and furnishings to fit our educational philosophy of dialogue, interdisciplinarity and creativity. And we know that this has been successful. It was also important that the venue not only maximally support development and collaboration but also allow for relaxation and integration -.Says Dr. Karolina Watras, Director of Akademeia High School.
The most modern school building in Poland
At Akademeia High School, students benefit from the most modern school building in Poland, equipped with thematic laboratories, a sports hall and numerous rooms for individual and group work. Modern, well-equipped biology, chemistry and physics laboratories were designed in cooperation with leading academic centers. During art classes, students have at their disposal an art studio of 100m2 suitable for painting, graphics and sculpture classes, a music room and a darkroom.
–Spacious classrooms for up to 12 students feature innovative Harkness tables, where students actively participate in discussions with the teacher and classmates around an oval table. This is key to fulfilling a central aspect of our teaching philosophy – dialogue – Karolina Watras adds.
In addition, the building has an auditorium with a theater stage, where musicals and performances prepared by students are staged, a sports hall suitable for various sports, a youth restaurant-style cafeteria and a student cafeteria. The school’s pride is its rooftop garden, which is more than 1,000 square meters of beautiful greenery and herbs. Students also enjoy a beautiful courtyard, where, in addition to sports fields, you’ll also find dedicated outdoor learning spaces.
–The inspiring architecture that our students are exposed to has led many of them to study architecture at the most renowned universities, including the University of Cambridge and University College London in the UK– reports the Principal of Akademeia High School.
