A Campus Cooperationis in Hungarian, “The Campus of Cooperation” is a nearly 400-page study that deals with the architectural and interior design issues of the medical campus in Pécs, examining them, analyzing the trends, spaces and functions with a view to the world, defining the needs and making suggestions regarding the architectural future of the medical school . The study was carried out by the Faculty of Medicine in Pécs with MINUSPLUS design office developed it hand in hand.
As a result of the joint thinking, concrete plans were not created, but rather a personalized set of tools, which takes into account the changes taking place in education and international trends, the activities and types of spaces related to education, and outlines the architectural vision. As a continuation, it saw the light of day A place of cooperation also, the interior design and image manual of the campus, which outlines the tool system necessary for the creation of a unified interior design concept.
Photo: MINUSPLUS Architecture & Design Source: University of Pécs
Students no longer require the same things as they did decades ago
“Looking into the future was an important issue for us. We thought in an open process, our task was not to design a building, but to come up with a vision together, which affects the quality of education as a framework. During its creation, we paid special attention to the micro-functions that organize the spaces,” said Dr. Architect Ákos Schreck, co-founder of MINUSPLUS.
He pointed out that the cooperation brings something new in that it redefines the cooperation between the architect and the client in terms of knowledge areas and creates consistent quality in the investments that proceed in parallel on several threads, from different sources. The concept and operation presented by the project can be inspiring and guiding for other universities and knowledge industry players.
When developing the new architectural concept, they modeled what a student’s day will be like in 2025 in order to get an environment, called a learning landscape, where they can ideally spend a complete day. A knowledge community is being created at the medical center in Pécs, which likes to shape the spaces itself. Therefore, it is not necessary to build finished spaces, but ones that can be shaped to the needs; this makes a building timeless. It was emphasized in the study that the building should support community building, and the student and teacher spaces should also be such that they generate cooperation and relationship building.
Dr. Ákos Schreck pointed out that Campus Cooperation defines the long-term architectural and spatial development directions and logic. As a continuation of the study, an interior design manual was created, and Locus Cooperationis is a genre-creating work because it can be scaled and adapted to unique situations. The two volumes provide assistance for university developments and architectural programming, and provide detailed guidance for the entire planning process.
“The design of architecture and knowledge spaces does not only deal with functionality and aesthetics, but also supports community cooperation and interactive learning. The aim of the architectural solutions and design frameworks is to enable students and researchers to develop their knowledge and collaborate with each other in an inspiring and innovative environment,” he underlined. He noted that today’s students think differently than decades ago, their attitude to learning, the way they obtain information are different, and their needs must be met.
When choosing a university, a student, whether domestic or foreign, is not only motivated by the opportunities to acquire professional knowledge, but also by the conditions there, the environment, and the background structure, which is why students are key players in development. The goal, of course, is for all citizens of the faculty to feel comfortable on the campus with a uniform image
– said the architect.
According to Dr. Ákos Schreck, the campus of the Faculty of Medicine in Pécs communicates with the city through many channels. With its new theoretical block delivered in 2021 and the new park connected to it, it provides a space that is organically integrated into the environment. According to his words, the medical school is a new city core, a knowledge industry sub-center, a knowledge space where as many people study, educate and work as half the population of Uránváros, the second most populous part of Pécs.
Student spaces are valued
According to the opinion of Dr. Csaba Ders, chief university architect and urban planner, a PTE Faculty of General Medicine his architectural concept is about the future of education architecture. A number of trends can be observed in this area, among others, the traditional basic formula of education, which still only focuses on face-to-face and seminary education, seems to be breaking. As he said, digital education, blended learning, permeates our lives, but this does not alienate students from physical spaces.
Photo: MINUSPLUS Architecture & Design / Source: University of Pécs
“The main medical building in Pécs is an important space for the students. They spend a significant part of their day here, studying, resting, eating and living a social life. And because of the continuous presence, the campus is valued as an architectural space. The unique concept focuses on the future of education architecture,” said the chief architect, who says that the key issue in terms of competitiveness is the right type of space.
As he said, the university must function well as a knowledge industry enterprise, and the community of students, lecturers and staff must be supported as a knowledge community with architectural tools. And for this, a guiding, conceptual material that designates the direction of development is indispensable. This is provided by Campus and Locus Cooperationis, which is unique among Hungarian higher education institutions.
Dr. Csaba Ders emphasized that the professional opinion of the concept is extremely positive, and in the fall of 2022 there was an opportunity to discuss it within the framework of the Budapest Design Week. In June of this year, he organized a discussion in Budapest entitled “Campus Cooperationis: The power of architecture in the sharing of knowledge” Mathias Corvinus College (MCC), where the focus was on PTE ÁOK’s architectural developments and future plans and strategy.
The focus is on student needs
“If Campus Cooperationis is the shell of the pea, then Locus Cooperationis is the pea inside. First we created the shell, then we started thinking about how the fruit should be in it,” said Dr. Dean Miklós Nyitrai. According to his words, they wanted to see an interior design concept and framework planned for many years in advance, which could serve as an alignment and a permanent image even among future changes.
“The management of the University of Pécs and the Faculty of Medicine in Pécs is dedicated to providing social spaces for our students in accordance with their needs. We want them to walk through the door with pride and happiness, and to be a joy to study with us. Until now, the architectural habits at universities were about having moving corridors and classrooms for education. However, more is needed in the 21st century, and this has been recognized by the higher education and architectural professions as well. For this to be successful, we need to assess the needs. That’s why we decided to work together with the architects to present the existing answers to the possibilities, which can then be expressed. In this sense, Locus Cooperationis is a means of starting a conversation between us,” said the head of the faculty.
