Abstract:

The article refers to the broadly understood concept of designing common spaces, with particular emphasis on their academic environment. Common spaces, so far treated quite marginally, become the subject of research and search for such solutions that give the possibility to adapt them to the broadly understood activity in academic life. The function of a given place is a pretext to create an individual space that meets the needs of its users.

The conducted observations are based on projects carried out as part of design classes of students of the Interior and Architecture Department. The main themes are research projects focused on the needs of functioning within the framework of universities subject to constant changes.

The presented projects are an attempt to answer the asked questions concerning the problem of being in common spaces of different character, location and purpose.

Students in the framework of study projects are asked a design issue which corresponds to specific design problems and is an answer to the problem posed in the field of interior design in terms of modernising the existing function.

The internal space subject to change is a mirror of the changes taking place within the functioning of the academic space, as well as a reflection of technical and technological capabilities. Growing awareness of the space and its quality allowed for a much wider review of the interior, which in the presented article became a pretext for a broad functional and compositional analysis, taking into account new standards, corresponding to the needs of its users, with particular emphasis on young people - students. The changes in the academic space, which have been cited in this article, are the direction in which the universities go, and in which thinking about common areas, where the student, researcher and random recipient are able to find interesting content for themselves and stay in it for longer, so that the space becomes in a sense "self-sufficient". The problem that users encounter, old, often uncomfortable common areas, where only a handful of students are able to get a place to work, relax or meet for themselves, is often a topic for discussion in university campuses.

Projects and design realizations as well as design solutions have been analysed, indicating factors influencing the creation of space and conditions for this change. The conducted activities were of an artistic and research character and served to draw conclusions concerning the way of introducing new functions in the existing space, the model of design activities and the projected path of further transformations.

Keywords:

New trends, experiences and research, academic interiors, common space, student zones.