RIT KOSOVO CAMPUS
Multipurpose Building Competition
Global Architectural Development led by design principal Gokhan Avcioglu works with a dedicated, international team of architects to produce forward looking architecture at a global scale in wide array of geographies. GAD believes that media, technological innovation and the changing patterns of 21st century social life influence architecture and urbanism. Over the past 30 years GAD has pioneered a sustainable approach to architecture through a strikingly extensive range of work to develop an architecture responding to the rapid pace of our times and understanding of the different ways of living. GAD’s success lies in a methodical research of clients’ programmatic requirements combined with an iterative process of digital and physical modelling. GAD believes that architecture practice relies on understanding historical architecture movements in parallel to research and experimentation to develop advanced forms and materials. Since it’s foundation GAD has been producing dynamic, innovative concepts and research infused with ideas from new modes of cognitive thinking and computerized knowledge. Lead by Gokhan Avcioglu, the international staff of GAD takes a multidisciplinary approach that pushes architecture through the changing modalities of global architecture developing new ideas in key topics such as urbanism, ecology, agriculture and energy. The firm’s main office is in Istanbul and has additional offices in New York, London, Moscow and Dubai. GAD and Gokhan Avcioglu have designed a wide range of projects from private homes to urban master plans. While many of GAD’s realized projects are highly recognized public projects such as cultural centers and civic buildings, GAD has also completed several distinguished private projects including residential buildings, hotels and villas.
The Office of Urban Drafters + Architects is a research based multidisciplinary office with focus on Architecture and Urban Design based in Prishtina, Kosovo. OUD+Architects work varies from industrial design, installations and exhibitions to large buildings and spatial plans. The studio’s conceptual and data driven design gives great importance to the multiple interpretation of space and strives to reinvent the way buildings are planed and built.
Most notable work and collaborations in recent years by the studio are the work with Zaha Hadid Architects on the Prishtina Mosque; The Gjilan Youth Center; collaboration with Ron Arad Architects on the Kosovo Jewish Heritage Museum; as well as the design of the head offices for the Kosovo Millennium Foundation with Sadar+Vuga Architects.
In this project, GAD and OUD combined their creative and productive identities to form a fruitfull partnership. This collaboration enables the project to be a high end international design that consists local inputs and values.
Our basic approach for the RIT Kosovo Campus Multipurpose Student Center is to create communal life, production, and recreation areas that will be the focus of campus life and represent the future vision of the RIT Kosovo and the quality of the students' education spatially.
In order to provide an organization that will be a focal point visually and spatially from the entire campus, we have interpreted the common areas and dormitories as two different blocks rather than distributing them on the separate floors of the same block. The L-shaped block that forms the dormitory part is located in a more intimate position on the perimeter of the given area, while the common areas position themselves in the center of the space formed by this L form. Creating a central “piazza” for the building. This central space will be used for multipurpose events and activities while being a meeting and gathering space for the users of the campus.
While creating a high-end building that will represent the vision and future of RIT Kosovo, we must also create an environmentally responsible and self-sufficient building. In this manner, we have used passive and active green building systems integrated to the design to minimize carbon foot print of the building.
We believe the RIT Kosovo Multipurpose Student Center will be more than a space for students—it will be a breakthrough that will advance university campus life and help carry the vision of RIT Kosovo to the future.