– The role of architects is not only to respond to well-known challenges, but also to notice and solve problems about which too little is still said, says Krzysztof Koszewski, Dean of the PW Faculty of Architecture. – Urban noise is exactly this kind of issue. Taking acoustic comfort into account when designing buildings will undoubtedly be one of the important skills of architects in the coming decades. Therefore, the subject of noise is particularly important for the Faculty of Architecture, an entity educating future co-creators of the environment of our lives.

Noise, dispassionate, constantly looming on the edge of our perception, drives us mad, and it is something we often do not even realise. The HAŁAS: W CENTRUM project helps to notice, understand, and show us how we can protect ourselves from it.

In the coming months, we will hear a lot about noise thanks to open lectures, workshops, and film screenings. Experts from various fields will share their knowledge, invite you into discussion, and answer questions.

During this time, our students from the Faculty of Architecture – as part of a semester project – will look for an external spatial form that best illustrates the problem of noise.

The group is working under the supervision of Dr Anna Cudny, Dr Artur Jerzy Filip and Prof. Krystyna Solarek – Vice-Dean for Science and Development of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, head of the Chair of Urban and Spatial Planning WAPW and the “City as a place to live” Architecture and Urban Planning 2 specialisation.

– Students will have the opportunity to learn and experience the subject of noise at various scales – from spatial planning, through urban planning and architecture, to design, detail and material, stresses Prof. Krystyna Solarek. – Everything will end with their creative, original manifesto – a spatial installation on the square in front of the Zodiak pavilion in the very centre of Warsaw.

The HAŁAS: W CENTRUM project will run until 1 September 2023. The schedule of events is available on the www.wcentrum.edu.pl website and on Facebook. The unveiling of the installation by WUT students is planned for 1 July.

– Broadly understood architectural education (Build Environment Education) takes up not only issues directly related to the formation of urban tissue, old or contemporary, but also current, universal and global topics, notes Dr Anna Cudny. – This is what NOISE seems to be. It concerns everyone, it is related directly to the urban landscape, and can sometimes be interpreted as one of its many components. Awareness about noise among architects and city dwellers is growing. It is worth raising this level of awareness further and providing expert knowledge so that together – residents, designers, and local authorities – we can talk about our needs or acoustic inconveniences, and improve the wellbeing of the environment we live in.

The main partner of the HAŁAS: W CENTRUM project is Saint-Gobain Group, and it is also supported by Stowarzyszenie Komfort Ciszy, the Who Will Save The Planet consulting company, and the City of Warsaw.

This is the second time the W CENTRUM project has run. Last year its main theme was water.