Thanks to the work of the WUT student team as soon as July 2023 in the centre of Warsaw, in front of the Zodiak pavilion, a new utility function will be introduced - which will allow residents to influence the experienced level of noise.

The work of young architects is an important part of the annual educational project IN the CENTRE, implemented by the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Architects and the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, with the Saint-Gobain Group as a partner. As part of the project, interested parties can participate in public lectures, industry workshops for professionals, architectural workshops for children, thematic tours and film screenings. The finale of each edition is the unveiling of an architectural installation, designed and implemented by students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology in the very centre of Warsaw – on the square in front of the Warsaw Zodiac Architecture Pavilion. This year, the theme of research and design activities is urban noise.

What do the students work on? They lifted the veil of secrecy on 26 April 2023 during the meeting on the occasion of the International Noise Awareness Day.

The young architects presented there a wide range of possibilities for thinking and acting, at the same time arguing that the most accurate answer to the issue of NOISE: In the CENTRE is... a change in the functional function of the square in front of the Zodiac. According to the authors, the goal of architectural transformations should not be to eliminate noise itself, but a fundamental change in the way the city center is used. This will allow not only to consciously build an acoustic landscape, but also to change the conditions of perception and assessment of the noise problem. Consequently, we will be able to consciously experience the sound level, recognising our own sensitivity and needs. The intention of the student team from Warsaw University of Technology is a real change in the central space of the city, the impact on what and how we do it there – such an action will change the sound landscape of the city more than anything else.

The group works under the supervision of Anna Cudny, PhD, Artur Jerzy Filip, PhD, and Prof. Krystyna Solarek – Vice-Dean for Science and Development of the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, Chair of Urban Design and Physical Planning at the WUT Faculty of Architecture and AiU2 (Architecture and Urbanism 2) - “Liveable City”

The form of the installation is under development and was not disclosed during the meeting. The participants of the event, however, checked what artificial intelligence has to say about it. During the debate, AI generated visual interpretations of the presented assumptions. Will the reality be consistent with these?

AI visualization

AI visualization