Executive Academy

By Phyllis Richardson - 30 April 2014

This facility is meant for researchers and as a center for ”life-long learning”, that is mature students, or those studying around regular jobs. While the building retains the angularity and purity of Modernism, it offers some pleasing diversions. The architects’ approach was to divide the levels into thematic groups, so sports facilities are in the basement, the ground floor houses administration offices and a cafeteria, and learning areas (classrooms an seminar rooms) are in 2nd-5th floors, with a restaurant on the top, 6th floor.
From some perspectives the building looks like a large cube twisting off of a low rectangular base. These skewed volumes break up the mass but also present a more dynamic relationship with the main pedestrian thoroughfare. The cladding is tinted aluminum sheeting with sections of mirrored glass, and a pattern of metal bands in rectangular shapes, determined by algorithm, frames windows and creates a textural surface pattern.
The real wonder comes with the internal spaces. The window openings are rectilinear in shape but come in an array of sizes and proportions. These, together with mirrored surfaces and large, sculptural light fixtures, enrich the unfinished concrete (used on the walls, floors and ceilings) with varied qualities and patterns of light. Intimate meeting rooms and offices are interspersed with surprising double and triple-height spaces lit by oversized windows. Internal glazed walls of the mezzanine-level seminar rooms project into the entrance hall, offering immediate engagement with the life and activity of the building.