Universities promote collaboration, but their architecture is not always conducive to this objective. UCLA Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Dr. Hitoshi Abe has tackled this problem through his design of the Departments and Student Center at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Campus. Completed in 2013, the nearly 500 thousand square foot building contains five departments, a gymnasium, student center, cafeteria, and bookstore. The project focused on creating a building that supported a secure environment for each unit while also linking them together through collaborative spaces like atriums and a central corridor. These areas allow faculty, staff, and students from different departments to meet and exchange ideas while walking through the building. Dr. Abe’s design approach, which also includes connected exterior spaces, additionally emphasizes opening the building up to the public and the urban fabric of Vienna.

 

Dr. Abe prioritizes openness and flexibility in many of his projects, believing that people should not feel confined to their offices. Rather, they should move freely and seize opportunities of interaction that may spark creativity. He has applied this approach to a wide range of different architectural projects around the world, such as public housing for earthquake recovery, welfare complexes, and schools. The Departments and Student Center project continues to foster a sense of collaboration for the academic community at the Vienna campus. Recently, faculty at the university expressed their gratitude to Dr. Abe for the building where they work, noting appreciation for how the corridors serve as a communication space for themselves and their colleagues.