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Architects: BDM'A
- Area: 8900 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Nate Cook Photography
Text description provided by the architects. The newly designed Laboratory Campus of the Central Office of Measures (GUM) in Kielce represents a fusion of advanced metrological technology with the aesthetics of a scientific campus. Its purpose is not only to serve as a scientific hub, but also to position Poland as a leading center of accuracy and precision science and engineering on the international stage.
GUM is the national institution responsible for maintaining the country's measurement standards and ensuring their consistency with the international SI system. Many of us recognize the noon time signal broadcast on Polish Radio—a series of beeps that help synchronize clocks with precision. This signal originated from GUM. Nowadays, thanks to the so-called Caesium fountain clock, time is measured with extraordinary accuracy and the time signal is harmonized with similar devices worldwide. It is not common knowledge, though, that the second as a unit of time was defined during an era when clocks were far less accurate. As a result, modern, highly precise time measurements differ slightly from those based on the Earth's rotational motion, creating discrepancies of up to one second by the year's end. In the era of computers, fiber optics, and GPS, such differences cannot be neglected. That is why metrologists from all over the world collaborate to adjust the time for the following year. Beyond timekeeping, GUM also focuses on calibrating scales, lasers, speed cameras, and devices for measuring sound and electromagnetic fields.
Although formally located in Kielce, the GUM campus is situated on the city's southern outskirts in a sparsely urbanized area at the foot of Telegraf Hill. This location was strategically chosen to minimize environmental vibrations, the nemesis of precise measurements. Factors such as distance from mines, quarries, and railways were carefully considered to ensure the highest possible accuracy in the laboratories.
During a visit to a Finnish metrology center, designers of the GUM campus were asked why the project demanded such stringent environmental conditions inside its laboratories. The answer lay in its mission: the campus was not only to represent Poland architecturally but first and foremost scientifically on the global stage. As a result, the campus includes highly sophisticated "box-in-box-in-box" laboratories. These facilities meet rigorous international ISO standards for temperature stability, humidity control, laminar flows, and air purity while incorporating electromagnetic shielding and vibration isolation down to 2 Hz. Meeting such requirements necessitated prototype construction and technological solutions, as no comparable reference facilities exist globally.
The campus is designed as a cluster of separate laboratory buildings arranged around a green courtyard and connected by a glazed walkway in the shape of an elongated rectangle. This layout ensures structure and coherence while accommodating the complex technological demands of each laboratory. The completed complex represents the first phase of the investment and includes the following laboratories: L1. – Acoustics and Vibrations, L2 – Time and Frequency, L4 – Length, L7 – Mass, L10 – Thermometry, L11 – Interdisciplinary Metrology. Together with the central courtyard, these buildings form the nucleus of the development. Future phases will include laboratories for electricity and magnetism (L5), ionizing radiation (L8), and flow measurements (L9). Additionally, plans include further laboratory buildings and educational and implementation facilities.
Most buildings combine office spaces with windows and enclosed laboratory areas with solid walls. Offices face the courtyard, while laboratories are located at the rear, ensuring technological access and enabling future expansion. The facades feature decorative plaster with mica in colors inspired by local stone from the Tumlin quarry, giving the structures a solid, stone-like appearance. Concrete prefabrications around windows enhance the massiveness of the buildings, echoing sandstone extraction technology. This design evokes durability, blending seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. One distinctive feature reinforcing this impression is the visible rainwater pipes that collect water from the laboratory roofs. These pipes add visual and acoustic effects to the courtyard, creating a unique microclimate.
The sloped site is leveraged through a stepped composition of the laboratory blocks connected by a shared elevated walkway. Each subsequent laboratory is positioned slightly higher than the last, while the walkway maintains a consistent level. Fully glazed, the walkway is designed to resemble an "internal organ" or technological installation connecting the buildings. Its sterile, white-transparent interior contrasts with the massive external forms, highlighting the technological sophistication within.
The courtyard serves as a central communication hub and relaxation zone, fostering the free flow of ideas among scientists. Designed with steps and low walls, it recalls the ambiance of university courtyards thus promoting informal encounters. At the same time, its strictly geometric form, defined by a modular grid of concrete prefabrications, serves as walkways, a system for draining and evaporating rainwater, and containers for greenery. This modularity symbolizes the etymological essence of "measurement." The new GUM campus in Kielce is not just a center for accuracy and precision research, but also a thoughtfully designed architectural project. It harmoniously blends functionality with aesthetic appeal, reflecting a commitment to perfection in both science and the art of construction.
