Academy of Fine Arts

Image ©: Juliusz Sokołowski, Courtesy of JEMS Architekci

The Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw’s city centre traces its history back to 1911, with a dedicated building for what was then the Warsaw School of Fine Arts being completed in 1914. A recent refurbishment of this historic building aimed to improve the Academy’s infrastructure and enhance its educational offering. Thanks to the redevelopment, the Academy can now accept more students and realize more projects, with the additional space allowing for large sculptures, production design, visual culture management and art restoration departments. The development restored the building’s façade and added another storey and an extension, with the shape of the superstructure reflecting the roof of the historic Academy. Between the modern and old buildings, a courtyard connected to the street reveals views of the historic façade. The extension provides an assembly hall for 300 people, lecture rooms, a foyer, workshops, cafe and technical rooms.

Image ©: Juliusz Sokołowski, Courtesy of JEMS Architekci

We provided the mechanical engineering design for both the new and the refurbished buildings. The installations of the original building have been totally replaced. The challenge for this part of the project was to deal with potentially harmful emissions from substances and dust associated with the artworks. We designed ventilation systems with higher capacity, equipped with glycolic heat recovery, providing installations that are easy to clean and can be regulated individually and adjusted as required.