Arsenii Kuznetsov's profile

UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE

View from the park
In modern society education became one of the most extensive and key spheres of the human activity. In recent decade the world has been changing its attitude towards all the kinds of education. Education is considered as main, leading factor of social and economic progress. The reason of such attention consists in understanding of the fact that the most important value and the main capital of modern society is the man, capable of searching and mastering new knowledge, making non-standard decisions and creative approaching within various spheres of the life.
But within the last years there have become more real the restrictions and danger of further development of mankind through pure economic growth and increase in technical power.  
Strict hierarchy of subjects in modern educational system with the priority on the disciplines, useful for acquisition of labor skills, along with almost complete absence of creative specialties and their low prestige value, cannot meet the modern life arrangement any more. 
That is exactly why today there is search and reconsideration of all the education structure, which should comply with modern realities and give the hope for better tomorrow for all mankind. And the only way out it to accept absolutely new concept of human ecology, within which there will be provided reconsideration of human capabilities wealth. We should note the fact that all the people have various creative abilities. Human resources are the same wealth as natural resources. And by analogy, they are deeply laid inside the people. The greatest mission of education is the correct definition and development of such abilities and talents. And for achievement of these goals it is necessary to create conditions in which every person will have the possibility of conscious choice among equal in terms of status professions and possibility to deal with favorite matters. The task of entire educational system is to restore in man the feeling of talent and then to specify him/her such occupation, where the person will feel maximally satisfied and useful for entire society. 
On the assumption of these goals and understanding the direction of the educational system development there was designed the concept of “University of Future”, which should comply with the above mentioned requirements and probably become the example of new type building for educational purposes.
The major ideas, among which there have been carried out the works in respect of the Project, consist in creation of Mega-University skyscraper, which will include maximal number of equal ranking educational disciplines, based on three main types of sciences and arts: Natural sciences, Arts, Technical sciences and their different combinations. Special attention was paid to experimental sciences and arts. 
Direct relation between different types of sciences, united in one building, ensures more complex development and formation of personality, gives the possibility of close communication between the people, where all the students may share with knowledge, experience and their achievements between each other. From our point of view, the education of future should also revolutionary change its structure and tasks. By the example of the represented Project it is possible to create the model, at which education is divided into one introductory stage and three main stages. 
At the “introductory stage” each person may acquaint with all the provided fields of education, to initially understand, what is more close to him/her and what he/she would like to deal with in the life. The main task of this stage is broadening of such person’s horizons and demonstration of entire variety of the specialties being studied, quest of himself/herself and his/her preferences. Intermediate choice is generally based on emotional experience. There should start to form the certain picture of own future in terms of choice of that or another type of activity.
The next stage, after initial choice, is the “first main stage”. Here the person may study those subjects and disciplines, in which, from his/her point of view, he/she may completely realize himself/herself and to reach the best results. One of the most important stages, according to the results of which the person must define the vector of his/her education through analysis of not only his/her wished and preferences, but also of his/her capabilities. The result should be the obtaining of certainty of own strength and feeling of satisfaction with fundamental choice of life.
The main tasks of the “second main stage” will include final approval of own choice by each person and obtaining by him/her required knowledge in the selected sphere. All the people, who have obtained certain knowledge and skills and feeling force and desire to share with them, may freely transfer their experience to other people. 
At the last “third main stage” of the education it is proposed to create the conditions for the development and transformation of the obtained knowledge and skills into innovative projects, search of conceptual ideas and solutions of various tasks in different areas of human life. Close interweaving of creative, technical and humanist principles will give birth to creative and many-sided view at entire human life.
Ideologically, the “University of Future” meets the accepted by us concept. As the place of projecting we choose Dnepropetrovsk city (Ukraine). Symbolically, the building is located in the very heart of the city, at the place of the converted into city park industrial region, which has been removed by the project out of the city measures. The building scale in respect of the surrounding housing development and of city in whole indicates at what is really important in our world, visual reminder and aspiration for education and better life for all its inhabitants.
Constructively, the skyscraper consists of three parts, each of which conditionally belongs to one of the educational spheres. Each part has its own support in the form of stairs and lifts units and they are connected with common overlapping at different floors. According to the plan, from the external side the skyscraper creates triangle form, and internal space is represented in the shape of funnel, at the edge of which there is located spiral-shaped access ramp, winding from bottom to the top and symbolizing development and formation of a person. Vertically, the skyscraper is also divided into three main parts, inside of which there carried out teaching for each of the tree main stages of education. On the roofs of the first and second parts there are located recreational areas, where each person may eat, rest and communicate in informal conditions. On the roof of the third, upper part, there are located three atrium areas with large amphitheaters for carrying out of various presentations. Underneath emergent building, in internal area, there is zone of “introductory stage”.
It is worth mentioning floors and arranged lecture halls for all three parts are designed in such a way that they maximally comply with functions and assignment of each of them. For example, for Humanities, where there is required greater number of lecture halls and the possibility of round discussions, the project provides amphitheaters of different diameter, which are built directly in overlapping. In the Arts section the floors were designed with consideration of various kinds of arts, beginning from the dance areas and musical halls, up to artists’ stands and various performance rooms. And for technical sciences there were designed premises and laboratories maximally meeting the requirements of this educational direction.
The presented skyscraper type is possible to develop in any part of our planet, and the concept of “University of Future” will be actual for world society and it is called to open the doors into future for entire mankind!         
 
 
Green facade for HUMANITY related subjects
Facade for ENGINEERING related sciences
Facade for ART related subjects
UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE
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UNIVERSITY OF THE FUTURE

eVolo 2012 skyscraper competition (USA) Team: Arsenii Kuznetsov, Oleksandr Garashchenko Role in the process: Team leader Contribution to the pr Read More

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