AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
1.
Overall visual identity – One perceives most information
through the sense of sight. The visual quality of the
university campuses therefore significantly influences the
impression of the space. From the point of view of urbanism,
the closedness of the square and its clear demarcation are
evaluated, but also the quality of the architecture. The
presence of a significant dominant (e.g. the main building of
the university) is positive, as it can be considered a
characteristic feature of a specific space and thus facilitate
orientation within it. The small stimuli that pedestrians
perceive at eye level are no less important. The presence of
works of art, the quality of the ground floor details (e.g.
bossage, sgraffito, compelling textures), the quality of the
materials used in the ground floor and also the design of the
urban movables are evaluated. The overall impression can
also be negatively affected by clutter, gaps (undeveloped
places where houses should stand), a large number of parked
cars or aggressive, tasteless advertising.
2.
Auditory impression of the environment – Another important
sense that people perceive their surroundings through is
hearing. It helps to complete the picture of the area, but in
some cases (usually because of busy traffic), large noise load
can be a limiting factor that prevents a more active use of
space. In the case of university campuses, a soundproof
environment is important through outdoor learning. Students
rather look for places that are isolated from the surroundings.
3.
Greenery – One of the most important attributes of the
evaluation of university campuses is greenery. There is no
doubt about the environmental and ecological efficiency of
greenery in connection with its ability to economically
regulate water, positively influence climatic conditions or
cultivate the environment. We subjectively evaluate greenery
on the basis of quantity, but especially the quality of
individual woody plants, shrubs, herbaceous vegetation,
grasslands and others.
4.
Water and water elements – Water is also one of the more
relevant attributes within the evaluation of university
campuses. Where there is water, there is life. It Improves the
quality of air and oxygenates the surrounding soil. We
subjectively evaluate water and water elements on the basis
of quantity, but especially the quality of individual elements.
5.
Human criteria – Spaces must be human-friendly and
pedestrian-friendly. Excessive development of the area
makes it bigger and static, allowing the unchanging elements
that are dominant in this environment come to the forefront.
In an area designed for life, we consider elements on a
smaller scale that are more accessible to people as very
positive attributes. The scale of the city or municipality in
which the university campus is located must return to human
dimensions.
4 Results
A total of 94 evaluators participated in the evaluation – mostly
students from the selected universities. 68 (72%) of them were
women and 26 (28%) men were in the age range of 19–26 years.
All evaluators were acquainted with the methodology of
multictriterial evaluation of university campuses and their
potential, and the evaluation was accompanied by the author of
the methodology. Each space was evaluated according to an
identical structure and an evaluation scheme was created for
each space in the conclusion. According to graph no. 2 we can
clearly say, that the evaluators were mostly older students who
know the university campus well and experienced it.
Graph 2: Number of students within different age categories.
Source: Čibik and Štěpánková
(2020).
The obtained data were evaluated on the basis of indicator sets
within the evaluation scheme, which enables visual and
parametric comparison of individual projects. In our opinion, the
given methodology is sufficient for the needs of this research. To
objectify the obtained results, a quantitative survey was also
carried out, which included multicriteria evaluation. We
performed the quality assessment on five university campuses
within two countries, one of which is designed using the
American concept and one meets the characteristics of the
combined concept (campus of the Slovak University of
Agriculture in Nitra). However, this space was originally
designed with the idea of the American concept, and its final
form now bears many features of the European concept and
meets several criteria for this type of public space. This area was
the worst rated campus with a total rating of 50%, while the
negative rated criteria were most noticeable in the case of the
opportunity to stand, the opportunity to sit, parking and traffic
safety. Visual identity, greenery and water features proved to be
the most positively evaluated criteria. Unsurprisingly, the best-
rated university campus is the Vienna University of Economics
and Business, where its compactness, quiet environment and
relatively good accessibility within the city structure play a
major role in quality. A total of 80% was evaluated, while the
most negatively evaluated criteria were water and water
elements and space for rest and sleep, which are absent in the
area.
4.1 University of Graz
Location: Universitätspl. 3, 8010 Graz, Austria
Location within the city: wider center
Area: 18 ha
Established in 1585
Score: 66%
Tab. 1: Evaluation sheet with all attributes and their point
evaluation, where 5 points is the best and 1 the worst.
Evaluation:
Source: Čibik and Štěpánková
(2020).
The University of Graz, founded in 1585, is the second oldest
university in Austria and one of the largest in the country. The
current campus of the university was established in 1870. The
main building was opened in 1895. From 1897, the first women
began studying at the school. After the rise of Nazi power in
1938, many teachers were fired and a third of the students left
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