The project of the STOS (Smart and Transdisciplinary knOwledge Services) Center building for the IT Center of the Tri-City Academic Computer Network at Traugutta Street in Gdansk, which was selected in a competition in 2017, has begun. The authors of the concept for the edifice, which will stand on the Gdansk University of Technology campus, are architects from the Arch-Deco studio.
The building with an area of about 12,000 square meters is being built at the foot of the park and the so-called Gallows Hill in Gdansk-Wrzeszcz, adjacent to the historic Main Building of the Gdansk University of Technology. Taking advantage of the cascading relief of the site, the architects designed a building both visually and functionally divided into three parts.
The underground one, in order to ensure maximum data protection, will house a server room section with a bunker. Two lumps were set on it - the teaching and operational ones," explains Zbigniew Reszka, architect and president of Arch-Deco studio. - It was also crucial to plan the course of the compositional axis through the plot. That's why we located parts A and B on both sides of it, thus preserving the view of the PG Main Building," he adds.
The operational and technical part, to intensify the impression of inaccessibility, will be partially bumped into the slope and covered with titanium-zinc sheeting in dark anthracite color. It will be contrasted by an inviting office and teaching area with a bright silver facade.
The 
two solids - didactic and operational} were embedded on the lower part of the object
image: potegraphics © Arch-Deco
The lump of the didactic and office part, which was designed as a public area for students, also plays the role of a compositional dominant, Zbigniew Reszka explains. - It has been located along the compositional axis of the entire architectural establishment, which is also the axis of the historic PG Main Building. Taking advantage of the natural lay of the land, along the axis we placed a pedestrian route with stairs, resting spaces, seating areas and terrace elements accessible from different levels of the building. Thanks to this treatment, the public space invites users to step between the buildings, as well as to the top of the hill with the designed park establishment, from where the view of the PG Main Building opens up," he explains.
The 
The generally accessible body of the didactic and office part will also play the role of a compositional dominant
image: potegraphics © Arch-Deco
Wanting to emphasize the proximity of the main Polytechnic building and create a dialogue between the historic and the new university building, the architects decided to use materials referring to those used in the existing building - brick, zinc-titanium sheet metal and stone.
Over the years, the bond between the campus and the surrounding greenery on the southwest side has been lost, and the Main Building has become isolated, explains Michal Barizewski, co-founder of Arch-Deco. - According to the idea of sustainable development, the campus space should be open and connected to the city. Therefore, one of the main points of the project is a coherent system of attractive and functional public space, with high aesthetics and modern technological and communication solutions. We wanted them to refer to historical planning layouts and integrate existing and designed buildings," the designer adds.
According to the designers' plans, the area surrounding the emerging building will be a recreational and educational public space with a park on a viewing hill, the focal point of which will be an off-road staircase emphasizing the viewing axis.
The 
architects, using the cascading relief of the site, designed a building visually and functionally divided into three parts
image: potegraphics © Arch-Deco
CK STOS is currently the largest ongoing infrastructure investment in Gdansk. Its total cost will be over PLN 200 million.
The construction of the center is a response to market needs for R&D services, which require computation, transfer and processing and archiving of huge data sets. The general contractor for the investment is the NDI company, says the rector of the Gdansk University of Technology, Prof. Krzysztof Wilde.
