Architectural students in Liberec received modern laboratories and technology

Liberec – Students of the doctoral program focused on architecture and urbanism in Liberec received modern laboratories and technology. The completion and reconstruction of the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec amounted to nearly 54 million crowns, including VAT, of which 12.5 million was provided by a grant from the Ministry of Education. Thanks to this, students have gained equipment for working with wood, metal, plastics, and concrete, including a 3D scanner and 3D printing.

The Faculty of Art and Architecture was established in December 1994 and is one of the seven faculties of the Technical University of Liberec. The doctoral study program focused on architecture and urbanism was opened two years ago. The inspiration for the field came from similarly focused programs at prestigious European schools in Milan, London, Helsinki, or Kent. The goal is to bring an interdisciplinary perspective into architecture and urban planning and to incorporate the latest information and design technologies.

"Until now, students of this doctoral program worked in provisional conditions, using the main studio, and now we have finally managed, with some minor delays mainly caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the situation in construction, to complete the laboratories and students have moved in," said the faculty dean Okamura. According to original plans, the work was supposed to finish already in spring.

In the new laboratories, students have access to three dozen machines and tools worth approximately 2.5 million crowns. They will learn to work with a three-axis CNC milling machine suitable for processing non-ferrous metals, plastics, and wood, a table saw, a cylindrical grinder, a planer, and to operate lathes for wood and metals. The equipment includes a sandblasting booth and a painting box, as well as a handheld 3D scanner or a machine for vacuum forming plastics.