The building’s function and form are drawn from classical models worked out in the civilisations of the Mediterranean Sea basin. The main room is inspired by a Roman amphitheatre, in which the central figure was that of the speaker/actor. This type of amphitheatre allows for spectators’ mutual observation and interaction.
Geometrical divisions of the facade, in turn, draw from the Greek temple plan with seven spaces in a colonnade. Yet this order is somewhat disturbed by the asymmetric division into two spaces forming the entrance zone. This results from the context and urbanistic order, with the auditorium building closing the perspective of Wenecja street. Inside the hall, the street’s traffic axis moves swiftly onto the stairs, which draw one’s eyes towards the roof skylight and, further on, towards the sky, i.e. the Universum. This is directly related to the genius of Nicolaus Copernicus, famous astronomer and scholar, and also a student of Jagiellonian University.
The entrance portico and the arcades surrounding the building serve as a meeting space for the academic circles, also offering shelter on rainy days. Plus, they act as a specific type of “threshold” space, semi-private in contrast with the public character of street space.
The main auditorium’s structure has been “rotated” around a central spot to allow for arranging a “patio”, where space has been secured for a vast tree, i.e. an oak named “Franek” [Frank] (to celebrate the name of Professor Franciszek Ziejka, the rector of Jagiellonian University as well as chief initiator and creator of the building).
Solutions that are significant from a formal perspective include: ceramic cladding, also in lintels, the glass entrance facade construction with vertical bolts suspended on metal rods, coffer made of glued timber with an arch form of concentric bays, as well as the second largest moving partition wall in Europe (12 m in height).
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