BIG unveils new ESET Campus in Bratislava, Slovakia

Bjarke Ingels Group has recently unveiled the design for the new ESET Campus. Located in Patronka, Bratislava, the 592,000-sf campus replaces a former military hospital between the Carpathian Mountains.

The campus comprises 12 individual buildings of varying sizes and uses organized around a central courtyard. The buildings on the outer perimeter will be designated public spaces, while four buildings on the inside of the site, each with their own central atrium, will be home to ESET’s 1,500 employees, with the potential to scale up to 2,400. The peak of the architectural “mountain” is reminiscent of the nearby Carpathian Mountains and houses the ESET business.

The main courtyard, located at the center of the four ESET HQ buildings, acts as a focal point for the local community. Public spaces serving retail, educational, sports, and cultural purposes are scattered around the courtyard, animating the ground floor and activating the network of streets. The overall massing of the campus has multiple frontages; the open corners of the four ESET HQ blocks, in combination with views into each building from the surrounding streets, create inviting moments that further connect the exterior with the interior. 

On the northwest side, the campus opens up to the park. Embedded into the existing natural landscape, the park is filled with public areas for recreation, interaction, and relaxation while boosting local biodiversity and creating pockets suitable for outdoor working.

Located in the largest building of the campus is the main ESET HQ lobby. A cascading staircase greets visitors and connects the ground floor with the upper levels. The stairs are surrounded with social spaces and biophilia, enhancing the connection of the active ground level to the upper office levels.

All-electric energy, with an emphasis on renewable sources, will power the campus and contribute to the carbon-negative goal. The buildings’ exteriors will utilize timber and glass to create a high-performance facade system and balconies will provide additional outdoor spaces and shading while also providing natural ventilation to maximize energy efficiency.

In addition to BIG, the design team include Inflow, Pantograph, BuroHappold, and ARUP. The project is slated to break ground in 2024 with a completion date of 2027.