Activator of Wrocław's Nadodrze. Mateusz Michalak's project

Dobrawa Bies

24 of July '20

Activator project in Wroclaw

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Mateusz Michalak has created a project that would revitalize the degraded space of Wrocław's Nadodrze district. His proposal is a service building with offices and restaurants on Olbinska Street and a green pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the railroad area.

The project entitled. "Social Activator at Olbinska Street in Wroclaw" was created as a thesis at the Wroclaw University of Technology under the direction of Dr. Paweł Kirschke. The concept was distinguished by the jury of this year's edition of the Wroclaw Magnolia competition.

Activator is a project that could be built in a neglected part of Nadodrze.

New life for Nadodrze

The author looked at neglected and forgotten spaces on the map of Wroclaw. For one of them - plots along the railroad line between the viaduct over Trzebnicka Street and the Olbin streetcar depot on Olbinska Street - he created the Activator project.

As Mateusz Michalak explains:

Activator in the meaning of the project is a multifunctional space with a climate, which is created by the people who visit it. Satisfying social needs, it promotes human functioning in the open space of the city, positively influencing the neighborhood in question.

The designed space includes a new building, footbridge and green areas

The idea behind the project was to create an active, multi-level space with a strong impact on the neighborhoods of Nadodrze, Kleczkow and Olbin. The space would become a new social activator of the northern part of Wroclaw. The author assumed maximum use of the plot - developing and building it in a distinctive, functional and aesthetic way.

The urban planning concept assumes the elevation of a footbridge with a pedestrian and bicycle route and a green zone over the active railroad tracks of line 143. In the place of the disused tracks, Mateusz Michalak proposed to create a linear park, which can be continued to the east and west, creating green routes in the most smog-polluted districts of Wroclaw.

The idea behind the project was to create an active and multi-level space

more than an office building

The form of the designed building refers to the varied texture and shape of a lump of coal. Due to its neregular shape, the author proposed a column and slab structure made in monolithic concrete technology. The facades, on the other hand, would be made of wood, steel and concrete, blending in with the surroundings. The building, consisting of two masses, connects the difference in ground levels by means of elevators, stairs and ramps. The blocks are connected by an off-road staircase, which creates a free space that allows for the preservation of the viewing axis. The building consists of several levels: an underground parking for 64 cars, an open area with catering establishments, a coworking zone and creative space on levels 0 and +1, and office spaces on the next 4 floors. A rich offer - a music club, spaces for meetings, lectures and workshops, a conference room and a green recreational space could attract residents and tourists, revitalizing the Nadodrze area.

The designed building consists of two blocks

green pedestrian and bicycle footbridge

The footbridge, 10 meters wide and supported on reinforced concrete pillars, stretches from Nadodrze railroad station to the railroad bridge over the city canal and connects to the linear park. The footbridge is a kind of pedestrian and bicycle promenade that protects the district from the noise of oncoming trains. Mateusz Michalak also took care of ecological solutions - the green wall collects rainwater into reservoirs located under the footbridge structure, The rainwater would be used to regularly irrigate the sizable green area around the designed building. Thanks to filtering plants, the wall would also clean the air of dust and lower the ambient temperature. The author also assumed that part of the tracks would be removed and their layout would be corrected for the new course of train traffic. Part of the preserved tracks could also be used for a display of historic rolling stock.

The Activator project heals a degraded area of Wroclaw. Using the railroad infrastructure, it creates a new alternative for recreational areas. The elements of building mass, small architecture and greenery introduced into the space change the perspective of perception of the place. Meanwhile, the designed green spaces foster the integration of residents, while improving the quality of life.