Agata Jankowska's master's thesis under the supervision of Dr. Paweł Kirschke was recognized as the best in a competition jointly organized by the Faculty of Architecture of Wrocław University of Technology and the European Copper Alliance Institute. The graduate created a design for a library on a post-industrial harbor wharf in Copenhagen. Congratulations!
Agata Jankowska is the winner of the third edition of the competition, which selects the best master's thesis (defended at the Faculty of Architecture of Wroclaw University of Technology) on the application of copper or its alloys. The commission evaluates the innovation and novelty in the solution of the topic, the possibility of implementing the project into reality and the attractiveness of the graphic design and description.
The city plans to create a green belt, the library along with the atrium will become a continuation of this green path
© Agata Jankowska
new life of the port
During her studies, Agata Jankowska completed a year-long internship in Copenhagen. Her stay in Denmark inspired her for her graduation project - a library, and she chose the post-industrial Nordhavn harbor as the site for its realization. This post-industrial site has become an extremely popular place on the city map for several years, and its population is growing. In 2016, the former port was inhabited by 234 people, a year later the number rose to 1,449, and today it is more than 25,000 people. The graduate, after a careful analysis of the local plan, decided to create a library, also acting as a cultural center and social activator. The facility is intended to be the culmination of the entire waterfront, offering a place to meet and integrate residents. The site for the construction is covered by the local plan, which sets guidelines for the facility. It must serve a service function, have parking spaces for cars and bicycles, be no taller than twenty-one meters, and the materials used in its construction should reflect the character of Sundmolen.
The façade visible from an angle gives the impression of a full wall and contrasts with the glazed atrium
© Agata Jankowska
Copenhagen library
The author designed the body of the building by pulling the trapezoidal shape of the plot upwards and dividing it into three different functional parts: the square eastern part, which houses the sea-facing atrium, the triangular library part with workspaces, and the rectangular western part that serves as a circulation area with the building's technical facilities. The entire building is six stories and more than three thousand square meters of floor space. The facade of the building is a curtain wall with an understructure and glazing of double glazed units. Vertical divisions are made of fiberglass-reinforced concrete panels. The details are horizontal cornice strips covered with copper sheeting, referring to the horizontal character of the warehouse buildings. Due to the building's location, its elevations are mainly visible at an angle, in abbreviated perspective. On the interior, the massive balcony railings of the rounded shapes are also finished in copper sheet.
Balcony balustrades are finished with copper sheeting
© Agata Jankowska
garden inside the building
The library building has multiple functions, the first floor is an atrium in the form of a winter garden (which can become a kind of covered public square), where larger trees grow along the inner east wall and north wall in large pots recessed into the floor. Other, smaller plants are placed in a system of sliding pots. The first floor, with a small food court and space for temporary exhibitions, is an integral part of the plaza in front of the building and can serve as a backdrop for events held on its grounds during the summer. On the upper floors, the author planned library functions with free-access shelving zones, a reading room, a children's section and a quiet zone, as well as rooms with coworking spaces. Each floor is equipped with balconies that expand the circulation space and allow constant contact with the greenery in the atrium.
Upon crossing the library's threshold, the user enters an exotic green atrium alluding to a seaport - a place of economic and cultural exchange.
compiled by {tag:AuthorAiB}
based on a press release
illustrations courtesy of Agata Jankowska
