Walking along one side of the minimalist, monolithic block, a passerby suddenly encounters a deep indentation, highlighted by spacious golden coffers. The glittering panels intrigue and invite one to enter. Like the White Rabbit in the novel "Alice in Wonderland." What awaits the passerby on the other side?
The 
golden coffers
photo: Mateusz Olczyk
At Braniborska Street, located in Wrocław's Szczepin, on a post-industrial site adjacent to the city center, architects from Piotr Zybury's studio designed a complex of multi-family buildings. The designers reached for the well-known and proven type of quarter development, thus recreating the downtown fabric and creating a closed layout with an inner, slightly raised courtyard.
situation
© Arch_it Piotr Zybura
Planned around an inner patio, the building partially protects residents from the hustle and bustle of the city. The intimate courtyard, which is the heart of the project and is accessed by the aforementioned representative entrance hall bathed in gold, is elevated a storey above the street level. A recreational and leisure area for residents surrounded by greenery has been planned there, full of shrubs, flower meadows, trees and prepared for the growth of climbing plants.
planned around the inner patio, the building partially protects residents from the hustle and bustle of the city
photo: Mateusz Olczyk
Underground and in part of the first floor parking lots have been placed, the patera also houses commercial premises, and the remaining floors are occupied by apartments.
The monolithic nature of the block is emphasized by the minimalist color palette and choice of materials - the northern part of the building is finished with mineral clinker tile in shades of gray, and the southern part and the interior of the courtyard - with white, smooth plaster. The effect is also emphasized by the consistent composition of windows and loggias on the exterior elevations and the corresponding arrangement of windows and balconies on the interior elevations.
The 
rhythmic arrangement of windows and loggias on the exterior facade
Photo: Maciej Lulko
Piotr Zybura of Wrocław-based studio arch_it talks about the design process, the advantages of building models with Lego bricks and what brought the team to tears.
Ola Kloc: In the design of the multifamily building on Braniborska Street, you opted for a building with a closed layout with a spacious inner courtyard. What is the reason for such a solution?
Piotr Poldek Zybura: The solution with an internal semi-public patio is a result of both local conditions (i.e., building lines defined in the local zoning plan) and usable-spatial assumptions. In each of our residential developments, we strive to create public, semi-public and private spaces by shaping the space rather than erecting fences. The inner patio, together with the communal room of the resident's club (accessible directly from the level of the inner courtyard) and the landscaped greenery (where trees on native soil rather than in pots have also been introduced) serves all users.
left: the inner courtyard is elevated a storey above street level; right: the pathway to the patio
Photo: Mateusz Olczyk
Ola: You created the mock-ups with Lego blocks, and how did this method help in the design process?
Piotr: Lego models were of course not the only spatial models we created for the project. However, it was these models - perhaps because of their slightly "less serious" nature and the possibility of immediate modification - that worked best in relations with the developer and in determining the final form of the building. Well, and they brought a lot of fun.
Ola: The minimalist block is not lacking bold accents - where did you get the idea for the gold coffers around the entrance?
Piotr: From the beginning of the design process, we had to struggle with the typical budget constraints inherent in an economical (and Braniborska 44 is indeed such a building) residential development. We managed to convince the investor that the entrance area, however, should be special and unique - both for architectural and symbolic reasons. The use of metal coffers in a golden hue was conditioned by the above assumptions.
left: multi-family building on Braniborska Street; right: spatial coffers highlight the entrance to the patio
Photo: Mateusz Olczyk
Ola: What was the most difficult part of the project, and what are you most satisfied with?
Piotr: Of course, not everything was accomplished as originally planned. The most difficult were the usual discussions with the contractors convinced that the presented solutions would obviously not be feasible in any case. However, even the compromised solutions were eventually realized mostly in a satisfactory way (the railings of balconies and loggias are an exception, which made us cry like orphaned beavers;)).
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
