First Prize
8thousand zlotys and 2 thousand zlotys for promoters

author
Nadia Sajjad

Title
"Residential Architecture in the Face of Climate Change. Design of a multi-family building in Warsaw"

university
Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology

supervisors
Maciej Miłobędzki, PhD Piotr Trębacz

author's description

The thesis is based on, polemicizing with the philosophy of humanism, a manifesto that assumes that ecological disaster is inevitable, and that hope can only be found in delaying and minimizing losses. The search for what architecture "should" do in the context of climate change is the content of the thesis. Conclusions arising from the search are formulated in the form of guidelines, on the basis of which the design of a multifamily building in the center of Warsaw was developed.

The three most important aspects of the project are universality, hybrid construction and passive climate strategies.

UNIVERSALITY : The wooden framework determines the spatial layout of the building, which is universal and responds to the growing demand for easily adaptable buildings. The initial function of the building is residential with services on the first floor and a workshop building. Due to the versatility of the structure, the building can be easily adapted to another function, such as office.

HYBRID CONSTRUCTION: The building was designed in hybrid construction. The residential and office part of the floors from "+2" to "+9" was made in a frame structure made of longitudinally glued timber (BSH). The floor slabs are made of cross-laminated timber (CLT), and the communication and sanitary core is reinforced concrete.
The reinforced concrete core of the building provides thermal inertia and improves the structural and acoustic performance of the building.

PASSIVE CLIMATE STRATEGIES: Passive strategies for regulating the indoor climate translate into energy savings, a smaller carbon footprint and the ability to become independent of electricity distribution.

jury opinion

The award was given for the author's attempt to present the virtuous values of sustainability, usability and beauty in relation to climate change as challenges of the modern age, expressed in the design of a sustainable building coexisting with nature. The author proposes to create a universal application of hybrid, reinforced concrete and wood construction including passive climate strategies. The work clearly emphasizes the distribution of material solutions - monolithic concrete combined with glulam frame structures. The author legibly, expressed the idea of what she called - the building's adaptability. A value in itself is the presentation of the project idea in the background. This was expressed in a very thoughtful and aesthetically given form of descriptive notebooks, one of which deserves special recognition - a notebook of handwritten sketches illustrating the Author's creative path to the final result.