We know the results of the competition for the design of the municipal library and kindergarten on Asnyka Street in Jozefow. On February 15 we heard the jury's decision during an online conference. The winner was the Regio studio from Warsaw , the second prize went to the Studio4Space team and Atelier Entropic, and the third place went to the project by MIJO architektura.
In Jozefow, at the intersection of Asnyka and 11 Listopada streets, akindergarten and municipal library complex is planned to be built on a 1.75-hectare plot. The new facility is to be built next to a playground and a calisthenics square, which are to be integrated into the whole establishment. Before commissioning the design and tendering the construction, the city of Jozefow, under the auspices of OW SARP, organized a competition for the architectural concept. The submitted projects were expected to have a concept combining modern, original and innovative architectural and technological solutions, taking into account the local building tradition and natural conditions. According to the guidelines, the building, with a usable area of about 2,000 square meters, was to be two-story - one level is a library, and the second level is a kindergarten.
1st place, the library building
© Regio
The Competition Jury deliberated in a five-member composition: chairwoman Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys (architect, vice-president of ZG SARP), Bogdan Kulczyński (architect), Piotr Gąszcz (deputy mayor of Jozefow), Dariusz Rogowski (head of the Land Development Department in the Jozefow Municipal Office) and Monika Szołucha-Przybyś (inspector in the Project Implementation Department). The jury evaluated thirty-one projects submitted to the competition.
After five jury meetings and many discussions, it was possible to select eight works, which were reexamined not only in terms of aesthetic, functional and financial aspects, but also in terms of carrying out the construction process, analyzing the building's life cycle and reducing the negative impact on the environment. As for the selection of the three best of them, the jury was unanimous, says chairwoman Agnieszka Kalinowska-Soltys.
The winners were awarded prizes of PLN 30,000 for first place, PLN 20,000 for second place and PLN 10,000 for third place.
First prize, landscaping
© Regio
First prize
The first prize went to the Warsaw-based Regio studio. The winning team proposed a one-story kindergarten building and a one-story library building. The designed library, according to the competition, combines educational and cultural functions, with space for creative work, social meetings (café) and co-working. In the park surrounding the facility, the design team envisioned several zones: play, educational and sensory. In this way, the authors wanted to influence the formation of places conducive to both social integration, creative and educational activities, recreation, but also tranquility and communing with nature.
Working on the project, we wanted to create a flexible space full of surprises, which would provide a framework for strengthening the role of the library as a local depository of culture and a place where one willingly returns to discover it anew each time. The kindergarten, on the other hand, is primarily intended to allow children to safely explore the space, local nature, and foster the social bonds that begin to form during childhood. I would like the forest playground, equipped with simple natural and bio-education-supporting equipment, to support the development of the unfettered imagination of its future users and users," says Piotr Czyzewski of Regio studio.
The buildings were designed with great concern for the environment. Both the kindergarten and the library have green roofs, and the biologically active area of the facility is as high as 82 percent. The facilities allow passive heat gains and minimize energy losses, and recycled materials are among the proposed materials. In the surroundings, it was proposed to plant native species adapted to the habitat, in particular showing benefit to small mammals, birds and pollinators.
The architects opted for ecological solutions
© Regio
As the jury's descriptive assessment reads:
The independent two buildings take fulladvantage of the natural and natural character of the project site. The kindergarten, safely away from the street, with a forest character, enables the education and upbringing of children in accordance with the natural cycle of nature. The library building, open to users through large glazing and functional landscaping, can serve as a showcase for the city. The unusually aesthetic approach to the detailing referring to the Swidermayer style (Świdermajer) emphasizes the historical character of the local architecture, but in a modern version, without pretending to be an old building.
2nd prize
The second prize is a project boldly using traditional construction materials in modern technology
© Studio4Space, Atelier Entropic
The second prize went to a design team from Studio4Space in Krakow and Atelier Entropic in Spain, consisting of: Magdalena Mróz, Geoffrey Eberle, Bartosz Dendura, Paweł Marjański, Martyna Mądry. Their proposal for the Green Portal of Józefów was recognized for its bold use of traditional construction material in modern technology. Pro-environmental solutions of the building inscribed in the original cubic volume give a wide field for the development of imagination of small and large users of the building.
Third prize
III place
© MIJO Architecture
The Competition Jury decided to award the third prize to MIJO architektura studio. The guiding idea of the project was to pay special respect to the historical values presented by the wooden architecture of the Otwock Line. By analyzing the existing buildings and the adjacent landscape, the architects captured the most important details and assumptions - vertical divisions, modularity, wooden lace - and fitted them into the modern massing, thus showing the quality of Świdermajer, expressed in the language of contemporary architecture.
The development of the concept is the first stage of the competition. The next step will be the preparation of construction documentation based on the winning concept. According to the public procurement law, this can be done by the winner of the competition. A tender for the construction of the project is planned to be announced in a year's time, after the design process is completed and a building permit is obtained. The first construction work should also start in 2022.
