Work submitted for the competition
"Best Diploma Architecture".
The wedding day is treated as a landmark in life. The architecture of wedding houses offered to newlyweds is not exemplary. This fact became the reason for an attempt to create a contemporary architectural framework for the celebration of this event.
The wedding house, view of the main entrance
© Damian Kasperowicz
One of the main objectives of the project is to create a performance space in which, as in the order of the nuptial rites, there is a palpable sequentiality leading to a climax. Achieving this premise was met by extending the path to the main hall - before it reaches the square in front of the entrance, it meanders between the trees.
site plan and first floor plan
© Damian Kasperowicz
After crossing the threshold, the bride and groom pass a hall that opens once towards the sea and then towards the south, from which light streams into the top of the parade stairs, and from which the main hall appears at the last moment. Farther away stretches a forest cut by the horizon line defined by the sea, looming in the distance. The staircase serves as a metaphor for the transition from one state to another, enhancing the drama of the celebration.
wedding house, parade staircase
© Damian Kasperowicz
The concept of the wedding house as a theater, in which the invited guests assume, to a greater or lesser extent, the assumed roles, acting them out in front of the rest of the family, is the foundation for the exploration of the architecture of the wedding. Therefore, the functional layout of the proposed solution is based on the main hall acting as a stage, where the main action of the wedding takes place, and the backstage areas surrounding it, with varying degrees of intimacy, where the invited guests can take off their assumed "masks." This emphasizes the multifaceted nature of the ceremony - in addition to the feast itself, there is also side action.
The wedding house, hall and counter
© Damian Kasperowicz
The context of the pine forest influenced the form of the architecture: the main stage and the backstage of the house are covered with a "canopy" supported by a forest of posts. The flat roof in relation to the slope of the terrain intensifies the sequences of the low lobby leading by a parade staircase to the high main hall, giving it special importance as the most representative place. The forest of columns on the inside gives the impression of an interpenetrating space of forest and house. The expansive roof extending beyond the building's outline creates an arcade around the venue, providing a buffer zone to soften the boundary between the exterior and interior, giving shelter to those going outside.
The wedding house, view of the east elevation
© Damian Kasperowicz
The entire premise is tied together by a series of paths that connect the accommodation pavilions scattered throughout the plot. The paths pass into the open zone of the wedding house, which is defined by auxiliary rooms enclosed in wooden shafts. Their non-orthogonal layout is a continuation of the composition of the lodging houses subordinated to the terrain, giving a sense of meandering between smaller pavilions covered by a common roof.
wedding house, lobby
© Damian Kasperowicz
The project includes solutions to compensate for the negative environmental impact. One of them is the use of wood for the columns and frame load-bearing walls. Meanwhile, the reinforced concrete floor slab includes the use of recycled steel and geopolymer concrete. Optimization of the facility's operation in terms of installation was also assumed. The ventilation system has been zoned in accordance with the functional division; moreover, the form of the building with open common space penetrating the building makes natural ventilation possible as well.
axonometry
© Damian Kasperowicz
Water and rainwater management and biodiversity are important aspects of the project. One of the answers to these problems are flat roofs with extensive greenery, which neutralize rainfall while not having to irrigate the plants on them. Retention basins placed along paths could improve the microclimate and serve birds and insects. Thanks to photovoltaic panels, partial energy recovery is possible. These solutions make the buildings of the designed establishment not only formally, but also operationally, would function in symbiosis with the natural environment.
Damian KASPEROWICZ
Illustrations: © Author
