In the competition for the design of the development of the right bank of the Vistula River in Toruń, in theareas located from the Torun Marina to the Timber Port, thefirst place went to the duo of architects - Patryk Gwiazda and Dawid Jarosz, who, in the opinion of the jury, in the proposed concept well divides the designated area into differently developed fragments, interestingly conducts pedestrian routes and well solves the connection of the city with the nearest points of the Vistula bank.
Site development plans, top: Winter Port, below: Wood Harbor
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
The second prize in the competition went to the project proposed by Aleksander Wadas Studio, and the third ex aequo project by smoter+strug architects and the design team consisting of Dorota Ryżko, Jakub Pieńkowski and Wiktor Gago. Honorable mentions were awarded to: Daniel Soto Martinez and Tomasz Jakub Knapik and Adam Krzysztofiak.
idea and concept competition
The object of the one-stage idea-concept competition was to design a functional-spatial solution for the area stretching from the yacht marina at the end of the boulevard to the western border of the city, and to propose friendly and attractive spaces in this area, and to connect the whole with a recreational and educational path.
path among the trees
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
Nowadays, it is not only the streets, gates and the river, but also the Vistula boulevards thatcontinue the tradition of the everlasting marriage of Toruń and the Vistula - it is for this reason that the Vistula Boulevards are important not only for aesthetic and developmental reasons for thecity of Toruń. The boulevards are an allegory of the lifestyle of Torunians who want and need to return to the river," write the authors of the winning project.
the study area today
Currently, the study area is degraded and difficult to use in many places. However, according to traffic analyses conducted by the winning architects, there is a need among residents to explore and travel along the Vistula River.
pedestrian and bicycle traffic analysis
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
The area of the Winter Port is currently closed, the area between the Winter and Wood Ports is agrarian in nature with low-intensity development, and the paved paths present in the area do not form a unified traffic route. The Timber Harbor, which formerly housed some 230 rafts in a basin, is now used for recreational purposes, and its shores are inaccessible to residents. Importantly, the entire area covered by the study is part of the Natura 2000 - Vistula Valley area, is a nesting site for many protected bird species and has numerous natural monuments.
The concept proposed by Patryk Gwiazda and Dawid Jarosz emphasizes the modernization of public spaces, attractive urban space and the development of a green network of paths - creating a continuous promenade, and thus improving the accessibility of the Vistula River and creating an attractive meeting place for Torun residents.
a place for anglers and a pier
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
urban recycling
The project, as the authors emphasize, involves the transformation of the development area in a sustainable way, using the existing grid and available resources.
revitalization of the existing fabric
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
The entire area was analyzed for possible revitalization and rehabilitation of facilities and sites. Existing paths were subjected to modernization, where they need to change the surface or improve traffic conditions. Public spaces in need of repurposing were reexamined. Each newly added element to the urban puzzle is essential to the functioning of the entire establishment. Such a solution is not only beneficial for economic reasons, but also levels the impact of the proposed new urban layout on the environment and leaves nature untouched, the architects add.
Although the competition was intended as an idea and concept competition, the architects' design allows for phased implementation - the modernized and newly constructed elements have been divided according to priority, so that the Vistula boulevards can be made available to residents as soon as possible. Priority is given to elements that allow the closure of the Transportation Loop - the backbone of the premise - and the Winter Harbor - the link to the city.
phasing
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
main assumptions of the project
The project is intended as an ad hoc addition to the existing assumptions of individual areas serving as "urban rooms". The architects propose to renovate the existing trails and complement the structures with fragments of newly delineated routes.
urbanist rooms
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
The competition study envisages the creation of a Recreation and Sports Loop, which will have its beginning at the Winter Harbor and end at the Viewpoint on the Headland. Such a Loop will tie together any existing, currently unconnected, delineated road networks. By designing the Loop in this way, it is proposed to carry out communication reaches that have their beginning at nodal points located in the city, while the end is usually accentuated at the banks of the Vistula River. In this way, the Vistula Boulevards become part of the City of Torun along the entire eleven-kilometer section, the authors of the winning work write.
These reaches, in many places drawing on the existing infrastructure, help create a clear and intuitive way to get around.
traffic scheme
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
As early as the second half of the 20th century, Kevin Lynch distinguished five elements that he believes affect the image of a city. Just as the Loop and Reaches are roads and passageways that are located in urban rooms, delineating nodes and focal points, proposed elements such as the observation tower or the path over the forest undergrowth are landmarks and dominants - holistically completing the diverse image of the proposed Vistula Boulevards of the city of Toruń, the architects add.
The design of the new boulevards is built in accordance with the principles of sustainable management of water resources and counteracting extreme processes and natural disasters. The designers have taken into account the reduction of rapid rainwater runoff and the prevention of flooding, floods and droughts through a retention system.
urban rooms
The study area was divided into smaller parts - urbanist rooms, each of which is distinguished by its different character and function. The room closest to the city center is the transformed Winter Harbor - a small shipyard with distinctive ramps and rails. In the project, the architects proposed locating stairs leading to the water in this place, removing the existing repair halls and replacing them with pavilions of light steel construction, which, together with the preserved buildings, will form the Port Square.
Winter Port
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
A wide pedestrian and bicycle promenade will be laid out from the Winter Port, which will be an extension of Philadelphia Boulevard. The surface of the boulevard will be made of rust-colored concrete slabs. Along the northern bank of the Winter Harbor, a woonerf has been laid out, leading directly to the vicinity of the City Park. In turn, service pavilions offering social and cultural infrastructure will be located on the southern shore of the harbor.
solitude and Sensory Park
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
Behind the dyke, parallel to the city boulevard, the architects have planned a Sensory Park, where residents will have the opportunity to interact with the maritime tradition and history of the old War Port.
In the area of the Bydgoszcz Suburb, opposite the steps in front of the Winter Port, green steps - grassy terraces - are planned. In the nearby park and the existing beach on the Martowka River, playgrounds have been introduced and forms of greenery have been diversified, and on the site of the relocated gravel pit a sandy Baciarzy Beach overlooking the Winter Port has been introduced.
The City Park borders the area of the Family Allotment Gardens, which further seamlessly transitions into the vast area of the Vistula Fields - a separate section from the farmland, which is envisioned as an event space for the city. Behind the row of cultivated fields, where it is suggested to grow selected plants of high aesthetic value, the Ornithological Park - a place that serves to preserve natural habitats - has been located. The park will be complemented by an Artificial Island on the Vistula River.
vantage point
© Dawid Jarosz + Patryk Gwiazda
One of the main nodal points along the boulevards' route is the Wood Harbor, which allows residents to take walks and engage in water sports. Further along the Vistula River boulevards, a forest is planned on a peninsula, and the whole establishment ends with a spiral wooden observation tower - a destination point from which one can enjoy a view of the Vistula River and all of Toruń.
