Architects from Horizone Studio designed an estate with a green axis and uniquely sloping roofs as part of an investor competition. In the design they wanted to preserve as many trees as possible and emphasize the role of space.
The conceptual design of the EKOPARK estate on Sosnowiecka Street in Cracow was made as part of a closed investor competition by invitation. The plot of 2.1 hectares was included in the Local Land Use Plan, which imposed slanted roofs on the buildings.
composition axis
The layout of the estate was designed as an alternating arrangement of free-standing buildings, located on underground garages. This allowed the creation of "green pockets" between the volumes, where common recreation and leisure zones were planned. Creating an attractive common area was a priority for the studio. The plot included a row of existing tall trees, around which green areas, promenades and pedestrian and bicycle paths were organized. The staggered layout of the buildings provides adequate lighting for the apartments, and the open urban layout allows natural ventilation of the estate.
Visualization of the estate at Sosnowiecka Street - the project tried to preserve the existing trees in the area
© Horizone Studio
In the layout itself, different recreation zones have been distinguished to suit the appropriate user. The recreation space for the elderly and the children's playground are separate. There is also an integration space for everyone. A retention basin in the nature of a rain garden and a pond is also planned for the area.
architecture
The unique shape of the roofs is the result of provisions in the Local Development Plan. The buildings have gabled roofs, which have been broken in a non-standard way, on the diagonal of the rectangle. The individual blocks are positioned alternately, turning 90 degrees with respect to each other. This arrangement allows for better lighting of the apartments and unobstructed views. Each apartment has at least one balcony.
A mock-up showing the estate designed by Horizone Studio
© Horizone Studio
Dominik Darasz, one of the project's authors, talks about the project:
Wiktor Bochenek: What are the prospects for the development?
Dominik Darasz: The conceptual design of the EKOPARK housing complex on Sosnowiecka Street in Cracow was made as part of an investor competition by invitation. Our project made it to the finals of the competition, but it will not be implemented at this location.
Wiktor Bochenek: What was the most important thing in designing this complex?
The most important thing was to ensure the execution of a project that meets the demanding provisions of the plan, has a remarkable appearance and will provide future residents with a sense of living comfort and identification with the place where they live. The watchword of the project is inversion, which appears in every element of the project - both in the urban layout, in the geometry of the roofs and in the division of materials in the buildings. The simple geometric procedure gave an individual character to both the visual and functional form of the estate.
Urban planning was designed as an alternating arrangement of free-standing buildings. Such an arrangement of them produces interiors of variable width, where "green pockets" have been separated, in which common recreation and leisure zones for the residents of the estate have been planned. The main compositional axis of the urban establishment is the existing trees growing in the center of the plot. The estate is to be safe and friendly to pedestrians and cyclists, so a clear separation of traffic routes has been introduced. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic is routed in the middle, and automobile traffic on the perimeter.
Visualization of the estate on Sosnowiecka street
© Horizone Studio
Wiktor Bochenek: What was the goal behind the creation of the common area?
Dominik Darasz: We believe that creating an attractive common area is an added value of the estate. The purpose of designing common areas is to create places for integration and recreation of residents.
Recreation zones differ in character and function (dedicated for the elderly, for children or integrative for all). The common space contains elements of landscaping and playscaping (an off-road playground). We separated recreational spaces with composed greenery and small architecture from the buildings with earthen slopes and hills of different heights. In the central part of the plot, we proposed common green areas, pedestrian and bicycle paths, separated from the peripheral road system to ensure their safe use.
Wiktor Bochenek: Where did the idea for such a roof solution come from?
Dominik Darasz: The detailed provisions of the local plan regarding the formation of buildings, especially the shape of roofs, contributed to the search for an architectural form that, while meeting the provisions of the Local Development Plan, would give the buildings an original shape. The solution turned out to be a building with a rectangular plan of 15x30m and a height of 22m, with a gable roof, which, as a result of our studies, was broken in a non-standard way, on the diagonal of the rectangle. The procedure made it possible to obtain a solid with a strong expression, which, in a kind of propeller, adds dynamism and irregularity to the building despite its simplicity and symmetry of shape.
Wiktor Bochenek: How did the surroundings influence the project?
Dominik Darasz: The neighborhood of the plot is defined on three sides, with low-rise multifamily housing to the north, a vacant plot of land zoned for commercial activities to the east, and the neighborhood is bordered by the Jagiellonian University's Department of Nuclear Physics to the south. In the northern part of the plot, from Sosnowiecka Street, the main entrance to the plot is located, so we have planned service premises there, which, due to the accessibility to the road, would serve not only the residents of the estate, but also the neighboring houses.
Visualization of the estate at Sosnowiecka Street - in the project we tried to preserve the existing trees on the site
© Horizone Studio
Wiktor Bochenek: How was the issue of exposure, overshadowing or ventilation solved in the project?
Thanks to the rearranged layout of the buildings, users were ensured adequate illumination of the apartments, the possibility of an unobstructed view and no problems with obscurity. The open urban layout allowed for the creation of long viewing axes and the possibility of natural ventilation of the estate.
A retention basin with a free, natural character of a rain garden was planned on the site. Such a solution allows local water retention, is a decorative element, improves air quality, affects the biodiversity of flora and fauna. The greenery and water reservoir lower the temperature locally, which forces additional air circulation.
Wiktor Bochenek: What was the most difficult part, and what are you most satisfied with?
Dominik Darasz: The most difficult thing was getting the right ratio of built-up area to green space. For us, the most important thing is to find the right balance between economy and form and functionality, and we seem to have achieved that in this project. We are pleased that through a simple geometric procedure we managed to give this residential complex a special character in a sea of repetitive development.
Wiktor Bochenek: Thank you for the interview!
