Thanks to the initiative of the po DRUGIE foundation, which supports young people and young adults in crisis of homelessness and difficult life situations, a unique place will be created - a home for teenage and independent mothers and their children, which will provide them with safety, needed support and decent conditions. The design of the house was done pro bono by architects from the Warsaw studio WXCA.
Rehabilitation in Poland does not provide opportunities for young mothers with children to stay either in youth rearing centers or correctional institutions. It is for them, the wards of the po DRUGIE foundation, that a two-story house will be built in Warsaw's Ursynów district to house six young mothers with children and their guardians. In addition to private rooms and shared bathrooms, a significant part of the building will be occupied by common spaces that encourage interaction and bonding with the other residents of the house.
Here, architecture not only sets the framework for us to live in, but also takes over social functions. The beautiful space will also have a rehabilitative dimension," says Agnieszka Sikora, president of the po DRUGIE foundation.
Although the neighboring buildings are different in terms of building proportions and roof geometry, the architects of WXCA were keen to find a common denominator and fit the house into the surroundings.
We decided to freely combine two types of solids, but in a slightly different interpretation of the concept of a pitched roof, not forgetting to adapt them to the function planned inside," says Jan Kucza-Kuczynski, co-author of the project.
The building is composed of two parts - a lower, roofed with a gentle slope of the east wing, in which common functions (kitchen, living room, technical, utility and storage rooms) were placed, and a higher, covered with a sloping roof lump, in which residential rooms were located. Thanks to this solution and taking into account the diurnal migration of the sun and landscape values, the dynamic block from the outside gives the impression of being visually closed, while inside, at the junction of the roof slopes of both parts - it creates a friendly, open courtyard. The house is surrounded by recreational and usable greenery, the design includes a children's playground and a community garden where residents will be able to grow vegetables.
view from the courtyard
© WXCA
Where possible, natural materials with a low carbon footprint or recycled materials, such as rubble or wood from demolition, will be used to build the house. In the design, the architects also focused on solutions in line with the idea of sustainable building - the house will be equipped with a heat pump, photovoltaic cells and local air vents with recuperation, as well as equipment for heat recovery from domestic wastewater. Rainwater collected in an underground reservoir will be used to water the garden and power the toilet, and to reduce daily water consumption, the house will be equipped with selected faucet taps and washing machines and dishwashers with a high water-saving factor.
We were moved by the story of the wards of the foundation po DRUGIE. Everyone deserves a safe roof over their heads, regardless of the twists and turns in life they have to overcome," says Jan Kucza-Kuczynski. - We wanted to help wisely, which is why we created a passive house. We hope that the energy of this sustainable house will also bring balance to the lives of the foundation's charges," adds the architect.
about the project and cooperation with the foundation
is told by its co-author - Jan Kucza-Kuczynski,
senior architect and coordinator of projects and processes
at the WXCA studio
Ola Kloc: How did the cooperation between the WXCA studio and the po DRUGIE foundation begin?
Jan Kucza-Kuczynski: The foundation po DRUGIE approached us with a request for support in 2018. The story of young mothers who cannot get help with motherhood within the juvenile rehabilitation system and the foundation's determination to help them touched our hearts. We had skills that we could share and realistically help someone. For the first few years, the foundation searched for a suitable site. It was not an easy task, as evidenced by the time it spent on it. Our task at that stage boiled down to analyzing the potential of plots of land and advising on it. Today we are responsible for, among other things, conceptual and construction design, preparation of material specifications, obtaining all approvals, and we started the design itself in 2020.
Ola: You are designing a two-story house for the foundation's wards, how did you try to solve the body and functionality of the building to best meet the needs of teenage and independent mothers?
Jan: We wanted to plan as many functions as possible on the first floor of the house. We couldn't afford a purely single-story building, because then it would take up most of the plot, leaving no room for a garden. And the garden, the greenery around the house and the children's playground are just as important as the mothers' rooms and the common spaces inside. That's why we decided on a two-story block with a sloping roof, which we will use to install photovoltaic panels. In the end, the upper floor has two rooms for mothers with children and a room for their caretaker and the first floor has four such rooms.
The design we have worked out allows us to respond to the most important living needs of its residents and at the same time make it possible to build a sustainable house, close to the passive standard. This, too, is an important aspect for us and for the foundation, and we believe that staying in a healthy environment will also have a positive effect on the women and their children staying there. Thinking about creating comfortable living conditions for young mothers, who have often already learned its difficult sides, accompanied us at every step. Even when considering such a basic place in every home as the kitchen, we looked for solutions that would increase their sense of security. Hence, for example, the idea of one kitchen with two draughts to make it easier for more people to stay there and prepare meals. Teenage, independent mothers, wards of the foundation po DRUGIE, need balance, a sense of intimacy, security, but also a place that will foster relationships with others and learn to work together in a group. The space we designed opens up opportunities for the foundation and the young mothers to carry out various initiatives - whether grassroots or somehow structured. For example, nurturing a cultivated garden, which can be a form of recreation, but can just as well serve educational and socialization functions and enhance young women's sense of empowerment.
Ola: What was the most challenging part of this project, and what are you most satisfied with?
Jan: The biggest challenge was to plan the entire program on a small plot of nearly 14 acres in such a way as to fully meet the needs of the house's residents. We had to design the framework in such a way as to combine the various functions that this facility should fulfill. On the one hand, we wanted to ensure maximum functionality of the building, and on the other hand, we wanted to guarantee an attractive outdoor space that would allow interesting activities for young mothers and their children. Working out the body of the building, which we felt was ideal, was a great joy and satisfaction for us. Thedrawings preserve the search for the best form and testimony to finding compromises with hard numbers. Looking at the result, I can admit that we are satisfied with the interesting architecture we proposed and the combination of the multiple functions of this building with the provision of intimacy and comfort for its residents.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
