Life is speeding up. Haste accompanies people even when they are resting. However, there are places detached from the rush of everyday life. Undoubtedly, these include mountain trails. With an overnight stay in a hostel, the mountains can become a natural setting, a peaceful oasis, not just a destination. This place also allows one to distance oneself from the distorted, tourist-commercial face of the mountains present in the resorts. Unfortunately, the deteriorating accommodation base of the Polish Karkonosze forces tourists to choose between proximity to nature and the comfort of accommodation. My project proposes to solve this problem by introducing a facility that combines the advantages of a classic mountain hostel with quality that meets modern standards.
The Prinz-Heinrich-Baude mountain hostel is located by the Great Pond in the Karkonosze Mountains, on the site of the German Prinz-Heinrich-Baude, which no longer exists. This location provides extraordinary scenic qualities, but this is not the only argument for choosing this location. Indeed, the founders of the original hostel had the same idea that determined the choice of the subject of my project - they wanted to create a comfortable and modern facility that would serve as a model for other hostels and motivate competitors to improve the quality of their services.
land development project
The site development project involves preserving the ruins of the original Prinz-Heinrich-Baude. One of the interferences with the existing landscape condition is the widening of a short stretch of pedestrian road and adapting it to the needs of automobile traffic. The road ends with a maneuvering area, which in special cases can serve as a heliport. Due to the location, the scope of the changes made has been kept to a minimum.
The most important idea shaping the form of the shelter is respect for nature. The object is to be a part of it, an integral element, which should not distract from what is most important - the mountains. The way to reduce the visual impact of the shelter on the landscape became lowering it in relation to the hiking trail. The building has been placed in a gully, so it has only one elevation, with its other walls sunk into the rock.
In order to reach both edges of the gully, while covering an adequate area, the body of the shelter had to be significantly elongated. This made it possible to make the most of the natural scenic qualities. The impression of horizontality is enhanced by limiting the height to one story. This procedure, together with the overhanging structure, gives the object lightness. Despite its considerable area, it does not dominate the space. The rhythm of the facade results directly from the functional layout. The division of the mass also has an important structural significance.
cross sections
The creation of a new facility requires plugging it into the existing infrastructure. In the case of the Prince Henry Shelter, this was a difficult task due to the significant differences in ground level. The final form of the entrance evolved from traditional field stairs. They were hammered into the slope to normalize their slope, and enclosed in a sealed enclosure, actually becoming an indoor staircase, resistant to all weather conditions. The entrance enclosure was designed to reduce snow blowing and prevent the entrance door from being buried.
details
The shelter itself, with a floor area of more than 2,400 square meters, consists of five main zones. The entrance one is the only one located at the terrace level. The other four are located below. The first of these, going from the northwest, is the space of thirty guest rooms (a total of one hundred and seventeen beds in the facility). It occupies the largest area. In the central part are placed public services. They are adjacent to the block of staff rooms, and the whole block is closed by technical rooms. The most important factors shaping the functional layout of the building are the prominence of natural scenic qualities and the arrangement of rooms in a way that ensures the gradation of space privacy.
As a result, the Prince Henry Shelter is a modern and comfortable building, and at the same time formally honest and unpretentious. The minimalist body does not try to compete with the majesty of the surrounding mountains. At the same time it respects the unique atmosphere of the place, directing the viewer's gaze to nature.
Kamil SZYMAŃSKI
© Author; photo used in opening visualization photo: Karol Nienartowicz
