Emotions after yesterday's debate under the banner of "Contemporary Architecture of Upper Silesia" have not yet subsided (you will soon find an extensive report on the event on our portal). In the meantime, we rush to you with information about the next realizations planned in Upper Silesia - the designers from the OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci studio have won the competition for the TBS housing development on Mariacka Street in Katowice. Congratulations!
The subject of the competition organized by the Katowice branch of SARP was the development of an urban-architecturalconcept for the redevelopment for residential purposes of three tenement houses in Katowice. The study concerned multi-family buildings at 30, 32, 34 Mariacka Street, along with their reconstruction, program-spaceexpansion and development of outdoor spaces.
The competition designs were to include a utility program aimed at the association of small apartments for graduates with apartments for the elderly, which will allow the creation of interaction between these age groups and environments. According to the rules of the competition, the larger unit is to be used for housing for alumni of the children's home(cohousing). The project also had to take into account the variability and passage of time - young people will be starting families and leaving the site, seniors may require care, and their functional limitations may determine the need for spatial amenities.
The jury, chaired by Andrzej Duda, awarded three prizes and two equal honorable mentions.
1st prize
OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci
The work received first prize for:
preserving the cultural, historical and architectural identity of the renovated section of Mariacka Street in Katowice. For a modernization proposal that fully meets the requirements of the set functional program without violating the existing basic spatial and structural structure of the buildings. For the choice of the concept of renovation and partial reconstruction, which creates an opportunity to preserve at least in part the original substance of the buildings by reusing them in the modernization works (this applies to elements of woodwork, stairs, demolition bricks, elements of steel details, floors, etc.). For choosing a concept of carrying out the investment, which gives a chance for a relatively unobtrusive way of carrying out construction works in relation to the neighborhood space, the street and the quarter.
scheme: structure - function - greenery
© OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci
According to the authors of the winning proposal, the competition task was a combination of two important architectural themes - housing and revitalization. The designers decided to place the entire functional program in the three existing tenements, and the complementary one - in the form of inclusive spaces - in the outdoor, covered green spaces. Play areas for children under parental supervision were located by the architects in the converted outbuildings.
land development
As the authors of the project emphasize, the concept fully respects the existing urban layout: entrances and entrances to the development area are located at existing points, the function and form of the buildings on the side of Mariacka Street are preserved, and the courtyards of all the tenement houses merge into a single whole, which is to become an attractive garden overgrown with vegetation, the extension of which will be adapted to the functions of integration and relaxation space in the outbuildings.
first floor plan
© OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci
architectural concept
Designers from OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci studio decided to keep the form and composition of the main buildings almost unchanged. They proposed a renovation of the facades to fully show their attractiveness. They planned greater interference in relation to the existing outbuildings - in order to illuminate and enlarge the space of the courtyards, they decided to demolish the upper floors of the outbuildings and transform them into partially covered, brick structures intended for a variety of integrative spaces for children and adults.
According to the architects, brick from the demolition will be used for the new facades and interior design, while the demolished wooden ceiling beams will be used for the construction of roofs, gangways, footbridges and towers that are part of the playground. An extremely important element in the project is the greenery that will cover the outbuildings from above and flow onto their walls.
south elevation of the outbuildings
© OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci
Each of the townhouses is to be renovated and remodeled to accommodate modern regulations and the changing needs of residents. The architects have ensured that the entire development will be accessible to the elderly and disabled. According to the design, apartments for seniors will be located on the high first floor, on the second to fourth floors - apartments for the elderly and younger people, which will create space for neighborhood community integration, and in the attic - younger people.
Importantly, all apartments will be lighted and ventilated beyond the standard of current regulations, and each will have a balcony, loggia, or direct access to the integration space.
The historically isolated extension to tenement number 30, the architects have devoted its entirety to cohousing, or starter housing. As they emphasize, they are keen to ensure that the pupils of the orphanage entering adulthood have decent living conditions, and that their first independent apartment is a place they will remember in the future as a friendly and attractive space that is a substitute for the family home. The architects hope that a multi-level cohousing with comfortable bedrooms and an attractive living space combined with a roof terrace could become a model solution of this type.
In order to preserve the tradition of building number 34 and adapt to the functioning of building number 36, in the ground floor of the former, the architects planned to renovate commercial andretail units for rent. The remaining ground-floor spaces were planned as bicycle and stroller rooms, and the basement - for technical and utility rooms.
ecology and energy efficiency
The building was designed in accordance with the principles of ecology and energy efficiency. The body of the buildings is compact, with a favorable ratio of the surface area of the external partitions to the net area, which did not prevent the architects from introducing numerous loggias, balconies and terraces that allow natural ventilation and illumination of the interiors. A large amount of greenery in the courtyard and on the facades of outbuildings and terraces will provide natural cooling, which will be assisted by spraying water when watering plants. Energy savings have been increased through the economical use of glazing and highly insulating walls and ceilings.
visualization
© OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci
Moreover, the project envisages the use of the municipal district heating network as the most environmentally friendly heating system, as well as the use of alternative energy sources - heat pumps and photovoltaic cells. The decision on the extent of their use will be preceded by a detailed analysis at the stage of construction and execution projects.
As the authors of the concept emphasize, the building will not cause any soil or air pollution, and the green roofs included in the project will reduce the heating of the building in summer, provide additional insulation in winter, as well as retention and natural filtration of rainwater.
2nd prize
archistudio studniarek + pilinkiewicz
2nd prize, design: archistudio studniarek + pilinkiewicz
© archistudio studniarek + pilinkiewicz
The project received second prize for:
a rational, consistent and economical way of creating an attractive platform for all kinds of inter-neighborhood relations.
3rd prize
Design by Edyta Marciniak
3rd prize, proj.: Design Edyta Marciniak
© Design Edyta Marciniak
The third prize was awarded for:
interesting proposals for housing, especially for those leaving orphanages, the use of part of the roof for a green terrace, and a successful attempt to restore the historic facades from Mariacka Street.
honorable mentions
Equal honorable mentions were awarded to DNA Architekci Dominika Skałuba and Trektura Pracownia Architektoniczna.
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Illustrations courtesy of OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci and SARP Katowice
