Katarzyna Janczura from Warsaw University of Technology has decided to revitalize the suburban town of Konstancin-Jeziorna. The minimalist modular premise of a rehabilitation and recreation center, is an engineering diploma made under the direction of Piotr Bujnowski.
The center, designed by Katarzyna Janczura, is a project comprising a sports prem ise combined with physio-hydrotherapy and an accommodation function. Located in the buffer zone of the Chojnowski Landscape Park, near the border of the city of Konstancin-Jeziorna, it creates conditions conducive to health improvement, tranquility and relaxation. Characteristic of the city's residential buildings was treated by the author as a starting point for the project - subjected to a process of reduction, it was transformed into a minimalist modular premise.
modular houses
© Katarzyna Janczura
modular premise
The student treated the work holistically, as a landscape assumption, in which the fragmentation of the solid reduces the perceptible scale of the object and allows it to fit into the surrounding greenery of the pine forests. The heavily fragmented mass separates outdoor spaces with varying degrees of privacy. In the author's words:
"The orthogonal grid together with the adopted module allowed us to design a building 'without beginning and end'. It creates many design possibilities also after the building is built, when the needs of users change. Modifications will not disturb the structure of the project if they are based on the adopted assumptions.
site development scheme
© Katarzyna Janczura
The designed complex consists of three parts:
- rehabilitation and sports - the main function of the facility includes a swimming pool and hydrotherapy and massage rooms. It is supplemented by a physiotherapy wing with medical offices.
- accommodation - intended for both short-term and long-term visits. Provision is made for 24 beds in rooms fully adapted for people with mobility disabilities.
- general - an accessible living area with a dining room, common and recreational areas and small kitchens. The whole is complemented by an entrance zone, which with its outline encloses the inner courtyard, which is the heart of the establishment.
recreation zone - swimming pool
© Katarzyna Janczura
relaxation surrounded by nature
Access to the resort is located in the western part of the plot. The project involves separating the accommodation area from the living and entrance areas so as to provide private spaces close to nature. In this case, the plot is divided into two parts: the western part - the living area, and the eastern part - the accommodation area. These zones are separated by a roadway running north-south. Guest cottages of the dormitory part have been placed on the passageways. With the distance from the living area, the character of the rooms changes to a more intimate one. Greenery from the surroundings freely penetrates into the spaces between the buildings. Every second bungalow has been located mirror-like along the communication axis. In this way, the author has arranged the spaces between the individual wings, producing a sequence of green courtyards connected with each other.
cross-section of the establishment
© Katarzyna Janczura
On the other hand, the part intended for physical activities was drawn in such a way that the swimming pool was located along a vertical passageway highlighting its interior. Along the transverse axis, the entrance part and serving the sports area - locker rooms, showers, auxiliary rooms - were included. Together with the swimming pool, it separates the quarter, to which the hydrotherapy room is attached. The blocks form a faulted southwestern exposure.
Read about the reference to residential architecture and the key element of the project on the next page.
