Work submitted for the competition
"Best Interior Diploma".
Nowadays, especially in larger cities, more and more business parks are being built, i.e. areas where many office buildings are grouped together. Reflecting on the lifestyle of a statistical employee of such places, it seems to me almost robotic, and the space around strongly geometrized and orderly, fitting a style of functioning full of routine repetition. Focusing attention on such a structure of life, the idea of creating a place that responds to modern psychological needs emerged.
In the constant rush of movement in the work-home-work relationship, the inner harmony of the mind is often disturbed, a person loses himself in mechanical work, falling into a routine over time. The aim of the project was to create a form designed to be placed inside the structure of a business park, thereby creating a space that is also easily accessible to employees of office buildings. It is well known that any contact with nature brings benefits on many levels. Especially bearing in mind the work and functioning of the human mind, which is our command center.
The organic lump of the palm house resembles a cloud
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
Design is increasingly concerned with compatibility with nature, its influence on humans is taken into account, who subjectively evaluate the aura of a space through the type of light, sounds, smell, vegetation, weather, as well as proportions or divisions. What is most responsive to the issue I am addressing is that direct contact with nature restores our mental, emotional and overall health balance.
projection of the palm house
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
The project aims to create a place where people can stop and commune with nature. Its walkway form is meant to encourage people to walk into a kind of other dimension - an immersive tunnel of greenery. Inside, there is a café and a multi-functional room for rent, where various classes can be held, such as psychology, yoga or meditation. Passageways consist of separate paths between the vegetation and water, as well as exits to the terraces, which are located almost in the roof structure itself.
arcades of the palm house
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
While a person walks through the arcades, nature influences his senses and surrounds him with positive stimuli. The scheme of the structure forming the entire form of the active Palm House cover was created on the basis of a hexagon divided according to its geometry. The central vertex was derived vertically upward or downward, creating an impression of irregularity. Such hexagons, adjacent and juxtaposed to each other, form an irregular, organic structure of the roof, giving form to the whole mass. According to the grid of hexagons, columns have been determined, which are a continuation of the broken geometry of the grid.
hexagonal structure
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
The urban landscape is associated with a clearly defined geometry, numerous perpendiculars, verticals, horizontals, a fixed rhythm. Especially business parks are identified with the so-called gray reality. A uniform rhythm of windows, successive floors, spacing between buildings. When designing a space for the renewal of inner harmony, I was guided by this very reference to the context of the potential environment.
The organic solid is placed in the surroundings of simple forms of office buildings
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
Theorganic body of the building like a cloud is placed surrounded by simple forms of office buildings. This contrast is not only to mark the different function, but also by imitating nature the building becomes more friendly. Although we like to see geometry in beauty, it is often hidden, and the whole thing seems free and organic. This is exactly the effect I wanted in the design of the palm house. The entire space has been divided into interpenetrating zones, a large part of it is covered by the cafe, and the rest is a field for individual experience of the space.
Another zone is the sky lanes
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
Another zone we can call the sky arcades. Going out on such a platform, in addition to observing the vegetation, we get to know a new perspective of the interior and experience a closer contact with the structure of the roof covering. The seating areas have been designed in several types to suit the needs of users. With this layout, everyone can choose a place to suit their current needs, such as informal gatherings or relaxing in solitude. The resulting irregularity in the layout of the elements resulting from, among other things, the division of paths is intended to increase the sense of being part of nature. The roof structure touches the floor in places, giving the impression of being monumental, while looking further out, it appears delicate and light. As the time of day passes, one can also observe the play of shadows cast by the entire structure.
The author wanted the structure to be a home for nature
© Paulina Pasztaleniec
The materials were chosen to provide a background for the vegetation. The form of the cover is a strong enough element, so neutral, light colors with a matte or slightly reflective finish are a good background for nature playing the main role. The whole form of the building, associated with a greenhouse, is a kind of home for nature, into which, entering, we cut ourselves off from everyday life. We observe the city through the glazing, feeling separated from it. Such a treatment is meant to induce us to calm down, gain distance and find a new, fresh perspective on our lives.
Paulina PASZTALENIEC
Illustrations: © Author
