Towering over the waterfront is a lump like a huge sail with an observation deck on the fifteenth floor and historic yachts below. This is how the future Gdynia Sailing Museum is seen by {tag:studenci}, a graduate of architecture from Poznan University of Technology and Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus - Senftenberg.
The futuristic design of the Gdynia Sailing Museum is a double master's thesis by Agata Morawczysnka, which was created under the guidance of Dr. Marcin Giedrowicz of Poznan University of Technology and Prof. Ilija Vukorep of BTU Cottbus. The purpose of the museum is not only to exhibit historic boats, but also to show the history, traditions of the city and the dreams and achievements of its residents.
The author designed a vertical building in the form of a sail
© Agata Morawczynska
As the author says about her work on the project:
When creating my master's project, it was very important for me to design it in Gdynia, my hometown. A port city called "white", "modernist" city or "city of sea and dreams". The last city is transforming a lot, adopting industrial neighborhoods and creating public spaces and new developments in their place. The area of Fisherman's Pier, with its very attractive location, is one such area, and according to the city's Local Development Plan, an extreme plot of 0.97 hectares is earmarked for a Sailing Museum and a public park. The design of the Museum of Sailing that I have presented meets all the formal guidelines for the necessary functions and spatial requirements established in the Local Development Plan, and is a bold interpretation of Gdynia's distinctive modernist style in a modern way.
On the fourth floor there is a restaurant and a play area for children
© Agata Morawczyńska
vertical museum in the form of a sail
The young architect proposed a high-rise building. Many factors influenced such a decision, including: the guideline of a maximum building area of only up to 0.20 of the site, the significant size of the exhibits on display, the lack of a limit on the maximum height of the building, and uncertainty about the future of the Fishing Pier area. This led to the design of a vertical museum, in which exhibits will be placed by a specially designed crane integrated into the building. The boats are ultimately to be brought in through the garage, and then lifted to the appropriate height and a pre-prepared location. The idea is to make it relatively easy to change the museum's collection or return any of the exhibits for restoration.
The museum's facade was created parametrically
© Agata Morawczyńska
parametric design
The structure of the building is reinforced concrete, post-and-beam with the foundation on a monolithic slab set on prefabricated piles. The total height of the building is eighty-seven meters. The museum's facade was created from parametrically designed concrete panels. Its form is based on the definition from the Grasshopper program. As a result, the position of the attractors responsible for scaling the panels was determined by the location of the most important museum exhibits. Thanks to this arrangement, the largest openings were created in the vicinity of four selected sailing boats of extraordinary importance to Polish sailing (from the highest floor, yachts S/Y: "Kumka IV", "Dal", "Opty", and "Miranda").
The overhang of the restaurant is supported by steel cables
© Agata Morawczyńska
The shape of the facade is meant to intrigue, and its primary function is to prevent direct sunlight from entering the building while providing visitors with a fantastic view of the entire Puck Bay. The panels taper where the boats are positioned and allow passersby walking along the South Pier to peek inside the museum and encourage them to visit the Sailing Museum.
unusual tour
The way of visiting the museum is unusual - the collection has been presented in such a way as to start the visit to the museum from the top floor and gradually descend all the way to the underground part of the building where lecture and workshop rooms are located. Visitors can buy an entrance ticket at the ticket office on the fourteenth floor or take a free ride to the fifteenth floor with a viewpoint. On the fourth floor there is a restaurant and a children's play area. It is a unique level because of the designed overhang supported by steel cables mounted at the top of the building. An additional attraction is a public park with exhibition space and a reservoir where another sailing boat "S/Y Korsarz" is presented, as well as a small marina reserved for yachts.
A visit to the museum starts from the top floor
© Agata Morawczyńska
The new museum is to become a center for dialogue, lectures, workshops, and a friendly place for local artists. The lump of the museum stands out from other developments and emphasizes the function of the building. The design concept also includes mooring the sailing ship "Dar Pomorza" from the South Pier and incorporating it into the external part of the museum's collection, as well as creating an underwater tunnel connecting the Sailing Museum with the Gdynia Oceanarium, located on the neighboring pier.
