The architecture of Nursing Homes and public Residential Care Centers often leaves much to be desired. Because of the considerable needs, sometimes these buildings are erected at cost, as quickly as possible, without thought. A Warsaw building, which was adapted not only to the needs of people with disabilities, but also to the historical context, is a different example. At the beginning of December last year, the Ursynów Care and Housing Center, whose building was designed by Architekt Radosław Guzowski , began its operations. Although the facilities were built two years ago, the architectural history of the plot of land just by the Kabaty forest is longer than you think! How does the phantom of the former Moczydło manor present itself?
Early references to the village of Moczydło date back to the first half of the 16th century. At that time the area belonged to the Dąbrowski family, who sold their estate to Elżbieta Sieniawska, née Lubomirska. As a result of this transaction, the settlement became part of the Wilanow estate. Most likely , in 1723 a grange was established in the village. In the mid-19th century , Count Ludwik Józef Krasinski became its leaseholder. He introduced fundamental changes in the functioning of the estate, focusing on breeding full-blooded English horses. As Pawel Celaj writes in the Neighbors' Weekly "Passa", the count built all the necessary infrastructure for these purposes:
Brick stables, a manege, and housing for workers were erected on the manor.
The former turned out to be the last to survive to our days. Today, the former buildings of the manor are located on the outskirts of Natolin, squeezed on a triangular plot of land between Belgradzka, Stryjeńskich and Moczydłowska Streets, which borders green areas and the Kabaty Forest to the west.
Care and Housing Center, "Ursynów"
photo courtesy of the studio of Architect Radosław Guzowski
buildings from memories
The proximity of green areas and ownership status meant that already in 2018 the former Moczydło manor grounds were allocated to help people with special needs, erecting a one-story pavilion of the Support and Integration Center for the "Maja" Association. Soon there were opportunities to expand the offer aimed at people with disabilities - the construction of a Care and Residential Center.
Quite a few buildings have disappeared from the buildings of the former farmstead, including a brick, shingle-roofed building intended for servants, and several other outbuildings. When designing the COM, the architects referred to the architectural past of the Moczydło manor:
A version alluding, in a way, in shape and material, to the grange that existed in the area gained acceptance. The buildings of the grange were U-shaped. In the concept we recreate this layout. What remained were two very dilapidated farm buildings flanking a centrally located residential building, which has not survived. Demolition bricks from one of the surviving but very ruined buildings were used for sections of the new building's facade and the facade of the outdoor dumpster. The other farm building, which is better preserved, is to be renovated in the future for cultural purposes.
- Radoslaw Guzowski, chief designer of the building, explains.
buildings in brick shell
The new buildings are two simple structures on an extended rectangular plan, situated at right angles to each other. Both buildings are covered with gabled roofs, which on the one hand stand out strongly against the background of modernist towers of nearby Natolin, and on the other tie them to their immediate neighborhood in the form of a ruined (though already roofed!), 19th-century stable.
Care and Housing Center, "Ursynów".
photo courtesy of the studio of Architect Radoslaw Guzowski
The new part of the Ursynów Care and Housing Center is also associated with the manor buildings, as is the way the elevations are finished. These were deprived of a considerable amount of detail, choosing instead a material typical of buildings built in the 19th century - brick, in this case clinker. Parts of the façade of the building, which stood on the site of the former stable, demolished before construction, were clad in demolition brick. Like the walls, the roofs are also finished in clinker, which together gave the effect of a homogeneous covering to the building, which looks as if it has been coated with a brick mantle. The impression of monotony was prevented by slightly more contemporary black finishes on the window frames, arcades or small window risalits.
day and night care
The Care and Residential Center is thus a two-winged establishment, which, together with the existing Support and Integration Center building, forms a U-shaped arrangement. The functions of the facility are divided between two newly built wings - a two-story wing on the north side, and a single-story wing on the east side.
Care and Housing Center, "Ursynów"
photo courtesy of the studio of Architect Radoslaw Guzowski
The northern wing contains the residential part, where 20 people can receive permanent care. The architects prepared 12 single rooms and four double rooms, each equipped with a separate bathroom and one or two windows. In addition, on each floor there is a so-called tranquility zone, equipped with large glass windows, used for meetings and establishing relationships between residents, as well as a night care room and technical rooms.
Due to the special needs of residents with disabilities, moving around and navigating the facility have been simplified as much as possible. The designers' simple three-bay layout, with all living areas located on the east side, and auxiliary rooms, quiet areas and staircases on the opposite side. In turn, a simple corridor was placed between them. Vertical communication, in turn, is provided by an elevator and two staircases, located at opposite ends of the building.
Unfortunately, the building's interior architecture and furnishings no longer operate as aptly as the spatial layout or facade finishes. For example, in some rooms, in addition to plastered walls, there were also partitions covered with clinker - a rather questionable choice in interiors where residents are supposed to feel "at home."
Care and Housing Center, "Ursynów"
photo courtesy of the studio of Architect Radosław Guzowski
A homey atmosphere?
A more elaborate functional program was found in the east wing. As with the residential wing, the single-story day care wing is a three-bay building, with rooms spread out on both sides of a central corridor. Residents and other users of COM "Ursynów" services get to the interiors through the main entrance, located from Belgradzka Street. Behind the entrance hall is a kitchen with a dining room, a multipurpose room, two living rooms, an activity room, a doctor's office or an exercise room.
Own garden in the shadow of the block of flats
The whole is complemented by appropriate development of the area around the buildings of the Ursynów Care and Housing Center. The layout created by the new buildings, which, together with the historic stable, resemble the shape of the letter "U", allowed the creation of an internal courtyard, shielded from the gaze of outsiders and residents looking in from the high floors of Natolin:
We have designed two zones; a public-external one, connected to green leisure areas, and a private-internal one. As many existing trees as possible have been preserved. Inside the fenced courtyard, elliptical flower meadows were planted between lawns. The paved area in front of the entrance to the common areas has special wooden "pots" for planting and caring for plants. "The "pots" are designed in a way that allows wheelchair users to use them.
- Radoslaw Guzowski explains
In specially designed flower tables, raised to an appropriate height, male and female residents will find the opportunity to grow vegetables and herbs, which can then be used when cooking meals. Further into the courtyard, fanciful tangled paths have been laid out around the existing stand of trees, with benches along them.
Care and Residential Center, "Ursynów"
photo courtesy of the studio of Architect Radoslaw Guzowski
What next for the Moczydło manor?
The buildings of the Care and Housing Center "Ursynów" have materialized memories of the architecture of the 18th-century grange. However, there are still material testimonies of the area's history - most notably one of the 19th-century stables, which set the tone for the new development of the nursing home. The building was listed in the Register of Historic Places back in 2012, and in 2022, after architectural and conservation studies, it was decided to intervene to save the monument from complete collapse. As part of the work, the foundations, pillars and vaults were reinforced, and the entire structure was covered with a makeshift canopy.
After the renovation, the building could be used as a space for cultural events, exhibitions, art or craft fairs. Classes could be held there for the wards of the Nursing Home being designed nearby, and a café could be set up in part of the space.
- wrote the Warsaw City Hall about it back in 2021.
Unfortunately, years pass, and the stable building, though conserved, still stands empty, leaving an untapped opportunity for the nearby neighborhood and, above all, the community of people living in the new Ursynów Care and Housing Center.
