Europan 13. A(US)TRIUM. Special Mention.
The concept consists of 410 modular dwelling units, underground car park, randomly arranged parking spaces, retail premises, local - scale service facilities, areas of both – organized as well as spontaneous recreation, urbanized and natural greenery, individual and team sport facilities, diverse range of playgrounds for children. The program is fostered by the system of pedestrian and soft mobility routes, road network, small plazas, and public transport hub.
In order to optimize the range of intervention, the proposal is split into consecutively implemented, separate 3+ stages offering diverse range of housing mix, services and additional facilities within every independent stage.
Europan Europe.
Europan is a biennial urban-architectural competition for young professionals in fields of architecture, urban planning, engineering, landscape design and so on. With its objective to promote innovative housing concepts including their potential social, economic and cultural values, the competition - since its first edition in 1989, has been a significant element of the discussion on the future of dwelling.
Context.
The delicate content of the site context is defined by the mixture of seemingly contrary factors related to the historic, natural, urban, functional and infrastructural conditions with all the consequences. The set of issues is composed of post II World War remains, noise pollution, flooding areas, adjacent single family housing estate confronted with the expectancies of planned development characteristics.
Submission.
Since the conditions determine such difficult environment, it is significant to harmonize the intervention on many different layers, from the scale, its urban fabric, interface and segmentation, through the social program linked to daily timetable and common routines - up to basic amenities and safety issues. Crucial element of the development will be mitigation of negative risks related to the surroundings without isolating from adjacent areas. Finding any potential in disadvantages may become strategic decision for the implementation.
Idea. Where isolation meets integration.
The main objective of the project is to meet the quantitative expectancies while serving the quality and the standard open for discussion with the elements, which are crucial for the surroundings. Since the elements implicate positive, as well as negative impact on the site (for example - human scale of the housing estate, the natural landscape and so forth versus noise pollution, flooding area or retail backyard facilities), it is highly important to find a balance between these forces.
Regardless of the sphere of influence, the project is shaped by the wide spectrum of possibilities and limitations, but its goal is to answer the problematic questions through its architecture and urban development, instead of searching for solutions mainly through an advanced technology.
Using the scale and the density of the indigenous urban fabric, the project defines the pattern for the spatial subdivision. The limitations for the individual functional dispositions follow the gesture. The internal boundaries become organic transport network (in a form of a shared zone) , while the outermost areas play the role of the interface between the existing and the new, by using similar scale and functional programme adequate for the adjacent terrains.
The proposed urban fabric scheme is a negative of the image of a role model solitaire building, which refers to the modernism movement. It is arranged by the grid of 6 meter wide axes dividing the space into semi-public and semi–private areas set-up sequentially, forming the hybrid of housing blocks connected together in order to graduate an access. Semi-public zones host entrance areas devoted to the housing buildings, while semi-private zones contain shared green spaces. The proposed grid should mitigate the disadvantages of the noise pollution, the more it is supported by the trees occupying the westernmost plot neighbouring the railway and the adjacent street. The density of the housing structure increases, starting from the southernmost part of the project site, towards the north. It is supposed to become a seamless connection between single-family housing estate and the project site. Additional objective of the grid is to organize the space.
On the verge of the project site – “green ring” of bike and pedestrian routes allows the users to enjoy variable sport activities and soft mobility.
Westernmost part of the project site, due to the noise pollution is excluded from the housing development. The zone hosts in general service and office facilities, access routes, public transport amenities and greenery recreation areas.
The first stage of the project contains the southernmost part of the site with the western areas necessary for the access purpose. Mostly it is composed of housing programme, architecturally scaled to the size of the neighbouring single-family housing estate. Additionally - office buildings and the services located on the ground floor supplement the functional disposition floor (for any additional information, i.e. area, quantities – see the attached schedule).
The second stage of the project refers to the northernmost zone of the project site. Together with the housing facilities, domestic offices with the services and recreation areas are located on the ground.
The third stage of the project consists of the housing facilities, domestic services and offices on the ground floor and also open-air leisure areas on the site. Additionally it benefits from its easternmost location, neighbouring the river bank, which is worth noticing.
Scenarios for the additional site.
Depending on an undertaken strategy, the fourth stage of the project consists of either sport and leisure areas open to the public and representing an integral part of the recreation and a soft mobility network, or additional, extraordinary housing programme containing – due to its attractive location, spaces available as domestic workshops, art galleries, tourist accommodation facilities, domestic cosy eating places and so forth.