PLOT

Vistula river creates a savage, natural environment in the city centre. Such situation has its pros and cons as well. But the last so wild river in European capital doesn’t benefit from that natural look. Any trials suggesting parks, green areas on the right bank of the river, which are connected with necessity of changing savage grounds are obstructed by ecologists who claims protecting endangered species. Such policy results in situation when nobody uses the right bank of the river, because it’s completely unprepared for people, sometimes even dangerous. Giving back the river to citizens without destructing its natural potential was the main point of this conception.

IDEA AND MATERIALIZATION

Natural beauty of Vistula must be prepared so to give people chance to discover it. The main group that will have to deal with opportunities of river in the city centre are today’s pupils and students. They must know as much as possible about the potential of the river to decide well what should be done with Vistula in the future. Using the idea of learning through having fun and thinking about the main characteristics of the river and water (dynamic, constantly changing element of the city), it was decided to introduce learning about the river along its flow- from the perspective of water. Type of ‘green school’, where pupils have their classes outside, in natural environment about which they are learning was proposed. In canoes or on boats, students would sail from one point to another. From their means of transport they could observe river banks, how they are constructed, what is their external aspect, how water is acting. In certain stops they would debate about what they saw and explore river banks.
Those stops are the matter of architectural design. They are proposed as one-volume units, situated on the right river bank. Arranged as sequence, pupils may visit them one after another or selectively. Every unit, as connected with small harbor, is a place of easy access from the water. They are also connected by Educational Path, leading through trees and bushes on the river bank. Pavilions can be reached as from water as from the mainland.

All units are small eco-friendly forms. One of the main concern was to interfere in natural environment as little as possible and use already accessible means of supplying building with necessary media. Units, thanks to south orientation are self-sufficient in the matter of gaining energy for basic needs- south elevation is covered with sun-panels. On the other hand, elevation from the north side is topped with ground to limit energy wastes.

| author | Eng. Arch. MONIKA MICHALIK |