The aforementioned architects referred to the not-so-distant history of Służew nad Dolinką and designed a fence-enclosed country settlement with wooden houses, a jetty, a place for a vegetable garden and a paddock for animals. The latter element was a competition requirement – for years, SDK included environmental education in its programme, partly through providing children with contact with animals (goats, pigeons and rabbits lived on the premises of the Służew Culture House).
The project reinvents the traditional form of a settlement and is not only deeply embedded in the tradition and culture of the building spot and respectful of the borders of urban and functional zones, but also fits into a certain convention of children’s iconography – the architects explain.
The Służew Culture House’s small structures, loosely set on the green area and covered by gabled roofs, have shapes that evoke clear associations with an idyllic village. On the premises of the complex, wood is predominant: most of the facilities on the playground, the pavements, the stage and the seats of the amphitheatre were made from it. The gables of some of the little “houses” have glass elements which provide a view of the green recreational area that stretches along the Służew Stream, or of the other side – of Bach street, which separates the premises of SDK from the estate.
In both cases, passersby and residents can look inside the Służew Culture House even from the streets.
The architecture of the structure is intentionally restrained but friendly. This architecture tries to merge traditional elements of urban arrangements with natural simple finishes in an as contemporary a way as possible. The modest building enveloped by vegetation is supposed to be a background for the events that will take place in this building – the architects describe their idea.
The architects managed to create the impression of a modest settlement by moving some features underground. On level -1, certain administrative rooms and spaces are located. The stage of the amphitheatre was built below ground level (thanks to this the stands constitute stairs leading downwards). Each house is devoted to a different function: artistic, literary, music and sports classes, etc. The scenic hall’s large exterior wall facing the park was turned into a climbing wall. A separate pavilion located in the centre of the architectural setting is occupied by animals – there is a large paddock in front of the pavilion and a windmill for energy production rises above the roof.
The design is based on the assumption that the architecture of a structure performing such functions has great educational and cultural importance as this kind of architecture shapes consciousness, including aesthetic and environmental consciousness – the designers from WWAA and 137kilo justify their solution.
Even though a large portion of the offering of the Służew Culture House is meant for children, activities for adults and seniors are also held here. The architects designed a complex made up of simple, unpretentious but not infantile forms, therefore representatives of varying generations will surely feel comfortable here. During the building of SDK the premises of the park on the Służew Stream were put in order. A place for fires, benches, a jetty, bicycle and walking routes, a hide for observing the birds living in the reeds and the aforementioned playground and climbing wall were created. Even though the construction of the wooden settlement has just ended, the settlement already seems to be naturally rooted in the area on the border of the estate and the park.
Author: Anna Cymer, April 2014
Tranlsated by: Marek Kępa
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