Between the weirs - development of the area between the Opatowicki and Bartoszowicki weirs

Wroclaw University of Technology, (Politechnika Wrocławska), Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław

Project idea

The aim of the project is to reactivate the degraded area between Opatowicki and Bar- toszowicki weir in Wroclaw. The designed building and its surroundings are an extension of the existing landscape and also expand the recreational offer of the eastern part of the city.

Between the weirs there is a place where the city meets nature, and the idea of the pro- ject is to treat it also as a place where human culture meets his nature. Both the form and the functional programme are intended to meet this need and, as a result, bind the existing community and bring new ones together.

Project description

The form of the building is made up of two curved, longitudinal volumes that intersect, descend and ascend above the site, creating extensive walking terraces, allowing the landscape to be observed from different perspectives. The water complex around the building consists of recreational and decorative water bodies that naturally purify the water.

The programme of multi-purpose building includes a swimming pool with an extensive outdoor swimming pool, which is the primary function of the building, and supplementary functions in the form of restaurants, sports, and recreation services. The summer swimming baths, through their form and function which changes according to the season, enable the facility to be used all year round.

Technical information

The facade candidly conveys information about the building's construction material, exposing the wood from which it is made. An offwihie-colored grid is stretched over the natural-colored wooden frame. The grid helps to visually separate the two building masses and reinforce the effect of the upper floor floating above the site while remaining transparent. The depth of the facade is given by beams rhythmically protruding in front of the face of the side edges of the ceilings, shaping the surfaces of the mesh and providing a point for its attachment.

The facade's finish is a combination of wooden facade boards in natural color and glass with high light transmission and low reflectivity. On the facade are exposed structural elements of solid wood, on which a white openwork polypropylene mesh, resistant to weather and mechanical factors, was stretched. The extensive green roof was planted with a mixture of floral meadow, tall grasses and perennials reaching up to 1.5m in height.

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