SYMbiosis - Student hotel with shared spaces for Sopot resident

Gdańsk Technical University (Politechnika Gdańska), Faculty of Architecture, Gdańsk

Project idea

The building is divided between students living in the student hotel and residents of Sopot, who can use services such as a public co-working area, an academic canteen offering inexpensive lunches, and a vernacular space, creates a unique symbiosis. This interaction fosters new friendships and intergenerational development, and sharing these spaces allows relationships to be built.

The designed building integrates naturally with both the parcel and the neighborhood. Thanks to carefully selected materials and symmetrical shapes, it creates a harmonious symbiosis with the surrounding landscape, emphasizing its aesthetics and coherence.

In an effort to fit in with the historic buildings of Sopot, numerous references were made, including loggias, balconies and a wooden facade. However, all of these elements have been modernized and designed to blend in with the environment and greenery.

Project description

The project was designed to create a common space for Tri-City students, allowing them to integrate and make new friends. The project is trying to solve the problem of poor living conditions in public dormitories, as well as trying to meet the significant shortages in the real estate market, through which students are forced to rent apartments in very high amounts.

The close distance to the sea additionally allows students to spend time on the beach, not only to be there with their friends, but also very important to be able to calm down between studies and get some fresh air. Academic rooms during the academic year are used by students, while in order to take full advantage of the potential of the location, during the vacations the building becomes a hotel for those who appreciate a good location and the ability to use all the facilities in the building.

In addition to its function as a dormitory, the building also provides service to the neighborhood by offering a number of common areas, including a co-working area equipped with quiet study rooms, a conference room and a lot of work and rest stations. This zone allows efficient work for both students living in the dormitory and any resident wanting to take advantage of the services offered. In addition to this, the building also has a vernissage area and a canteen offering cheap student lunches for everyone, which is incredibly attractive given that the plot is practically in the center of Sopot, where all services are expensive.

To effectively develop the entire plot, it was designed parking for students and employees, also taking into account the needs of the disabled. Paths leading to the building were paved, and almost all the trees that grew on the plot before the start of the construction, have been carefully preserved, creating a harmonious space full of greenery. It was also kept in mind to increase biologically active area through the use of green terraces.

Technical information

The building is made of Ytong cellular concrete blocks and sits on strip foundation and is finished with green-painted wooden slats fixed with stainless steel RVS clips on the first/second floor, while the ground floor is finished with light beige modeled plaster. The building has numerous glazings and is lighted by a string of windows extending near the ceiling, and atrium lighting was used through a system of glass roof panels. The terraces were made as green roofs to increase the biologically active area.

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