WarSzaWa (pl

locAtIon WArsZAWA - osiedle ZA ŻelAZną brAmą populAtIon ciTy 1,708,491 inHAb. conurbATion ±3,100,000 inHAb. strAtEgIc sItE 156 HA sItE of projEct 7.25 HA

sItE proposEd by

ciTy oF WArsAW

oWnEr(s) of tHE sItE

WolskA ŻelAZną brAmą Housing cooperATiVe, ciTy oF WArsZAWA, sTATe TreAsury

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IntErvIEW

of the Site’S repreSentative HubErt trAMMEr, contributor architect, europan polSka

presentation of the site within the context of the city development and in terms of strategy

za Żelazną bramą estate (built 1965-1972) in the very centre of Warszawa, includes 19 nearly identical 16 storey 87m long apartment buildings. in part of the estate, the new multifunctional development treats the buildings like rocks for building between. the project site is in the middle of “emerging Manhattan”, with new high-rise hotels, office and residential buildings which made the structure of Żelazną bramą estate more complex. the buildings’ small apartments, long access corridors and poor finish made Żelazną bramą an object of resident complaint from the start. it also quickly drew criticism from architects and other specialists, focusing mainly on its monotony, large scale and totalitarian planning. in 1986, Żelazną bramą was the subject of the international “from neighbourhood to downtown” architectural workshops, where participants proposed radical changes. in recent decades, all 19 big buildings have been renovated. Some architectural solutions have been introduced to improve thermal insulation but the strong graphic layout of the elevations is preserved. Many comments on the loss of green areas caused by the new development.

How can the site be integrated in the issue of the adaptable city and how do you consider this issue?

the integral part of the original estate creates low-rise educational, commercial and healthcare structures. the development plan allows some to be replaced by more intensive development. the aim is to improve quality of life here, finding a balance between centrality and locality, between preserving the values of existing historical space and enhancing the quality of the adaptable city already in place.the estate’s central location and small apartments attract people from elsewhere in poland and around the world to Żelazną bramą. there is a large vietnamese community. Many of the apartments are used as offices by small firms. the local development plan foresees a coexistence between housing and services. the objective is to use this complex identity as an opportunity.

At the time of sustainable development coupled to an economic crisis, have you already defined a specific strategy for the urban development of the site?

Warszawa, the capital and economic centre of poland is one of europe’s most dynamically growing cities. the site needs a strategy to deal with rapid change: to give new life to in-between spaces and adjust the modernist residential buildings to the current needs of a diverse population, to propose the development of accompanying buildings, which act as primary street frontage, introduce new uses, bring the benefits of the 24/7 city along with protection from its negative consequences. the phenomenon of recent years throughout poland is the growing move towards citizen participation in local development. the ngo fundacja na Miejscu has started the community planning process for the green recreational area within the project site.

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cultural anD MeMorial facilitieS aDjuSt the iMbalance betWeen the cultural offer on both SiDeS of MarSzałkoWSka St. via Different StrategieS in orDer to reinforce the relationShip betWeen the Main lanDMarkS of WarSaW’S hiStory.

SySteM of open Space coMpletion of the SySteM of open SpaceS locateD WeSt of the city via a Set of greenWayS: civic axeS for peDeStrianS anD cycliStS that connect large-Scale parkS anD Merge the Whole city into thiS SySteM.

Mobility rearrangeMent of the Main traffic roaDS anD reDuction of the parking areaS at Street-level, Which createS a SySteM of SuperblockS With liMiteD acceSS for vehicleS anD total priority for peDeStrianS.

on the edge

team point of view two scales. at city scale, we propose a series of measures that will reinforce links between Warsaw’s main urban nodes and the area where the plot is located, now isolated for several reasons: fast lanes crossing the district, big street-level parking lots, excessively homogeneous open spaces, huge residential-only areas, shortage of facilities and urban activators, etc. at plot scale, we propose to link the three residential blocks via a continuous ground floor that will have different uses – shops, community facilities, etc.– that aim, on the one hand, to enliven the urban environment, and, on the other hand, to reinforce a sense of community amongst residents. this operation will also produce a physical rearrangement of the open space in three categories: the street, the indoor public space, and the inner courtyard.

jury point of view the main strength of this project is the way it reconfigures the neglected intermediate space. an additional building volume breaks up the monofunctionality of the site. this measure implicitly redefines the street space, but only when the principle of densification with the ground floor zones of further building plots is adopted and the street space is enclosed on both sides. as a restructuring principle this procedure offers a kind of spatial blue-print solution for a move from the structured, lowdensity ‘corbusian’ city to a compact, multifunctional urban district of the 21st century.

toDay toMorroW

1. a neW periMeter that infuSeS the public Space With life anD vitality anD reStructureS the SySteM of open SpaceS. 2. reorganization of the traffic anD creation of peDeStrian SuperblockS. 3. reDuction of the Street-level parking area thankS to neW unDergrounD parking areaS of greater capacity anD leSSer urban iMpact.

grounD floor

Sec1 - grzyboWSka Street

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builDing envelope: one Single facaDe for the entire Set to eMphaSize the iDea of unity anD coMpactneSS through a continuouS grounD floor

public Space hierarchy: public arounD the block public inDoor inner courtyarD coMMunity garDenS

functional areaS: urban facilitieS ShopS anD reStaurantS officeS houSing coMMunity areaS coMMunity Storage

parking SpaceS: 96 pk. SpaceS (Street) 80 bike rackS (Street) 171 bike rackS (coMMunity) 957 pk. SpaceS (coMMunity)

frAncIsco AlModóvAr ruIz (eS) jorgE bArrEno cArdIEl (eS) josé luIs llAcA bAstArdo (eS) ángEl MArHuEndA sErrAno (eS) rAfAEl MolInA plAnEllEs (eS) sAlvAdor ortIz MAcIá (eS) architectS

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urban permaculture

team point of view the specific issues on the Warsaw site are an example of the unresolved conflict within the modernist urban heritage introduced into many european cities during post-war reconstruction. What is missing in modern urbanism in particular is a sense of time (r. Sennet). not backward-looking nostalgic time but forward-looking time, the city understood as process, its vision changing through use, a picture of urban imagination formed through anticipation, open to surprise. and because of its inherent condition as a city centre, we determined that a simple, formal requalification of spaces could improve it socially and ecologically. our new athens charter would more resemble permaculture principles and would probably be written near Syntagma Square.

jury point of view the project perceives the europan contest as a way to maintain and reinterpret Warsaw’s modernist heritage by reintegrating the iron gate into the rest of the urban fabric. it concentrates on a relation between the functions placed on the ground-floor of the iron gate buildings and the adjacent micro-territories as a starting point for designing new spaces that would acquire the function of “streets” and other public areas. it therefore proposes a series of acupuncture interventions.

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In-between days

team point of view the project proposes to preserve the existing urban layout. Small-scale elements function as a new layer and improve the quality of the existing space. they also create different zones without dividing the original public space. groups of benches and shelters are located across the site and can also be used all year, both in winter and summer. empty building is connected to the healthcare centre in order to increase its area and create new facilities. apartments are extended to the exterior and shelters for the neighbours are created in the garden.

jury point of view the jury praised this project as a valuable contribution that deals respectfully with the existing structure of buildings and the space around them. proposed interventions are small-scale and based on enhancing quality of life through improvements to the quality of surrounding space. the whole area is open and accessible day and night, providing a pleasant place to spend time for all users, attracting people at all seasons, and especially during bad weather.

health care center commercial space community space sport f

bicycle parking / storage shelter / common space storage balconies

i

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from mono-large to multi-mix

Sites are undergoing two kinds of closely related transformation: the first from a single large entity to a multitude of smaller parts; the other from a mono-functional entity to a mix of functions and uses. both transformations generate a greater degree of spatial and programmatical complexity, which is as an essential quality of genuine urbanity. in these transformations, a system composed of smaller, separate and different elements is potentially more adaptable. if one part becomes redundant, it can await change or replacement without too great an impact on an area. if new needs arise, these can be more smoothly absorbed into a differentiated pattern of distribution. a fine urban mix is more adaptable than a large mono-functional cluster.

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