”Żerań of the future” in the WUT students’ project
A modern technological park with innovative architecture using concrete prefabricates – this is how students of the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Civil Engineering imagine a new development of post-industrial areas at the port in Warsaw’s Żerań. The project ”Heart of Żerań” combines modern technologies, sustainable development and aesthetics; it was prepared by: Michał Sierżęga and Jakub Kaczmarczyk from the Faculty of Architecture, and Mariusz Majchrzak and Marek Koryciński from the Faculty of Civil Engineering.
The project was supervised by Piotr Knyziak, PhD, Anna Tofiluk, PhD, and Rafał Bujnowski, MSc.
The visualisation includes the development of a science and technology park on the area which is now a degraded post-industrial spot. The new area is of high aesthetic and also natural value. Designers made the effort so that the objects blend well into the existing landscape, thereby limiting the intervention into local flora.
The project covers four buildings located around the central courtyard. They combine various functions and at the same time, the open spaces make them closely connected with the surrounding. An important element is an educational path on both sides of the pool, which allows visitors to learn about new technologies used at present in construction. The aim is for it to be not only a work place but also a place of education and innovation promotion in construction.
The team also remembered about ecology – permeable surfaces, green roofs, PV systems and grey water recovery are just a few ideas used in the project. They also introduced solutions to limit energy consumption and CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Designers proposed materials that guarantee high load bearing capacity of building structures and at the same time, appropriate insulation properties, which will decrease the energy demand of the buildings.
The use of prefabricated materials has resulted in a slender but stable structure, possible to disassemble again and transform. The project has modular structure, thanks to which it will be possible to add subsequent elements of the park as it develops in future. In the designers’ view, “Heart of Żerań” is a long-term project. The science and technology park should become an innovations and city culture centre, and in a longer timeframe, the centre of a modern residential district.