Young architects designed and produced vessels that can (but do not have to) store rainwater. The installation's dependence on water is intended to provoke reflection on the presence of water in the city and our reliance on it - as a society. "Water Asylum" suggests a shift in thinking about the treatment of individual ecosystem elements and draws attention to their exploitation.

Aquacentrism

– "Water Asylum" is intended to provide a space for collective reflection on water – says Marianna Waśniewska. – Water is central, not as a resource, but as an equal component of the environment of which we are a part of.

In their project, students chose to change the narrative about water from anthropocentrism to aquacentrism.

– Treating water as a human resource has led to current global water problems – points out Emilia Kasjan. – In our project, we give water subjectivity.

How did we lead to the environmental disaster?

"Water Asylum" was created following a series of lectures about water in the city and ecological solutions. However, the installation itself goes beyond promoting such methods.

– Not only as users of public spaces but also as designers, we consider the implementation of such solutions in our projects to be mandatory – emphasizes Dominika Smoleń. – We do not want to discuss the consequences of the climate crisis, but rather its causes.

That is the reason why the students used modern materials with a high water footprint and applied regular positioning of individual elements of the installation, in order to draw attention to the way we manage water in cities.

– In public spaces we use concrete, polycarbonate – notes Agnieszka Litych. – We regulate the flow of rivers, cover the squares with concrete, and then wonder where to drain the rainwater during storms. Our actions have already led to an environmental disaster, the consequences of which we are all experiencing.

The installation's appearance changes depending on the weather

Ecologically and respectfully

The development of the "Water Asylum" consisted of several stages. It started with the concept phase. During the workshop, conducted by Anna Cudny, PhD. Eng. Arch., and Artur Filip, PhD. Eng. Arch., from the WUT Faculty of Architecture, the students created six variants of the idea. After several hours of discussion and voting, they chose "Water Asylum" for implementation. Then it was time for design work.

– We planned the installation's form and functioning, as well as evaluated and examined all of the location conditions, constraints, and material possibilities – says Wioletta Januszko. – The real challenge, but one that we could overcome was determining how to present water in an attractive way and discuss it in an ecological manner while respecting its resources.

A group of students with specialisation in "Architecture and Urban Planning - City as a Place to Live" collaborated on the project: Marianna Golińska, Beata Grzegorzewska, Wioletta Januszko, Milena Jaszcz, Paulina Kaczor, Emilia Kasjan, Julia Lisonek, Agnieszka Litych, Katarzyna Pawłowska, Natalia Piestrzyńska, Dominika Sapińska, Paweł Skowron, Dominika Smoleń, Marcin Stępień, Aleksandra Suchecka, Marianna Waśniewska, Aleksandra Więcław, Dominika Zając.

The students' advisors were: Anna Cudny, PhD. Eng. Arch., and Artur Filip, PhD. Eng. Arch., as well as Prof. Krystyna Solarek, PhD. Eng. Arch. - Head of the Chair of Urban Design and Physical Planning and coordinator of the specialisation.

A commemorative photo of the installation's creators and their advisors with representatives from the WUT Faculty of Architecture and OW SARP

"Water Asylum" is part of the WATER IN: CENTRE project implemented by the WUT Faculty of Architecture and the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Architects.

Our students' installation was unveiled on July 1, 2022, and will be on display until August 7, 2022.