CAL Maślice

arch_it, 2019

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The building was put into use in 2021

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type: detailed design of the local activity centre

collaboration: Borys Kępczyński, Anna Rottau and Piotr Zybura

responsibilities: designing architecture conception, drawing project elevations and sections

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The Centre for Local Activity is a facility intended to create and sustain social and cultural life in the Wroclaw district of Maślice. The residents needed a place that would encourage involvement in various local activities and build a sense of belonging to a given place. CAL is to become a new spot friendly to all users, a space for meetings and learning, and a guarantee of its success is cooperation with the residents from the very beginning of the project's formulation.

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The two wings of the Centre, connected by a common entrance hall, are planned to house such premises as a small library with a reading room, two classrooms, an active seniors' club, a multi-purpose room, the office of the Housing Estate Council and a complex of auxiliary and technical rooms. Due to the economic assumptions concerning the manner of construction and operation of the building, appropriate design and material solutions were adopted. The single-storey building has a simple form resulting from the functional layout and passive energy-saving strategies applied. The canopy and glazing composition are the main means of expression, while the finishing materials are used to emphasise the modest expression of the building. A simple structural system with short spans allows the building to be constructed economically.

 

Due to the small size of the plot, the planned building with its functional layout is adapted to its shape and size. It has been located in its central part, thus separating the entrance zone from the north and the recreation zone from the south. Within the designated area it is planned to create a complex of low greenery and additional plantings of trees, shrubs and extensive greenery. Additionally, rain gardens are envisaged, which constitute a rainwater bioretention system connected to the nearby drainage ditch. Small architectural objects are designed around the CAL Maślice building, such as benches equipped with seats with wooden profiles, waste baskets and a group of bicycle stands.