Center of Open Culture

Academic project

With the guidance of dr inż. arch. Roman Rutkowski

 

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The starting point of the project was analyzing the context of the plot and its surroundings. The area near the Hala Targowa is a very important place for the citizens of Wrocław and it has also played an important role in the development of the city. It was here that one of the main gates leading to the centre of Wrocław was located - the Piaskowa Gate. Around it, one could also find numerous fortifications and defence buildings. So from the historical point of view, it was a place connecting the heart of the city with its outskirts.

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Today, it is a vibrant and busy place. Some people are here to enjoy Hala Targowa, others go through here to reach Słodowa or Daliowa Island, Ostrów Tumski or the newly built boulevard of Xawery Dunikowski. The connection between the plot with these locations and a proper understanding of the surrounding buildings were important point in creating the building.

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However, the most important factor influencing the whole shape of the project was the Oder River. According to Kevin Lynch's theory, rivers play a significant role in the city's structure and are treated as a border that prevents free communication between different areas. But more importantly, the rivers provide an opportunity to observe a panoramic facade of the city - a view that is impossible to watch in a compact urban tissue. Areas directly next to the water are often those where the development of the city ends suddenly and the scale and sensation of the surroundings change in a moment. The character of such places became an inspiration for the creation of the Open Culture Centre - a building which is in constant relation with both the river and the city and which plays a role of a border between these two extremely different states.