Living in harmony with people and nature
On the periphery of Poland’s Sroda Slaska, Sroda Woods offers a healthy alternative to city life. In the natural landscape, residents and nature live together, creating a strong green identity. In addition to housing, a new forest is being created that can be used in the future as regenerative production capacity with timber construction. This development of housing and forest brings forth an inclusive community while setting the tone for future development tasks in Poland and Europe.
Project info
Status
tender [2021]
Clients
Polskie Domy Drewniane SA
a rich history of timber construction
Historic Sroda Slaska has a long tradition of timber construction dating back to the Middle Ages. In the facade image, the wooden construction of columns and beams is clearly visible, with clay or brick facades in between. In addition, the houses often have a porch with wooden columns in the plinth, which precisely emphasizes the interstitial space in the architecture.
The new architecture builds on these traditional building methods and medieval community structures such as courtyards, applying them in nature.
Healthy living in a green heart
The urban design is based on five key values: (1) healthy living; (2) community building; (3) a symbiotic relationship between living and nature, with an emphasis on biodiversity and circularity; (4) flexibility and adaptability over time; (5) building on Sroda Slaska’s identity with its wooden building methodology.
Creating a forest landscape connects the surrounding landscape and ecosystems. Within the forest landscape, the local morphology is repeated by building on a series of small communities in clearings.
Around the central spots in the forest, building is done at a higher density, decreasing toward the forest edge. Walking and biking trails connect the open spaces and give the plan a pleasant, car-free character, allowing residents to live in symbiosis with nature. A few mobility hubs regulate the parking problem, but can be transformed into residential buildings in the future when parking demand decreases.
Generous intermediate zones
Characteristic of the architecture are the trampling wooden terraces that shape the outdoor spaces. With this, the architecture is defined by the intermediate zone, biodiversity and use.
Upon entering, visitors experience a generous transition from public to private through quality collective spaces within the building. By emphasizing the in-between zone in this way, residents can express their individuality while remaining part of the environment.
Regenerative building source
Planting the forest in the early stages of the project allows the plants and trees to take CO² from the air. Once the trees are fully grown, some can be cut down again for their wood. This creates not only an ecological living environment, but also a regenerative source for building materials.
Climate adaptation and green energy
Local nature and biodiversity thrive among the trees and green buildings. Water is also cleverly incorporated into the plan: with green roofs, little paving and lots of greenery, the area acts as a sponge for stormwater, allowing the landscape to act as a natural cleansing machine for the benefit of air and water quality.
Fast-growing trees and groves are placed in circles around building clusters, and flower beds in the woods create a unique identity.
Trees are planted in the woods while flower beds continue to develop. The buildings’ loose gardens and terraces are mature.
Within 12 to 15 years, the forest is fully mature.
The forest now has the production capacity to provide wood for recycling purposes or as a building material. The buildings can also be modified, dismantled or rebuilt.
Social sustainability
At the heart of the plan area, a center is being developed in the community with various public facilities, such as a day care center and commercial spaces.
All urban villas and ground-level homes oriented around a common courtyard as a connecting element. In this way, meeting is encouraged, as well as relaxing around the many natural places in the greenery.
Building for the future
The architecture is based on a standard, flexible module, which can be adapted to the program. The flexibility is derived from the wooden, demountable column-beam structures.
This wood, like the insulation from flax and hemp, is sourced locally, reducing CO2 emissions here as well. Furthermore, the common areas in the buildings are designed with the necessary excess for future-proofing.
