Space:
The Kobierzyn district is a chaotic mixture of scales, colours and concrete. With one-family houses on the South and eleven story high residential buildings on the North. The condition was caused by a rapid urbanisation of the land with no masterplan or one holistic idea. The consequancs are numerous – lack of greenery in the district, isolation from the city center, difficulties in transportation and only residential function without any facilities such as schools or kindergartens.
Design guidelines:
The priority was to create a district surrounded by greenery, with air corridors which would help with ventilation of the area.
The district should be in a scale suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. The public transportation should be the easiest way to communicate with other parts of Kraków.
An introduction of mixed functions is a must.
Result:
The buildings are designed with a gradation of heights to create a smooth transition from the huge residential buildings on the North to one-family houses and hospital buildings on the South. West and East side of the area is designed to create a border between the district and the noisy roads surrounding it. That is why bulidings planned on those sides are higher and filled with commercial functions.
The district is decentralised – meaning there is no one fixed center but a variety of spaces with commercial and recreational functions. They are all connected by a passage marked with a small rivulet and water ponds.