MaÅgosia Tomczak - redaktorka naczelna A&B

Malgorzata TOMCZAK

Residential

In the January issue of A&B, we return to a question long present in Polish architecture: how to design housing complexes that really work? We are looking for a recipe for architectural quality that ensures everyday comfort: from the view from the window, through public spaces and the relationship between buildings, to the way to the store.

In recent years, Polish cities have increasingly succumbed to the pressure of developer routine and mediocrity. We often see maximally dense and design-ambitious residential complexes - they are supposed to sell quickly, at a high profit, and that's it!

And yet, housing should be more than the sum of PUM in maximally "cramped" complexes. Żoliborskie Orchards, which we like to cite as an example of very high architectural and urban quality, works so well because it was designed like a piece of the city - with a clear structure, attention to detail, common space and thoughtful greenery. Why is this so difficult to achieve today?

For a while, the hope for change was given by the amendment to the law on planning and spatial development, especially the Integrated Investment Plan (ZPI) with urban planning agreement, which could realistically link the private interest with the public interest. Today it is clear: tools alone will not change anything if local governments lack the courage to use them against mediocrity.

This is the context for talking about interesting contemporary realizations: Nowy Port in Bydgoszcz, the First District in Katowice, successful housing estates in the Tri-City and Poznań, including the already iconic Nowy Strzeszyn or the Fairy Tale Estate, we also take a look at Nowy Żerniki in Wrocław. Their architects prove that cooperation with a developer can work - and that's what we wish for all architects!