As part of the government's Mieszkanie Plus program in Katowice, the Mies van der Rohe Award-nominated Nowy Nikiszowiec development is being built - 513 apartments in blocks on Górnicze Dorobku Street designed by architects from the Warsaw-based 22ARCHITEKCI studio. This project was selected for implementation in a competition procedure in 2017. Also four years ago, in a two-stage competition organized by the company BGK Nieruchomości (now PFR Nieruchomości) for the design of a concept for a model multifamily house, in the final, which concerned the development of a six-hectare plot of land on Korczaka Street in Katowice, as many as four proposals were awarded - designs by the S.A.M.I. Architekci, EMA Studio, Mateusz Herbst and the Kurylowicz & Associates office, whose concept was selected for implementation and received a building permit a few days ago.
On the eastern outskirts of Katowice, in the vicinity of a reinforced concrete water tower from the early 20th century, built to a design by Emil and Georg Zillmann, cousins and architects known, among others, for the construction of the Nikiszowiec andGiszowiec, the construction of a new premise will begin - twenty-six individually designed buildings with heights ranging from four to five stories housing a total of 523 apartments (with areas ranging from 32 to almost 90 m²) and more than five hundred square meters of service and commercial space.
The 
The blocks will be arranged on both sides of the new road
image: Wojciech Kowalczyk © Kuryłowicz & Associates
As the authors of the project emphasize, when creating the new housing estate, they paid special attention to shaping a clear urban layout, referring to the traditional composition of towns - a new road will be laid out from Korczaka Street, on both sides of which, in nine semi-open quarters, low-rise blocks will be arranged. A public square has been planned deep inside the establishment, and the whole will be complemented by a system of green courtyards, recreational spaces and community gardens for growing plants and vegetables in the courtyards of individual quarters.
The 
A publicly accessible square located deep inside the housing development
image: Wojciech Kowalczyk © Kuryłowicz & Associates
As urban residents become more aware of the importance of good-quality food in their lives, while at the same time wishing to protect the climate and environment, as well as maintain acceptable food prices, an idea was born in our studio to give residents of the new estate the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and plants, explains Marcin Szubski, Senior Architect at Kurylowicz & Associates. - Innovative for a residential scale, the function of the vegetable and plant garden also has important integrative and educational qualities. We are convinced that city life can be beautifully complemented by functions that have so far been associated only with the countryside, the architect adds.
In the courtyards of individual quarters, social gardens are planned 
social gardens are planned in the courtyards of individual quarters
vision: Wojciech Kowalczyk © Kuryłowicz & Associates
The new residential development, the designers assure, will conduct a dialogue with the surroundings and the tradition of the place. The architects have opted for simple masses, modular layouts of buildings forming smaller, partially open quarters, and a color scheme that draws on the immediate landscape - the facades will be kept in shades of light gray, beige, brown, gray and graphite.
elevations
© Kurylowicz & Associates
As part of the Mieszkanie Plus program, blocks of apartments are being built in Lublin[design: Stelmach & Partners] and Toruń[design: S.A.M.I Architekci], among others. You can read about housing policy in Joanna Erbel's book "Beyond Ownership. Towards a successful housing policy"[FRAGMENT] and in the latest issue of A&B Architecture and Politics [cf. A&B 7-8/2021].
