Adam Hartwich - a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin - has created GLACARIUM, which is an education center for the glaciation and landscape of the Oder River at Tadeusza Apolinarego Wendy Street in Szczecin. The project is a synthesis of solutions found in the competition concept for Łasztownia {tag:pracownie} and in the local plan.
visualization
© Adam Hartwich
idea
The Oder River is an important element for both the area, currently being developed, and for Szczecin. Its presence has influenced the location, shaping and evolution of the city, significantly changing its urban structure and skyline, giving them space and breath. The river also shapes the microclimate, and its character varies according to the shape of the surface. The hydrological division of the Oder River's course includes the upper, middle and lower sections. The topography of the land above the river includes mountains, foothill basins, highlands, lowlands, and strips of coastal and lake districts.
analysis
© Adam Hartwich
The current shape of the land, which determines the flow and character of the river, was mainly shaped by glacial activity. Over the course of three glaciations, the course of the river underwent dynamic changes, modified by the ice sheet and the pre-glacial valleys it left behind. The modern relief of Western Pomerania, including lake districts, valleys, plains, hills, dunes, sediments and other post-glacial forms, was shaped by glacial processes.
views
© Adam Hartwich
Even during periods of interglaciation, glaciers continue to influence landscape formation. Projections by University of Massachusetts researchers based on mathematical models indicate that the Antarctic glacier could contribute more than a meter to sea level rise by 2100. With sea and ocean levels rising by that amount, Lasztownia will be underwater.
development
© Adam Hartwich
The concept of the educatorium, or Glaciarium, is based on symbols of water and ice and seeks to raise awareness of global warming and environmental protection. It aims to create a place that presents the origins of the natural environment and emphasizes its values, combining the words glacier (Latin for glacier ) and educatorium (educational center).
elevations
© Adam Hartwich
composition
With the Glaciarium, a gap in the urban fabric will be built up. The building is to be a spatial dominant of this part of the city. It is located at the ends of three view axes, including the most important one, running along Wendy Street. The composition of the land development uses the shape of the island and creates topography, creating additional elements in the functional program. Elevations of the site refer to the orifice piled up on the water and hide the necessary technical facilities of the building. The building and the site are crisscrossed with light strips, which symbolizes the cracking of the ice and dynamizes the mass.
cross section
© Adam Hartwich
The form of the building, referring to the shape of an iceberg, introduces the object into the open space in the context of the city center, as a sign that the reality of melting icebergs is not distant from the daily lives of residents. The designed building would become a new cultural landmark, a major center for education about the region, glaciations and the Oder River.
visualization
© Adam Hartwich
functional program
The functional program is closely related to the structure of the building. Levels 0, 1, 2 include a foyer with a cafe with a terrace, toilets, checkroom, cashier's office and store; standard exhibition spaces on the geological history of the course of the Oder River, post-glacial forms and sediments, climate change; a staff area, supplies; separate rooms, laboratories.
visualization
© Adam Hartwich
On levels 3, 4, 5 there are open spaces related to flora and fauna: Terrace I with an educational path on the Odra lowland landscape - flora and topography; Terrace II with an educational path on the Odra upland landscape - flora and topography; Terrace III with features of the Odra upland landscape, a public viewing terrace, a café and toilets. The underground part includes storage and technical rooms and parking.
visualization
© Adam Hartwich
architectural form
The form resembling an iceberg is in line with the ideological and programmatic assumptions of the facility, where the main theme is glaciations and their impact on the landscape of the Oder River and Western Pomerania. It is harmoniously integrated with the landscaping, and the body of the building seems to float on the surface of the water, surrounded by piled-up elements of ice and land.
visualization
© Adam Hartwich
To achieve an iceberg-like effect, transparent facades made of glass were used. In addition, the facade was covered with movable elements in the shape of equilateral triangles, arranged side by side in a hexagonal pattern. This adaptive solution makes it possible to regulate the amount of natural light reaching the building's interiors and change the facade's character, texture and degree of solar reflection.
visualization
© Adam Hartwich
