What kind of meeting place do the residents of a small city need? How to transform land degraded after agricultural industry? These questions are answered by Klaudia Szóstak of Politechnika Bydgoska in the project for the Meeting Center "Nowe Kurniki" created as part of her master's thesis under the direction of Dr. Piotr Brzezinski.
The architectural conceptual design of the Meeting Center "Nowe Kurniki" was located in the Kozice district, in the city of Walbrzych, near the degraded areas left by the agricultural industry called "chicken coops." The challenge was to create an attractive leisure space for local residents while creating an area with which they would strongly identify.
visualization designed by Klaudia Szóstak 
meeting place adapted to the needs of the community
A survey was conducted to meet the needs of the local community. This allowed, among other things, to arrange an apt functional program and create a bond between residents and the project. All the rooms introduced are not only the result of research from the site visit, but, above all, the real needs that the pollsters indicated in their responses. In this way, the final form of the building and the accompanying terrain was determined by the fusion of the needs of future users with the artistic vision of the project's author.
site development plan proj.: Klaudia Szóstak 
The concept provides for the location of the necessary parking spaces, which are lowered in relation to the foundation level of the object. The entire plot is divided by delineated colored paths, which are identifiers in the space and at the same time paths for the blind. The design also takes into account accessibility for wheelchair users or the elderly. A multipurpose playground, a modern playground or a mini skate-park have been proposed, in accordance with the expectations highlighted in the survey. The remaining space consists of raised social gardens with pull-out seating.
lump referring to coal
The lump of the building was realized in reference to elements associated with the city, including hard coal. The façade was designed mainly from flamed wood, which well imitates this raw material. The indentations in the block were proposed from light treated wood, which refers to the city's coat of arms (green oak). They were used to emphasize the arcades that invite to the inner courtyard.
facades designed by Klaudia Szóstak 
An interesting element is the observation tower located in the middle of the atrium, from which one can admire the Walbrzych mountains. Around it space is made available for all kinds of exhibitions, art installations and other events.
The functional layout has been divided into 6 buildings connected by a "common" roof. The first has administrative and information functions, the second, clockwise, is a library with computer rooms. The third part is a fitness room and public restrooms for any potential user. The fourth is a mini photo studio with a shared darkroom and plotter. The penultimate building is a conference room-a large and a small one, which will work well for all kinds of special events. The last, sixth building is a catering establishment with a billiard table and all the necessary facilities.
first floor plan designed by Klaudia Szóstak 
Heating in the facility is envisaged using a ground source heat pump (with a vertical probe) supported by solar energy from PV cells that are also the roof covering. There are inactive mine shafts flooded with water all over the city. Due to the fact that they are more than 1.5 meters deep, the temperature in them remains over7o C. The vision for the future is to use this existing heat difference to support the city's district heating network or locally, as an energy point for the building.
The whole building in its form refers to its function - in the Meeting Center people, among other things, talk. Conversation can jump dynamically from topic to topic, and the roof heights behave similarly. Here the form not only follows the function, but also fits into the context of the place-it tells the story of the place through the use of natural materials treated in such a way as to refer to symbols associated with the region after the mining industry.
visualization designed by Klaudia Szóstak 
The conceptual architectural design of the "Nowe Kurniki" Meeting Center inWałbrzych confirms how useful a procedure for all kinds of projects with a service, cultural or educational function is social participation. In the age of the Internet and various community groups available on the web, taking a survey and analyzing it later is much easier. This project confirms that not all facilities need to be created only out of the will to exist in space, but should also be the result of the needs of the future user.
