Residents of the capital have gained a new facility - the Stone Educational Pavilion. The unusual project by architects from eM4 Pracownia Architektury Brataniec stood in Warsaw's Golędzinow district. Among other things, the building will host nature lessons and ecological workshops for all ages, and the nearby meadow is a great place to observe wildlife.
report on the construction of the pavilion
© Green Warsaw
post-glacial boulder in warsaw meadow
The structure resembling a huge post-glacial b oulder is located in a meadow, next to the Gdansk Bridge, in the space between the Vistula River and Wybrzeze Puckie Street. The location of the pavilion is not accidental - the building is in the immediate vicinity of the waterfront strip and restored floodplain meadows. This allows users to learn about the natural riches of the Vistula River, education in the field of popularization of knowledge about birds and Vistula nature, as well as promotion of the idea of protection of Natura 2000 areas.
The pavilion consists of two floors
Photo: Rafał Motyl © Office of the City of Warsaw.
The pavilion consists of two floors: an open, multifunctional space on the first floor, allowing for any arrangement, and an exhibition mezzanine. The fully glazed front and sliding doors allow admiring the surrounding nature regardless of the weather. The concrete walls will over time become covered with moss and blend with the surroundings. A nature trail inspired by the Vistula shoals runs around the building. There are also benches made of natural materials, a parking lot and bicycle racks. Meanwhile, a nearby meadow will become a huge nature room.
The concrete walls will in time become covered with moss and blend in with the surroundings
Photo: Rafał Motyl © City Hall ofWarsaw
a place for nature education
According to Justyna Glusman - director of the coordinator for sustainable development and greenery of the City of Warsaw:
We would like to encourage children and their caregivers to learn about nature by interacting with it. Golędzinowska meadow offers the opportunity to observe wild birds - herons, kingfishers, terns or cormorants present on the islands there[...] Living in big cities, children often don't have the opportunity to peep at wildlife, they don't know the smell of the earth or the plasticity of the mud. We want them to be able to learn about them through our offer, but in such a way that they feel like real explorers.
Groups using the pavilion will be able to count on lesson plans appropriate to the season, weather and age group, equipment and materials necessary for the lesson, and modern educational paths.
Educational pathway and meadow for conducting lessons in the field
Photo: Rafał Motyl © Warsaw City Hall.
The construction of the Stone Educational Pavilion is the culmination of the Life+ project WislaWarszawska.pl. The project also included, among other things, the construction of floating islands, barges on the Vistula as nesting habitats for birds, an island at the level of Goledzinow, sandbanks, a walking path and the designation and marking of nature trails.
compiled by: Dobrawa Bies
illustrations courtesy of theWarsaw Municipal Greenery Board.
