An exhibition of works by Inclusive Housing Studio students from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology, who designed housing solutions for students in the heart of Warsaw, is underway at the ZODIAK pavilion in Warsaw. Their Student Quarter was located on Plac Defilad and addresses the lack of affordable infrastructure for students.
We chose the most central and one of the most expensive plots of land in Poland as the target for realizing accessible housing for the young. We need to stop pushing the young to suburban campuses and bring student life back to the city center. And above all - start building more public and affordable dormitories and infrastructure for students
- write the organizers.
Mock-up - Student Quarter at Plac Defilad in Warsaw.
© Inclusive Housing Studio, Brno University of Technology
The proposed Student Quarter is directly adjacent to the Palace of Culture and Science, the Museum of Modern Art and the new Central Square. It's a place with a remarkable history, culturally important, and dedicating it to housing facilities for the young is a downright symbolic act. As the organizers of the exhibition write, there are only 82,000 dormitory apartments for every 1.2 million students in Poland.
student life and. student housing in the heart of the city
The resulting projects focus on functionality and adaptation to groups of students with different needs. They include places for studying and for integration. Proximity to important facilities in the city or an important transportation center are aspects often overlooked in the design of dormitories, but which significantly affect the comfort of their residents. While some groups focused on designing living spaces along with study areas, laundry facilities or canteens, others took care to create accompanying spaces, such as a bistro, carpentry workshop, art studio or cinema.
Visualization - The Student Quarter at Plac Defilad in Warsaw.
design: Vilma Belanska
The organizers of the exhibition draw attention to the problem of the housing market for students. Young people who go to college are now forced to take on additional employment to cover the ever-increasing cost of renting apartments. The number of places in dormitories is disproportionate to the number of students. Those who manage to get a room, often with multiple beds, have to put up with difficult conditions and a peripheral location.
A response to the gentrification of city centers
Meanwhile, the centers of major cities, once driven by student energy, are undergoing increasing gentrification, becoming financially completely unaffordable. But aren't such dynamic and vibrant areas as the center of Warsaw the ideal residential environment just for young people?
- the organizers comment.
The exhibition will feature not only classic graphic studies of the projects, but also creative visualizations and mock-ups. It will be accompanied by a debate on student housing with the participation of architects, student union activists, as well as policy makers and experts.
Elevations - Student Quarter on the Defilad Square in Warsaw.
proj.: Tereza Kusnierzova
The exhibition can be seen until March 23 at the Warsaw Architecture Pavilion ZODIAK (Stefan Wiechecki Wiecha Passage 4, Warsaw). Zuzanna Mielczarek and Kacper Kępiński were responsible for managing the projects.
