FOLK concept
Basic information
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Full project title
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Project Description
FOLK concept is the result of several years’ research about Polish rural architecture and particularly the characteristic decorated bricks, with relief embellishments, that can be found on certain buildings (barns, granaries…). The aim is to give these buildings a new life, through sustainable renovation that maintains their original form and details, while adapting them to a new use as public places, where local communities can come together and discover treasures of Polish cultural heritage.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
The design assumption is the adaptation and extension of the old granary building into a public place - FOLK concept (space for a ceramics workshop) with the intention of maintaining the original form and details of the building. The concept provides for the creation of an integration and educational space that will allow recipients direct contact with craft and creative activities in the form of ceramic workshops. In recent times, the subject of villages has gone beyond the existing framework and becomes an even more important element influencing identity and origins. My project is people belonging to a place, people to architecture, people to nature and people to people. It combines a symbiosis of place, time, community and nature, which complement and interact. The project is an inspiring use of such buildings that are located all over Poland, and will protect against oblivion and promote local aesthetics throughout the country. The project uses the proposal to adapt the granary building, built of relief concrete blocks (a popular architectural phenomenon in Poland, but unexplored).
I would like to present to you the film / animation I have created, which will allow you to feel at least a little about the subject that I have touched upon and maybe will allow you to see how great you can design today, but with great respect for the history, tradition and culture of Polish folk. The music for the film uses an original Podlasie song, which I have given a modern twist.
Video for the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDDIX7BAePU
Key objectives for sustainability
The idea of the project assumes a pro-ecological approach to environmental protection through the use of modern solutions which are in line with the assumptions of sustainable and circular design. It aims to reduce the need for space, use renewable energy, use ecological or recycled products that can be reused in the future and have a small or zero carbon footprint. The structure of external walls consists of reinforced concrete columns, filled with eco blocks made of bio-ash (give a noticeable reduction in heat loss, which is important in low-energy construction) and thermo-copies (allow for savings in energy consumption, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere), the top layer consists of numbered blocks from the demolition of the old building, which will act as a unique historical material and highlight the idea of the project. The entire roof and part of the facade of building II will be covered with a system of aesthetic photovoltaic panels, while the remaining walls will be covered with recycled wooden facade boards: spruce and larch, which are the most resistant to weather conditions. They will be tanned using a traditional Japanese technique called Shou Sugi Ban to achieve the desired color. The technique allows to increase durability and protection against fungi and pests for at least 50-60 years. The technique used does not block the exchange of gas, so that the rooms have a favorable microclimate. Burnt wood is also an excellent heat insulator, and in addition resists the effects of harmful UV rays and moisture. Part of the rooms will be painted with clay paints, which are sustainable products used in ecological construction - they eliminate the impact of "electric smog" or absorb cigarette smoke, but also have the ability to self-regulate humidity and temperature in the rooms. Additionally, a rainwater tank has been designed to utilize rainwater and a floor to facilitate micro water retention.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The aesthetics of the project is closely related to places and regions in Poland and is closely related to the local materials on which I have been researching in recent years. The block, which was the subject of research, has become the main element influencing the aesthetics both in architecture, but also in interiors and landscape architecture. It is these buildings that create the current character and view of the Polish countryside. Unfortunately, through time, puddings are destroyed and deteriorated both in the facade and the construction layer. My project is a perfect example of how to use such buildings and give them a second life - modern, ecological, with social value. The visual aesthetics of the building creates a complete whole with the surrounding nature and landscape, creating a new, contemporary character of the place. The brick is perceived as a raw material, and the relief pattern that rural people in Poland added on hand-made blocks adds a folk, pleasant and warm character to the reception.
Key objectives for inclusion
Apart from promoting unique architectural details in Polish villages, the project aims to adapt the facilities for the purposes of bringing together local communities. They form the heart of every smaller town and give character to a given area. My project aims to create a place for the integration of such a community in order to clarify relations, exchange customs and cultivate local traditions, customs, language and handicrafts in the age of the 21st century. Such a place with an exemplary scenario provided would provide a place to engage the local community and to cultivate traditions and disseminate them also for people from the city. Such collections are very much needed nowadays. Tradition and respect for handicrafts are relegated to the background. By organizing places where tradition is cultivated, we build a new history, a new contemporary overtone, both in the social and cultural structure. Respect for the place, people and people.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
The adaptation of the storage object and its complex processing allowed me to create a project that not only has aesthetic value, but also promotes unique works of folk art, treasures of the cultural heritage of Podlachia and Masovia. My project is a comprehensive report and an example of the use of such objects, many of which exist in Poland, but also in Europe. From the outset, the concept aims at the conscious selection of the components of the project, from the materials of the building structure to the interior fittings. It involves an environmentally friendly approach to protecting the environment, emphasising the local aesthetics and adapting them to the present day, social integration – the feeling of belonging to a local area – the feeling of pride in the region, tradition, culture, customs, architecture or language, being unique. After analysing the cultural and natural/landscape value, the idea of the project was to create architecture, interior design and green spaces that support the main functions of the FOLK concept ceramic workshop building. All materials used are a conscious decision without affecting the environment. Most of them use the idea of upcycling and come from recycling. The landscape architecture project completes the whole approach to thinking about space both in the cultural class and in nature. My project is a perfect example of how to use dying architecture for public purposes. Such places could integrate local communities of all ages (from children to the elderly), provide a sense of unity and “togetherness”, and serve as a pretext for maintaining personal contacts in the countryside in the age of telephone and electronic communication.
