Local Activity Centre in Michałowice
A centre that can be built gradually. One node at a time.
The strategy for revitalising the centre of Michałowice transforms the urban fabric through defined points of intervention, described here as urban nodes. The sequence and number of elements delivered can be coordinated with the municipality’s budget capacity. Some of the work remains open to direct participation by residents, including through a participatory budget. The urban design concept for the revitalisation of Michałowice town centre and the architectural concept for the Local Activity Centre building were prepared as a study submission for a competition held by Michałowice Municipality. The cultural centre design forms its central element.
The strategy provides for seven urban nodes, one of them central, in the form of the CAL node. The functional programme of the central node is the most extensive. For the others it is adjusted to the character of each place. A priority axis has been identified, linking the central node with the three most important of the remaining ones. Among them the Dworcowa node beside the railway station and the Regułka node, adjacent to the planned healthcare facilities. The spaces between the nodes are enriched with street furniture and a coordinated finish to the circulation routes. What emerges is a network of connections, consistent in its aesthetic and complementary in its programme.
The principal built element of the CAL node is Building A, complemented by Building B. The Entrance Square penetrates the interior of the building, where the ground floor combines the entrance zone and the exhibition zone into an easily accessible multifunctional space. It is possible to walk through the building, encountering the content of cultural events in passing. Some of those passing through will settle for a brief interaction with an event. Others, given the ease of access, will stay to look at a presentation in detail. The basement holds the Workshop Zone and Co-working space, both lit by daylight reaching them through openings in the slab. The first floor contains a multifunctional hall with telescopic seating and a mobile stage, alongside a reading room. The second floor holds a playroom and administrative rooms. The roof is conceived as a publicly accessible Recreation Zone.
The route through the ground floor leads out to the Local Activity Passage and the Children’s Space. The passage offers places to sit and for groups of users to form spontaneously. It is conceived as a space open to adaptation and animation, including for seasonal and recurring events. To the south lies the Michałowice Market, equipped with three canopies and three small volumes. The same zone holds the entrance to the Respite Building, where the municipality’s policy of care for older residents can be delivered. The proximity of the other CAL functions gives seniors easy access to the programme of the whole complex.
The governing principle behind the material choices is durability in use and the absence of any need to refresh the buildings and spaces. The landscaping uses prefabricated elements and paving, coloured throughout. Street furniture is prefabricated, using recyclable materials. The buildings use a mixed structure of reinforced concrete, steel and structural timber, allowing for functional change over the course of their working life.
Seven urban nodes, one of them central. A priority axis links the CAL node with the Dworcowa node beside the railway station and the Regułka node, beside the planned healthcare facilities.
The network of connections creates a whole that is consistent in its aesthetic and complementary in its programme.
It is possible to walk through the building, encountering the content of cultural events in passing.
The multifunctional hall on the first floor is equipped with telescopic seating and a mobile stage. A reading room sits alongside it.
Through a considered choice of plant species, the Recreation Zone will have a beneficial effect on the health and wellbeing of its users.
The playroom on the second floor finds its external counterpart in the Children’s Space. External stairs give access to the roof, leading down to ground level from both the Passage and the Entrance Square.
The investment can be phased, across no fewer than four stages. Building CAL A, Building CAL B, the Michałowice Market and the Respite Building, each with its accompanying landscaping.
The CAL programme is distributed across five levels. The sequence and number of elements to be delivered can be coordinated with the municipality’s budget capacity.
The green path of the scheme.
A significant proportion of the roofs, both of the buildings and of the street furniture, is planted. The solution reduces the heat island effect and contributes to the retention of rainwater and meltwater. The public spaces include planted areas filled with ground cover, shrubs and trees. The trees are there to create shade and offer shelter in summer. Together with the shrubs and ground cover they will retain rainwater and increase biodiversity.
To improve the effectiveness of water retention, rain gardens are planned in selected locations. The landscaping varies in height and introduces depressions in precisely determined parts of the scheme. These depressions, which help create a varied and interesting space, will also act as micro-reservoirs, collecting rainwater in the event of a cloudburst. They protect the approaches from flooding.
Street lights are to be fitted with dusk sensors, so that the intensity of artificial light adjusts to the intensity of daylight. The Regułka node introduces a series of pocket parks, offering contact with greenery and a chance to rest for patients using the medical facilities. The planting draws on fragrant species that produce natural essential oils, with a beneficial effect on people.
