Last week, WXCA Architects unveiled the design for a new “green district of the future,” to be developed on a former FSO car factory site in Warsaw. Covering over 60 hectares, the project aims to accommodate more than 17,000 residents and provide employment for approximately 13,000 individuals by 2050. The Polish automotive FSO factory will be transformed, outlined in a master plan envisioning a multi-functional and environmentally conscious district.
Designed in collaboration with SAWAWA, the master plan’s core goal is to foster community connections and social ties. With a focus on sustainable development and climate change, the plan integrates green spaces all throughout the district through a linear park spanning over 1 km and covering 10 hectares. The scheme prioritizes pedestrian and cyclist-friendly zones and limits vehicular traffic in the area. Additionally, the green spaces transition users from open public and semi-public areas to green interior courtyards within residential blocks. According to the design, all residents should be able to meet their daily basic needs within a 15-minute walking radius.
The overriding challenge that we set ourselves was to design a space facilitating the forging of a community and social ties within it. At WXCA, following after Professor Jan Gehl, we believe that a city starts between buildings,” Marta Sękulska-Wrońska, CEO at the WXCA design studio.
Over the next 25 years, this post-industrial zone, located just 5 km from the center of Warsaw, is be on the path to revitalization. With public functions placed along the main green avenue, the design intensifies at interactions and then leads into semi-private and private residential blocks. The design features common areas with urban public squares and a school complex, including a sports and leisure campus in the heart of the district.
A 100% groundwater retention system, power generating system, and energy-sharing system are among the design choices and solutions for addressing climate change, reducing CO2 emissions, and sustainable resource management throughout the project. A top priority is maintaining the legacy and character of the former FSO auto manufacturing factory. In fact, a portion of the old manufacturing buildings will be converted for modern public uses, with pieces of the casting, assembly, and welding shops integrated into the walls of the central plaza.
In master plans today, green spaces are pivotal in shaping urban futures. In BIG’s master plan “Gelephu,” designed around Bhutanese culture and national Happiness principles, the initiative aims to develop new economic opportunities. The project features an airport, railroads, public areas, and a hydroelectric dam. Similarly, MVRDV’s design for the two new structures in the Tianfu Software Park in Chengdu, China, aims to act as a centerpiece for the entire campus. One tower is 150 meters tall, while the other is a four-story cultural center. Finally, Heatherwick Studio recently unveiled a new district in the heart of Tokyo. “Azabudai Hills” is the culmination of a thirty-year revitalization initiative.
