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Architects: Kwadratura
- Area: 2562 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Przemysław Andruk, Kwadratura, Jerz Łaźniewski, Leszek Hus Delta
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Manufacturers: Aluprof, Budizol, CHOD-POL, Forbo, Green Water Solutions, Hennlich, Invado, Koło, Lira Lighting, Optimal Poland, Oras, PPH Mackiewicz Łomża, Satel, Trinnity, Viessmann, Vigour, Wisniowski
Text description provided by the architects. Masurian Center for Biodiversity and Nature Education Kumak is located in Urwitałt, in a pristine area by Łuknajno Lake (Masuria region, northeastern Poland). Kumak is the University of Warsaw’s complex of two buildings: Expo - for environmental education and Seminar building – a research center. The most important purpose of this development is to protect biodiversity, mainly through education. The University's Field Station in Urwitałt has been working there since 1973. After more than half a century, it was time to construct a new building fulfilling modern standards of sustainability. The owner decided to also build a second – Expo building, to introduce visitors to the topic of the biology of small water reservoirs of the region.
Until now, the place was used exclusively by students and scientists. The new function allows to open this place also for non-experts. The interactive exhibition is integrally connected with the exterior – playground and educational space. The building's specific functions and cooperation between architects, owners, and contractors, allowed the creation of architecture that coexists with nature and responds to various user’s needs. Both buildings have two stories, that blend into the landscape and are partially covered with soil. The colors on their elevation reflect tones naturally present in the surroundings.
The seminar building is built on a plan in the shape of a circle. The lower floor consists of laboratories, a seminar room and common space with catering facilities, accommodation rooms for staff and a technical part of the building. Rooms for students are located on the upper floor around the terrace with extensive plants. The Expo building is built on the plan of two interconnected circles. The upper floor is an entrance area and seminar room, the lower floor is an exploratory area with an exhibition, a workshop room for classes and two laboratory rooms for scientists.
The geometry based on circular shapes allows the creation of a façade with no starting point and no end. In the Expo building endlessness is emphasized by the 3D openwork installation of stainless steel and weathering steel (corten) “leaves”. 1500 corten elements around the elevation create the first plan of composition. In time, plants growing on this structure, are going to create additional layers. Another plan is a façade itself: prefabricated elements with external layers - mass-colored concrete and corten steel in some places. Prefabricated elements with irregular vertical engravings create a rhythmic pattern around the elevation. The inseparable setting for this composition, changing in the cycle of seasons, is old trees.
Respecting nature was important in the design and construction process. This includes modern technical solutions, such as capillary tube mats, ground-source heat pumps, photovoltaic installation, and greywater systems. The construction of two buildings is made of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, produced outside of the site. This limited harmful emissions to the ecosystem of the Regional Park nearby and minimized construction time. Not a single tree was cut down because of the investment. The finishing of interior materials, such as reclaimed wood for some walls and natural linoleum – marmoleum also meet the criteria of sustainability. The National Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning (NIAiU) has chosen Kumak as one of the more than 100 important and groundbreaking realizations in Poland since 1989.
