The Geberit competition , “Bathroom Design 2023” , is aimed at young architects who are taking their first steps in the profession. The official closing of the competition, of which the Association of Polish Architects was a partner, and the announcement of the jury’s verdict, took place on 21 June 2023 on the grounds of the Zamoyski Palace in Warsaw.
The task of this year’s 25th Geberit “Bathroom Design 2023” Competition was to design a mobile public toilet in the privacy of the garden of the Zamoyski Palace in Warsaw, adapted to everyone, especially to the needs of people with reduced mobility, the elderly and children, people with visual or hearing disabilities.
The submitted projects were assessed by a jury consisting of Prof. Dr. hab. inż. arch. Ewa Kuryłowicz (Chairwoman of the Jury) – General Designer and Vice President of Kuryłowicz & Associates, Judge of SARP Warsaw; dr hab. inż. arch. Agata Twardoch – architect and urban planner, professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Silesian University of Technology; Dorota Sibińska – architect, co-founder of the architectural studio Xystudio; Aleksandra Wasilkowska – architect, owner of Pracownia Architektoniczna Aleksandra Wasilkowska, Marlena Happach, architect and urban planner, Director of the Architecture and Spatial Planning Office of the Capital City of Warsaw; dr inż. arch. Jerzy Grochulski – President of SARP in 2006-2012, Lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology; Szymon Wojciechowski – architect, President of the Management Board of APA Wojciechowski Architekci; Marek Chrobak – Vice President of SARP, who succeeded Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys, President of the Association of Polish Architects; Szczepan Wroński – founder and partner of the WXCA studio; Jacek Tryc – architect, owner of the Jacek Tryc – interiors studio, winner of the first edition of the “Projekt Łazienki” competition; Jakub Krzysztofik – architect and urban planner, president of SARP Łódź, owner of the 3DARCHITEKCI design studio; and Przemysław Powalacz – CEO of Geberit.
The results were announced on 21 June 2023 during the closing of the competition, which took place in the SAPR exhibition and conference pavilion, on the grounds of the Zamoyski Palace in Warsaw. The event was hosted by Katarzyna Jaroszyńska, a TVN journalist.
The Grand Prix of the ‘Projekt Łazienki 2023’ competition and a special prize for designing in the spirit of sustainable development and using renewable and environmentally friendly materials, applying renewable energy sources, designing solutions to change the non-ecological behaviour of residents and tourists, was awarded to the ‘MASZ | ROOM’ project, whose author is Paula Rydel. According to the jury, the work is distinguished by its circular architecture in the form of a self-sufficient and biodegradable sanitary module, using the potential of locally produced materials in the form of mycelium and wooden structure. The designed toilet modules are gender-neutral, taking into account the needs of families, children, the elderly and people with special needs. The design also adopts a non-human perspective, extending the toilet function to include interspecies integration. The natural and organic walls and roof will become home to avifauna, insects and small organisms. The reduced scale and ergonomics of the toilet allows not only for free transport, but also for the flexible and non-intrusive integration of a single facility or the entire toilet system into the challenging urban context of both the park next to the SARP building and potentially other locations.
The work ,,MASH | ROOM” is architecturally a modest and emphatic form, while socially and ecologically it is bold and progressive, and thus has the potential to advance the culture of sanitation and even the broader reflection on circular architecture many years ahead, becoming a direction indicator for the future development of public architecture on a larger scale.
The first-degree distinction went to Monika Puchała and Tomasz Sachanowicz for the concept ‘IN HARMONY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT’. The project was one of the few to fit perfectly into the park landscape of Zamoyski Palace, cleverly passing the existing trees and creating a very elegant, undulating screen. Hidden in the meanders are toilets with different programmes, more and less spacious. They can form a sequence or form closed loops. Reducing the function of the toilet to a minimum means that it can be quickly placed in a town square, garden or local festival, creating a completely different aesthetic quality of portable toilets. The solutions used in the design are technologically simple and economical. In awarding the prize, the jury wanted to recognise courage, ingenuity and an innovative approach to the subject.
Second degree distinction was won by Mikołaj Baczyński and Dawid Kruźlak for their work ‘Canvas’. The distinction was awarded for the design of a sophisticated, organic and irregularly curved form of volumes housing individual toilets, remaining in a good spatial and visual relation with the Neo-Renaissance palace and the modernist exhibition pavilion. The proposed arrangement of the volumes allows them to be seen in the context of the green surroundings of the Zamoyski Palace garden, as a non-invasive intervention, respecting the park-like value of the surroundings and, through their mutual “transparent” composition, giving an impression of the continuity of the garden system. The small size of the toilet modules makes their good adaptability in various locations possible. Their visual neutrality, resulting from the solution of the spatial arrangement and the concept of the external walls, promises a good fit into spaces other than just a park, with the chance of composing arrangements from them that meet the requirements of these different environmental conditions.
Three projects were awarded equivalent third-level prizes. The first of these, “Sliding Capsules”, whose authors are: Gabriela Szewczak, Alicja Szedel, Natalia Fleites-Jończyk and Adrian Makowiecki, was recognised for its functional solutions, in particular the ability to minimise the dimensions of the modules for transport. In the design concept, the system of unfolding modules to increase transport functionality also provides a subtle way of illuminating the space around the toilet, increasing safety at night. Pragmatic solutions combined with innovation have produced a functional toilet designed according to the principles of universal design.
The second third-degree equivalent honours went to: Oskar Czajkowski and Wojciech Smyczek, for the project , “KOLOcki”. The jury appreciated the work for its skilful and balanced creation of a friendly public space, maintaining discreetness and privacy. Using a very simple, yet good and proven architectural language, the authors created objects that are universal in their form and function, with full respect for ergonomics, economy and pro-ecology. The façade elements and the systemic solution of the individual modules provide a full range of applications in different locations and contexts.
Third Level III equivalent honours and a special award for the best designed bathroom interior went to: Michał Ciebień and Paweł Białas for the concept ,,Parasite Box”. The jurors appreciated the use of CLT panels as a finishing material that also forms the structure of the toilet module. The module is easy to transport and frequent change of location does not cause it to malfunction or damage. The simple monolithic planes of the walls and floors are in line with contemporary design trends and at the same time make it easy to keep the room clean, which is of great importance, especially in a public toilet. The high design culture of the authors of the study, the minimalism of the forms used and restraint in the selection of finishing materials resulted in a calm, unobtrusive interior, which blends in perfectly with the surroundings of the Zamoyski Palace. The idea of introducing elements of the surroundings into the interior also makes it possible to maintain the context of any other place in which the toilet will be placed.
The special award for the best designed public toilet complying with the principles of universal design went to Alicja Maculewicz and Kinga Kin for their project , ‘A brief history of accessibility’. The work was recognised for its attention to real accessibility, which was treated very broadly. This competition proposal took into account the many and varied needs of male and female users. Among other things, the following were proposed: the installation of tile panels and signs in contrasting colours (for the comfort of blind and partially sighted persons); handrails around the pavilions and in the interiors, and barrier-free entrances to cabins (with a view to persons with impaired mobility); adaptation of all rooms to the needs of OSS (to avoid unnecessary stigmatisation); and division according to the size of equipment instead of the traditional division into women’s and men’s toilets.
Internet users also had the chance to choose the best project – the project ‘MODULAR Public Toilets’, whose authors are Marta Lorek, Kinga Dziki, Szymon Misiak and Jakub Miśniakiewicz,received the most of their votes.
Competition organiser: Geberit
Competition Partner: Association of Polish Architects SARP
Competition media patrons: Elle Decoration, Architektura i Biznes, Architektura Murator, WhiteMad, LABEL Magazine, Design Alive, designteka.pl, BRYŁA, Domosfera, Magazif, Czas na Wnętrze, Architecture Snob, Design Business, Nowa Warszawa, Wirtualna Polska, Design Doc, Weranda
source: press materials
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