The Nova Mikołowska development won an award in the Multifamily Residential Building category in the SARP 2024 Award of the Year competition. The experts appreciated the architecture of the residential complex and its city-forming character. The complex was designed by architects from the UCEES studio.
Nova Mikołowska was built in a quarter of Katowice, where only a few buildings previously stood. In this way, the estate complemented the historical centre of Katowice. There was a lot more buzz about the estate when three magnificent chestnut trees were cut down, but the developer tried to compensate for the felled trees with new plantings in the green part of the development. Despite the controversy, SARP experts praised the investment for “economically rational and architecturally attractive shaping of a residential complex of considerable size, built into the lively and dense fabric of the city”.
In their justification, the Jury of the competition emphasised that the architects had correctly “read the history of the neighbours – of arcades, of courtyards, of architectural rhythms, of height variation, of materials, of colours, of moods – and, drawing on their richness, created a new, own and interesting story”.
The estate is located on the outskirts of what is known as Old Katowice and is bounded by a quarter of Raciborska, Strzelecka and Mikolowska Streets.
In the turbulent metamorphosis of the city centre, where new office buildings and residential complexes are springing up all the time, we found an almost building-free space between the Katowice Central Station and Kościuszko Park, with only a few preserved tenement houses. That is why we wanted the project to complement the historical development quarter and bring this place back to life – with new spaces, but also with historical tenement houses blended into the modern buildings,” says arch. Marek Szpinda, co-owner of UCEES.
‘Honouring the conditions of the place, our goal was to design a housing estate combining the dynamic character of the city centre and its identity with open public space, squares and squares that are conducive to meetings and allow free movement for residents and city users, ‘ adds architect Piotr Uherek, co-owner of the studio.
In total, the architects designed a complex of two residential buildings with services, shaping the composition of the blocks on a “U” and “pentagon” plan with a courtyard in the middle. A third small building was added to the existing tenement house.
A key decision, apart from the functional opening of the quarter “to the city”, was the adopted principle of spatial openness, which was realised through numerous arcades and clearances in the form of gates leading into the courtyards. This resulted in many close frames and attractive and distant perspective views, including of the tower of the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul towering in the neighbourhood.
The new buildings have a subdued façade. The colour of the grey bricks on the one hand alludes to the context of the inner city and somewhat stands in contrast to the old townhouses surrounding the site. The additionally applied white colour illuminates the interiors of the quarters.
Cooperation on the greenery project with the LandArch Landscape Architecture studio has resulted in arrangements that allude to the character of the City Centre. A green square was created in the wedge of Strzelecka Street and the internal road – a sort of positive for the compact, historic buildings found on the plot. The remaining spaces between the buildings were arranged with green pots, flowerbeds and alleys with urban furniture.
Full justification for the award:
“The award was given for the economically rational and architecturally attractive design of a residential complex of considerable size, built into the lively and dense fabric of the city. The site’s neighbourhood is very diverse. The architects read the history of the neighbours – of arcades, of courtyards, of architectural rhythms, of variations in height, of materials, of colours, of mood – and, drawing on their richness, created a new story of their own and an interesting one. Simple, decisive, varied architecture and the piling up of buildings to free up the common space of courtyards with greenery, create the right living environment in a dense city. The appropriate gradation of semi-open and private spaces – with arcades, open forecourts and enclosed courtyards – allows the life of the new development to be inscribed in the public space of the city. The realisation makes use of the codes of the place, organising the surroundings without the need to subjugate them. This is how a city should be built.”
project: UCEES – Marek Szpinda, Antoni Banaś, Piotr Uherek
author collaboration: Małgorzata Trojna
photography: Jakub Certowicz, Bartosz Dworski
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