A student of the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology wins CITY&REST competition
Michał Gałuszka, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology is the winner of the CITY&REST nationwide competition organised by Polbruk. The task involved designing a new project for a common urban space in Skawina near Krakow.
Our student's work named reSTreet proved to be the best in the competition. The task was to design a common space at Sikorskiego Street in Skawina. The young architect suggested creating safe and harmonious conditions for living and leisure in this place. - The name of the project, reSTreet, has been composed by combining two English words, “rest” and “street”. This way, a created space, despite its location in the city centre, is suitable for rest. The project combines the Polbruk branded elements with other elements of space arrangement, it is enriched with plenty of greenery and adjusted to a wide range of users - says Michał Gałuszka.
The project includes solutions that allow the space to be used by various groups of users. One of the main assumptions was to eliminate all physical barriers. - All curbs have been removed. Due to this solution, users can easily use the entire width of the street. It will also increase the feeling of safety. The Safety by design method has been applied: there are height differences between the zones, which will not cause any problems for the disabled and at the same time will become a barrier for cars. In addition, all benches have space for prams and wheelchairs. Parking spaces are also suitable for people with disabilities. There will also be over a dozen new bicycle stands - explains Michał Gałuszka
The use of large quantities of greenery is expected to improve air quality by taking advantage of the filtering properties of plants. - In addition, the presence of greenery will improve the comfort of street users and meet their need for contact with nature. Plants and trees as acoustic barrier will absorb some of the noise generated by street users. The major advantage of a large amount of green space, however, is the opportunity for rainwater retention. The project includes systems of ditches and bioretention basins. In addition, hydrophytic vegetation has been selected to support the rainwater filtration and collection system. The following plants were used: stiff sedge, Siberian iris, common heather, calamus vulgaris, Chinese silver grass and marsh marigold - says the student.
Moreover, the project involves the new planting of trees along the street. Due to this planting thermal conditions will improve and the new trees will become a shelter for users of the space on hot days. A lot of greenery will also create a new ecosystem. The trees will become a shelter for birds. The vegetation will maintain the population of bees and many other insects.
In Michał Gałuszko's project, the jury mostly appreciated the functionality of the solutions, as well as the proposals for resident-friendly green zones. - In the opinion of the competition's Honorary Patron - the Skawina Town Hall - my work corresponds best with the needs presented by the municipality in the competition guidelines - says the architect.
In the submitted project, the architect used the full width of the street and applied an interesting arrangement, i.e. a two-coloured surface.
Michała Gałuszka is a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology. Apart from architecture, he is interested in sport, football in particular, and travelling. He most often seeks inspiration for his projects during his trips to Italy.
