Nova Mikołowska 社区丨波兰卡托维兹丨波兰 UCEES 工作室

Architect：UCEES

Location：Katowice, Poland; | ;View Map

Project Year：2024

Category：Apartments

The Nova Mikołowska neighborhood, designed by the Polish UCEES studio, supplements historic development, while seamlessly combining the dynamic character of the city center with open spaces, allowing inhabitants of both the complex as well as the city to move around freely.

The neighborhood was established in the very heart of Katowice – a large urban agglomeration in the south of Poland. A city well-known for its industries – mainly mining and smelting. The new neighborhood is located in the quarter between Raciborska, Strzelecka and Mikołowska streets. The latter, being the most recognizable historic street, gave the neighborhood its name: Nova Mikołowska.

- The Katowice city center is undergoing a rapid metamorphosis, with new office buildings and residence complexes popping out everywhere, yet we were able to find a nearly empty space there, with but a handful of historic tenant houses still preserved – says architect Marek Szpinda, co-owner UCEES. -That’s why we really wanted our design to compliment the historic quarter and revitalize the area at the same time – with new spaces, but also with the historic tenant houses melded into the new developments.

The architect Piotr Uherek, co-owner of the studio, adds: -We set out to design a neighborhood combining the dynamic nature of the city center with open public spaces, squares and parks, which would facilitate meetings and allow the inhabitants and visitors to move around freely.

A neighborhood open to the city

The architects designed two multi-family buildings with commercial premises at the ground floor level, in the form of sub-quarters, thus shaping the composition in the plan into the letter U and a pentagon with the inner yard. A third small building was attached to the previously existing tenant house. Breaking up the new development allowed to retain an open, unfenced fragment of the city, drawing development lines along the preexisting frontal layout and the quarter’s dedicated internal transport system allowed for variation in the facades.

The key decision, apart form the functional opening of the quarter to the city, was to apply the rule of spatial openness, which was realized through having numerous arcades and clearances in the shape of gateways leading into the inner courtyards. As a result, many close frames, as well as attractive and long-distance perspective views were achieved, including a view of the lofty tower of the neo-Gothic church of the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul, built in 1898–1902.

The architecture also respects the height of the neighboring developments. It blends in well with its surroundings, fills the gaps and merges new buildings with the existing ones. Here and there, due to the blind, curtain facade fragments – the matter heals and revitalizes the facades themselves. Their varied tectonics consist of numerous recesses and indentations – resulting from the consistently designed forms, created through taking away masses.

The most basic detail of the architectural matter in the residential part is the window opening, placed at various locations in the outer and inner quarter. Outer facades reflect the features of a busy city street: movement, activity, dynamism – through the composition of clearances (windows, loggias). While the inner yard facades bestow an air of balance, harmony, calm and order.

The grey brick color was chosen as the main color in the facade melange – on the one hand it alludes to the wider context of the center, and on the other, somewhat in contrast with the surrounding architecture of old tenant houses, it creates their modern day supplement – a symbol on the new place on the map of Katowice.

Additionally, using white makes the inner parts of the quarters lighter. The range of architectural solutions that shape the nature of architectural detail is further enriched by the use of architectural concrete, which can be found in the landscaping elements, as well as grey widow joinery and elements of barriers, fences, windowsills and finishes.

Easily accessible spaces

Vegetation alludes to the nature of the city center. A large green square sits between the buildings, while the spaces between them were arranged to accommodate green flower pots, lawns and pathways with urban furniture. These solutions are meant to shape a clear communication system for this place, levelling the impression of uneven terrain, reaching as much as 6 meters at its extremes.

Despite this forcing the design of necessary terrain elements such as stairs, walls, or elevation in front of the commercial units, all planned functions are accessible for the handicapped, without the need of any technical solutions such as lifts or platforms. It’s true for both residential spaces (staircases), as well as commercial units located in the arcades. 

The rule of accessibility also applies to inner yards, squares and recreational spaces such as a playground.

*The project has just received the 2024 Association of Polish Architects SARP Award. The Association of Polish Architects SARP Awards are one of the most prestigious honors for architects in Poland. Nova Mikołowska won the award in the multi-family building category for its "economically rational and architecturally attractive design of a large-scale residential complex integrated into the vibrant and dense urban fabric. (...) The implementation uses the codes of the place, organizes the surroundings without the need to subordinate them to itself. This is how a city should be built.”

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Design authors: architect Marek Szpinda, architect Antoni Banaś, architect Piotr Uherek

Co-authors: Małgorzata Trojnar

Usable floor area: 16,547 m2

Number of flats: 353

Number of commercial units: 20

Investor: Activ Investment

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