Lake village / 2019

Rybnik is an agglomeration of the strong economic, cultural and scientific center, connected to the Upper Silesian Industrial District and the Ostrava agglomeration and the Opolskie Voivodeship. The capital of the Rybnik region has 140,000 inhabitants in Poland. The A4 “Sośnica” is about 30 km from the center.

Against the background of other Upper Silesian cities, Rybnik stands out for its natural and scenic values. Cistercian Landscape Compositions of the Rudy Great, (or ‘Great Rudy’) which, combined with the Rybnik Lake and the meanders of the Ruda river , make the northern outskirts of the city attractive places to live in Upper Silesia.

The philosophy of living outside the city center

About 40% of Poles live in blocks in large areas often located on the outskirts of cities. Impersonal, cramped apartments with only small balconies. A relatively small number of residential units are referred to as old buildings. At the other extreme is dispersed single-family housing. The constantly increasing pace of life and new types of professional activities make us reflect on the model of our residence. Getting to the workplace, often located on the opposite side of a large city can last longer than a distance of a few dozen kilometers, in a well-connected smaller town. New means of communication, and above all the Internet, in many cases allows for remote & mobile working opportunities from our place of residence. On the other hand, more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of physical activity in order to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Gyms are developing dynamically, and existing sports centers are bursting at the seams. Nothing can replace outdoor health activities: running, cycling, tennis, water sports, skiing, etc. Getting to the places where you can do these sports from an apartment in the city center is often even more time consuming than getting to your place of work, which is why families choose flats outside the city center. Single-family housing is not, however, the answer to the needs of today’s active person.

The proposed concept meets the needs of the modern active person, combining the advantages of living outside the city, attractive green areas, in the immediate vicinity of a lake, river, vast forest areas and rich outdoor & indoor sports opportunities with an apartment in a multi-family building, where the administrator is obliged to care for the environment and technical condition of the building. A larger population center also guarantees the cost-effectiveness of basic services. The housing estate consists of three rectangular quarters kept to the scale of nearby single-family housing. Every one of the 200 flats has an independent, intimate mini-garden, the maintenance of which does not require significant work.

The green courtyards of the quarters are used by neighborhood groups and operated by the housing estate administration. This zone is completely safe for children because it is impossible to stay unauthorized. The gardens are connected with each other by bridges over generally accessible pedestrian routes.

The private gardens of the apartments have been elevated on platforms that prevent physical & visual intrusion into the interior of the apartments.

Between the asymmetrical, slanted roofs, large terrace-gardens have been designed, accessible directly from the apartments on the upper floors.

The use of various openings on the facade gives each flat a uniqueness.The apartments have been designed to a relatively high standards. In addition to a small garden on the ground or on the terrace, each includes a storage room, an average of 1.5 parking spaces in the parking lot under the inner courtyard and one parking space on the other side of Cisowa street. The area of most premises varies between 65 and 80 m2 (3 to 4 rooms plus kitchen and bathroom). There are also flats bigger around 100m2 and smaller ones around 50 m2 .

The neighborly unit is created in a separate area, and it is in a state of affairs. interesting offer for all its residents. The gradation of space from fully public, semi-private (shared by residents of the housing estate).