PRIMARY SCHOOL IN ZABRZE

with a sports and cultural center

location / Zabrze, Poland
design / Bartosz Puchalski
organizer / Department of Architectural Design and Fine Arts at the Faculty of Architecture of Pol. Śl. in Gliwicach
promoter / Tomasz Wagner
area / 4300sqm
year / 2007
stage / concept design
prize / I prize

The designed school building schould be an inspiration, a model, and stimulate young imagination. Immersed in the urban landscape, it constitutes an expressive educational unit that facilitates the process of education and development.

The building is located in the north-eastern part of the plot. Such a location results primarily from the functional solutions used in the facility as well as the communication and access system. The southern part of the plot includes a full multi-functional sports program. The building consists of four functions: teaching, research, culture and sports, each of which can be a separate object. The combination of the above-mentioned elements was made at the same time by distinguishing each of them with materials, emphasizing their functional differences.

The main material of the building is red brick, characteristic for the region of Zabrze, Silesia, used on the element “that connects”, which includes the administrative, communication and social parts. The gym is made of light beige sandstone slabs, two blocks of calssrooms are made of dark graphite bricks and fully automatic blinds. The library is made of reflective glass and milk glass blocks. The auditorium is a reinforced cencrete, monolithic dome in the shape of an ellipse, emphasizing the austere nature of the building. The whole building is illuminated by glazing and skylights, which give the interior of the school a unique atmosphere.