masterplan redevelopment of Celina

projects /

Shortlisted in the urban-architectural competition for the masterplan redevelopment of the Celina Południe housing estate in Wrocław

Team: 

Katarzyna Kołodziejska, Dagmara Żarnowiec, Marta Dąbrowska, Tomasz Banaszek (visualisations), Sebastian Luszczyk (sustainbility & structural engineering).

Organiser:

SARP (Association of Polish Architects)

The areas of post-industrial buildings from the late 1960s and early 1970s constitute a widely recognizable element of southern Wrocław. Utilizing predominantly large-scale, simple forms, they carry a symbolic historical weight; however, due to the significant presence of underutilized or improperly used spaces, they often require decisive design interventions. These interventions not only aim to reveal their hidden potential but, more importantly, to enrich the urban fabric with new layers of activity for local residents.

This study aims to identify the current problems within the analyzed space and subsequently restore spatial order, primarily through architecture, but also through social, revitalization efforts and the opening of green spaces in the form of public urban areas. Thanks to new interventions—commercial, social, and public—the area bounded by Gajowicka, Krucza, and Żelazna streets, together with the so-called Heart of Celina, has the opportunity to transform into an attractive, multidimensional space.

The size, scale, and character of the new proposals directly relate to the surroundings. The adopted design solutions are intended to be scalable, ensuring the possibility of their implementation in other parts of the city affected by similar urban and architectural problems.

The design interventions are guided by respect for the existing historic urban fabric within or surrounding the study area, with an attempt to restore its proper prominence in the context through functional and spatial solutions that showcase the local cultural heritage.

The multidimensional shaping of space, particularly public spaces, aims to organize the urban layouts that have accumulated over the years around the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, Hirszfeld Square, and the Silesian Insurgents' Roundabout.

The existing visual axes connecting local landmarks from different periods are emphasized, and the urban-architectural connection between Żelazna Street and Hirszfeld Square, lost in the post-war structure, is restored.