New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Concept category

Identify the award category for which this concept is being submitted
Regaining a sense of belonging

Email user
ninakempa@gmail.com

Basic information
Concept title
Tower in the Garden

Full Concept Title
Ecological education centre as a direction to restore the lost values in the Silesian Park

Please provide a short, catchy description of your concept to be used in communication towards the public
The Silesian Park is a relict of the communist era, but despite its propaganda character, the park turned out to be a success. However, this place known for its innovative spirit has fallen into neglect. The concept is a strategy for the whole park and as an architectural intervention creates a design that would enliven the space, by the restoration of the Greenhouse Tower - a vertical farming structure in the new garden area, a place that combines education, cultivation and social interactions.

What was the geographical scope of your concept?
Local

Where was your concept implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Poland

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
Poland, Silesian Voivodeship, border of Katowice-Chorzów-Siemianowice Śląskie

Does your concept address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your concept refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your concept benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your concept won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As an individual
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.facebook.com/kempa.nina/
In case my concept is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my concept in the channels of the European Commission
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Architecture competitions website

Description of the concept
Please provide a summary of your concept.
The Silesian Park was established in 1950 and so far it is the largest example of an urban park in Poland (620 ha). It was created as a compensation for bad environmental conditions for a heavily urbanised region and is an interesting example of conscious creation of the cultural landscape and successful revitalization of post-industrial areas. Unfortunately, today the park has fallen into neglect and, despite modernization works, there is no coherent vision of development in it.

The aim was to return to the roots and restore the tradition of this area as an innovative and education-oriented place. The selected area is a former place of National Horticultural Exhibitions. The pretext for this choice was the discovery of a building that had disappeared forty years ago - the Greenhouse Tower which was an experimental plant cultivation carried out using the hydroponic method. It was built in the 1960s and was, at that time, the tallest greenhouse in the world and the first example of vertical cultivation in Poland.

The architectural design aims to restore the former Tower facility and to transform the area into a new garden. In addition, its technological aspect could be a continuation of the innovative heritage of this place and a direction for further development of vertical farming in the region. The architectural expression has been preserved, the new building has taken the form of a transparent cylinder, growing from a rectangular, glazed foundation, which in the new building has enlarged significantly to accommodate the new functions. First of all, the pavilion has been made available to visitors together with the tower part, which, in addition to the sightseeing itself, offers an observation deck. The building also houses an exhibition hall and a lecture hall. The facility is a light pavilion based on thin pillars with a fully glazed façade opening to the outside and blending with the landscape, offering a view of the beautiful surroundings.

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with 5 key words.
greenhouse

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
vertical farming

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
cultivation

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
ecological education

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
community garden

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the concept can be exemplary in this context.
Due to the dominant functions of the project - the greenhouse cultivation and education centre, special attention was paid to the technical aspects. Regarding the aim of the old building restoration, the effectiveness and durability was a key factor, because this was the main flaw of the previous structure.

The building was divided into two parts. First unit is a glass pavilion that contains the social functions like the exhibition hall, auditorium and the laboratory, all paired with the accompanying facilities like restrooms etc. This part was designed as a glass, completely open structure based on steel pillars. The cylindrical Tower contains the hydroponics cultivation, an extremely effective in water and energy demand method - the crops are laid on the soil-free shelves that are in the constant movement going circulatory through the building, being soaked in the tank with water mixed with dedicated fertiliser, all the chain is moved by the elevator mechanism. The building is also based on the steel and glass structure. The glazing creates a greenhouse effect that is desirable for the plants. However, the walls are also equipped with the shader to provide protection against overheating and burning the plants with too intense sun exposition.

The whole building is sustainable in resource usage: rainwater from the whole site and from the roofs will be collected and filtered in a filtering tank; solar (roof panels) and geothermal energy is a main source of energy; recuperators were also used to recover heat in order to save energy. The predominant materials are steel and glass, which ensures adequate strength of the structure and refers to the nature of the original development of the production area. In addition, the construction elements are mostly modular and normative, therefore the construction will be fast and efficient - would not require custom works.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the concept can be exemplary in this context.
The main value of the design is the social and educational function. All the pavilions are light structures, mostly transparent to provide a view into their interiors, allowing for observation of their functioning and inviting inside. The heart of the project is the Greenhouse Tower located in the new garden of diverse plans, flowers and crops. Both the building (and the other building that formed the complex of the new garden) and the garden allow for nature observation and the active engagement in the cultivation work. The place offers a variety of different types of greenery that provide diverse purposes. From the most “civilised” marketplace, through the production part with the Greenhouse Tower surrounded with flower beds, neighbouring botanical garden and cultivation space for the community garden and greenhouse cropping. Despite the initially defined boundaries, it is not the architecture that has priority here. The space purpose is to observe nature, its constant growth and evolution of the landscape. Also bringing attention to the farming process and engaging to take part in it, for pure pleasure of the gardening or for personal “gain” to obtain some crops. It builds awareness of the origin of the product and connects with it.

Another aspect of aesthetics was to create a catalogue of small architecture elements to achieve one visual language of added elements. The catalogue continues the general thought that was implemented in the strategy for the whole park, each zone has its own set of elements that highlights and complement the character of the space.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the concept can be exemplary in this context.
Due to the identity of the site and the history of the previous Greenhouse Tower, the aspect of inclusion was a key factor on many levels. The whole design was built on the will of bringing back the building of the technical and innovative function, but at the same time creating a new joyful and exciting public space. The goal was to open the vertical farming facility for the public to bring awareness and educate in the field of ecology and cultivation. All the features of the building are aiming to achieve inclusivity from the level of the visual openness to the boundary-less space, suitable for all the users.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the concept and civil society have been / will be involved in the concept and what has been / will be the impact of this involvement on the concept.
Today the Silesian Park of Culture has fallen into neglect and needs the strategy to bring back its genius loci. The aim of the project was to return to the roots and restore the tradition of this area as an innovative and education-oriented place for the profit of the whole region as well as the everyday users. The park is surrounded by many housing settlements that could benefit from the new facility. The neighbouring area is highly urbanised therefore the huge green space is a kind of oasis inside the dense city. However, the green space is not enough to provide the social values. The creation of the new garden is a prospect to bring more diversity (also biodiversity) into this space, create a place for cultivation - a community garden where people can grow their own vegetables or buy some on the market, and also learn how vertical farming works and how to benefit from it. Moreover, it is not a given place, it is more like a framework that will change and adapt in time. People can come and work, but also transform it within the soft boundaries that were created.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and development of the concept. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was
During my work I used archive materials from the Silesian Park of Culture regarding the Greenhouse Tower and the history of the place. It was a significant impact in my knowledge of how the tower functioned and how exactly was built. Also, my precise understanding of the history of the site was based on those materials.

Please explain which disciplines and / or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and development of your concept. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
The concept is a part of my master thesis. The design is a part of the whole concept of the Silesian Park of Culture renovation. The implementation of the proposed project is undoubtedly a major undertaking, therefore it was treated as a manifesto highlighting the problem. During my work I consulted specialists from the fields of construction design, landscape architecture and installations. It resulted in a complex design of the whole site and the Greenhouse Tower itself.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the concept.
The vertical farming is usually a highly technical field, the efficiency oriented industry that is separated from the observers. In my design I wanted to change this realm and introduce the Greenhouse Tower as a part of the park, open to the visitors and transparent. It would not lose on the production level, but can only gain as an educational facility.

Please which elements of your concept could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
The idea of Greenhouse Tower can be implemented almost anywhere else. The vertical farming itself is a growing industry and will be expanded, however connecting it with the education and public elements could be more beneficial on the social level and create some additional value in the urban space.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the concept addresses by providing local solutions
The concept addresses many issues. First of all is the disappearance of the identity of places, in my design I am aiming to keep the site's character but in a new way to achieve added social value. The other topic is ecological education. I decided to create a facility oriented around the different types of cultivation to make it visible and allow to observe the seasonality and changeability of nature. It builds awareness of the origin of the product and connects with it and today the understanding of how much effort and work growing a crop needs is something that we need to remember. Third aspect is the vertical farming and popularisation of this type of cultivation in regions that, like Silesia, do not provide fertile soil and traditional agriculture is not efficient.

Please attach the development plan of your concept. This plan should detail the plans you have for the further development and implementation of your concept, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application. The plan should also include envisaged results and benefits from the concept for direct and indirect beneficiaries. The results and benefits should be specified in relation to the objectives of the concept, and to what is expected in the context of the respective category

Development plan.pdf
Please attach at least one high resolution image or visual representation of your concept to your application.
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Yes

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Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

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Yes

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Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their concepts, concepts, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted concept, concept is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes