The ART TIME competition has been settled
It is only now that we realize that we have done something that can actually be built – says Karolina Trzcińska, who, together with Klaudia Sztulc and Klaudia Szpakowska, prepared the winning project. These students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Bialystok University of Technology devoted the whole summer to creating a concept for the development of the area around Hajnówka Centralna.
photo by Piotr Awramiuk, Białystok University of Technology
The inspiration was a honeycomb. The authors, wanting to learn more about the history of Hajnówka, and in particular the area of the former railway station, came across information that there was a former bee-keeping in this area. This is how the concept began to emerge.
The challenge was to put all the elements together. We were a bit worried that there was too much going on in the project. So we started to reduce them and introduced a clear division of zones into: recreational, promenade and cultural.
As the authors wrote in their work, the aim of the project was to create a new place on the tourist map of Podlasie, based on the local culture of Hajnówka and the beauty of the nearby nature. “The main aspect was to design such spatial solutions that they would be as attractive as possible and attract the local population as well as many tourists passing through the city.” The project combines sport, leisure and education. Here we will find solutions such as a bicycle station, brine baths and a graduation tower, a skatepark with a graffiti wall, an educational playground about insects, including bees, a mini-greenhouse with rare species of moss, a wooden obstacle course, catering stands with regional dishes and many other attractions.
Let us remind you that the ART TIME competition is one of the projects under the “Hajnówka OdNowa – Green Transformation” project, co-financed from the Local Development Programme. Its goal is to give the city an impulse for development and make it a friendly place to live. One with which the inhabitants, especially the young ones, will want to tie their future. The ART TIME competition is aimed at young people. Hajnówka’s problem is the depopulation that has been progressing for many years. Young people do not want to stay in their hometown.
When submitting the application for co-financing, we carried out a diagnosis of the needs of the residents. We collected data from through surveys and face-to-face meetings. What the young people pointed out was the lack of places to spend their free time and spaces arranged for their needs. The city's current offer is not attractive to them. So we decided to meet their expectations and propose the development of an area that has great potential, which, however, has never been used. It is about several hectares of green areas between the tracks, in the vicinity of the former railway station, and currently Central Hajnówka - Station of Culture. We were guided by the idea that, on the one hand, it should be an attractive place for young people, and on the other hand, it should be consistent with the image of Hajnówka as a city located in the vicinity of the Białowieża Forest.
the residents had their voice
We did not know about it and it is an additional reason for us to be proud. This means that we have understood the needs of the residents well.
Nie wiedziałyśmy o tym i jest to dla nas dodatkowy powód do dumy. To oznacza, że dobrze wczułyśmy się w potrzeby mieszkańców.
The voice of young people was particularly important in the creation of the projects. In May, we organized a meeting in Hajnówka Centralna, which was attended by students of Hajnówka schools and students. Thanks to it, future designers had the opportunity to listen to the needs and expectations of young people regarding this place.
I am very proud of my students. People and teams that made it to the end of the competition worked bravely during the holidays. I admire students for the fact that their works have a great deal of professionalism. The level was so even that it was difficult to make a verdict. It is also worth emphasizing that the teams reflected the reported needs in their projects and managed to listen to the expectations. I think it was influenced by the constant contact with representatives of the city, residents.
Initially, 49 people applied for the ART TIME competition. In the end, five works were submitted, which were made – individually or in teams – by 10 students.
The competition jury consisted of:
- Anna Maria Lebiedzińska-Łuksza – chairman of the jury, architect, deputy head of the Construction and Investment Department at the City Hall of Hajnówka
- dr hab. inż. arch. Halina Łapińska, prof. PB – member of the jury, substantive supervisor of students and the competition on behalf of the Bialystok University of Technology
- Anna Maria Bowtruczuk – member of the jury, teacher, coordinator of the school volunteer club
- Dariusz Skibiński – member of the jury, president of the “Pocztówka” Cultural Association, co-creator of Hajnówka Centralna – Station of Culture
- Ireneusz Roman Kiendyś – member of the jury, Deputy Mayor of Hajnówka
- Magdalena Chirko – członek kapituły, kierownik Referatu Rozwoju w Urzędzie Miasta Hajnówka, koordynator projektu “Hajnówka OdNowa – Zielona Transformacja”
By decision of the jury, the second place ex aequo was taken by: Karolina Środa (project no. 2) and Anna Niewęgłowska and Julia Rzeplińska (project no. 4).
The jury also awarded two honorable awards to Aleksandra Wawreniuk (project no. 1) and Naomi Filipowicz, Jowita Grabowska, Urszula Gudalewska (project no. 3).
The students combined the expectations of the inhabitants and the conditions of the area
Karolina Środa is from Hajnówka. She decided to prepare the project herself, because she already had her vision of the area.
I'm from here and I know what this city needs. I am glad that my work has been appreciated.
The inspiration for the authors of project no. 4, the winners of the second place, was the environment. Specifically, a locomotive, hence the title “Locomotive of meetings”.
The locomotive wheel is the main motif in the design. The challenge for us was that the area is very large, with a total of about 6 hectares, and we had to coordinate all the elements on it. We also tried to translate the expectations of the residents into the project.
Participation in the competition was a valuable experience for them. Thanks to it, they acquired new skills, such as the use of visualization programs.
As Jerzy Sirak, the mayor of Hajnówka, assured, students’ ideas will not be shelved.
We have selected a contractor for detailed technical documentation that will allow us to apply for building permits and one of the main conditions of our specification was the use of your concepts.
The city has been cooperating with the Białystok University of Technology for several years. The university is also a partner in the “Hajnówka ReNewal – Green Transformation” project.
This competition is a concrete result of cooperation between the Białystok University of Technology and the City of Hajnówka. We always emphasize that we are a regional university and we respond to the needs of the region in the first place. The results of this competition are proof of the exceptional talent and skills of the staff and students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Białystok University of Technology. We pay attention to the needs of the region, but our graduates will manage in Poland and in the world. And this is the most universal effect of this competition. We hope that the long-term cooperation with the City of Hajnówka will develop. Since we are able to use each other's potentials, the best conditions are to create changes - both in the education formula and in what will be implemented in Hajnówka, what will serve its residents.
The winners of the competition, apart from leaving their mark in Hajnówka, were also awarded. The team that took first place received a gift voucher worth 2,000. PLN, and projects that won second place – vouchers of PLN 750 each. In addition, we gave the authors of the winning projects packages with local products from Hajnówka.