Entry-point system for the Tatra National Park

3RD PRIZE IN THE ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION, 2015

Design team: Antoni Surowiak, Mateusz Gierszon, Ewelina Siestrzewitowska

energy standard: increased thermal insulation

additional: extensive use of natural materials and traditional techniques

The presented concept for the architectural-functional design of the entry points to the Tatra National Park, located in the Biały Valley and the Kościeliska Valley, is based on a proprietary

MODULAR BUILDING SYSTEM

, which makes it possible to design and build all the remaining entry points to the TPN and to easily change their size later. It is therefore a system that allows entry points to be designed from the smallest, with a single ticket booth (as in the Biały Valley), to the largest, with 4 booths, tourist information, shops and separated entry and exit flows.

OBJECTIVES:

Using small modules that are easy to assemble, transport and store was intended to fulfil the tasks set for entry points in the competition brief:

flexibility allowing a dynamic response to increases or decreases in tourist traffic,

ease of construction, delivery of prefabricated elements and their assembly without the need for larger construction equipment,

minimising energy consumption for construction, thanks to the use of local building material, and for heating, thanks to appropriate insulation of the kiosk walls,

shaping modern and regional architecture, rooted in the local climate, building tradition and technology, yet using modern and dynamic forms adequate to the buildings' functions,

minimising interference with the landscape thanks to modular elements that can be flexibly arranged in relation to one another, adapting the development to the character of the plot, and thanks to the use of natural local materials, green roofs and greenery covering the building walls,

defining a clear boundary between the city and the national park through the use of an unambiguous gate form

shaping the development so as to clearly guide tourist traffic and, at large entry points, to separate the 'to' and 'from' park flows through the layout itself, without additional barriers. Appropriately shaped development also allows vehicles to pass through the gates.

THE MODULAR BUILDING SYSTEM

designed for the Tatra National Park comprises the following types of elements:

a large canopy for four kiosks together with storage and sanitary facilities and a tourist rest area

a small canopy for two kiosks together with storage and sanitary facilities and a tourist rest area, with two types of attics assigned to them

large gate – the park exit gate used at large entry points, adapted for the passage of fire engines and trucks

medium gate – the park entry gate used at large entry points, equipped with a bench and a notice board

small gate – the park entry gate used at small entry points, adapted for the passage of cars, equipped with a bench and a notice board

Construction

of the canopies and entry gates is based on a traditional timber log structure and timber posts and beams. Solid-timber logs and posts and glued-laminated timber beams are used to build the timber elements.

Function

of the timber canopies is primarily to create a form for organising tourist traffic at the entry points. The use of an elongated rhombus form is intended to create an inviting gate which – at small entry points (as in the Biały Valley) – clearly signals where the entrance is, and at larger points separates the 'from' and 'to' park flows by screening the exit gate from the city side and the entry gate from the park side.

The canopies and gates form a frame into which the kiosks with basic functions such as ticket office, shop and tourist information are 'inserted'.

Form

of the building is therefore dictated by its function – symbolic, creating a sign and a boundary, and practical, organising tourist traffic.

The building fits into the landscape thanks to the use of local materials such as stone foundations and floors, timber and local vegetation, and the colour scheme: the black of timber preserved by the surface-charring method, its natural colours and greenery.

The TPN logo, made of squared timber used in the log wall, is an integral part of the buildings. This makes the buildings easier to identify. Next to the logo on the facade hangs the name of the given entry point.