Culture and Education Center “Energy of Inowroclaw”
Competition project.
The concept of the “Energy of Inowroclaw” Culture and Education Center was created in response to the need to create a modern, multifunctional space in Inowrocław combining educational, exhibition, cultural, social and tourist functions. The region’s salt heritage was the starting point for a concept that combines these functions in an attractive, interactive form and available to all users: children, youth, families, seniors, patients and tourists from Poland and abroad. The project places particular emphasis on integration with a specific context.
The single-story structure of the building takes into account the spatial context of the surrounding buildings and, in a broader sense, also the ecophysiographic conditions of natural and landscape elements. The building is adapted to the human scale, combines a user-friendly space with elements of a distinctive character – trapezoidal lighting that does not dominate the surroundings, but enhances its form and becomes an easily recognizable symbol of the facility.
The materials used both outside and inside the facility are concrete, gabions with natural aggregate of various fractions, wood and brass details. They are direct references to the topic around which the facility’s function is focused. The uniform color brings a calming and peaceful atmosphere to the interior, while also being a perfect background for exhibits and graphics presenting the richness of the region.
The key element of the project was a permanent exhibition focused on salt – its importance in the region in three main categories: nature, industry and culture. We have designed various types of multi-functional exhibition and workshop zones allowing for a thorough understanding of each of the three thematic categories. The exhibition space is located in a large, open room, illuminated from above with diffused light with elements ensuring its arbitrary division.
The characteristic elements of the space are mobile wooden openwork walls, square workbenches, poufs, open shelves and wooden multi-dimensional ceiling structures, which also serve as substructures for hanging exhibition elements. The most characteristic element of the interior is a chimney lined with brass sheet, suspended from the largest of the trapezoidal caps, illuminating the work tables and diffusing the natural light entering through the skylights.
The building, as a new cultural and social center of the city of Inowrocław, constitutes a coherent, multi-layered story about salt, its importance for the region and culture, making the Center a place integrating various groups of recipients, supporting education and emphasizing the historical and natural values of Inowrocław.
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