Miasteczko Wilanow; Landscape Matrix

Studio:The studio will focus on the design of the public landscape and design solutions for key elements of public space infrastructure for Miasteczko Wilanow in Warsaw. Each student will develop a strategic approach to the design of a landscape infrastructure that will embrace the role of public space, strategies for ecological issues, transport and circulation, recreation and leisure. As part of this a specific strategy for the deployment of art in public space will be developed as a key component in the urban regeneration.There are two major studies: The first is the investigation of a design strategy for the intersection of the palace and its historic landscape with the new urban district through the design of the key public space linking the two. The second will be design proposals for a series of corridors within the development including a freeway, a major boulevard, two canals and the associated open space.Site:Miasteczko Wilanow is described as a sustainable, mixed-use community being built on a 169-hectare site across from the Wilanow Royal Palace. The palace, originally built as an Italianate Villa Nova beginning in 1679 and continuing into the next century, is now a Royal Museum set within its own grounds which include gardens from the 17th and 18th centuries. The palace and gardens were comprehensively conserved and restored during the 1960s.Historically, the area surrounding the palace was composed of a series of small agricultural villages, woods, orchards, and farmland. Since the Second World War they have been overtaken by city growth and are part of Warsaw\’s suburban expansion. The current redevelopment strategy is an attempt to shape this growth in such a way that it respects the 17th- and 18th-century context, preserving traditional reservoirs, natural features and key axes and geometry.The new district includes a town hall and civic precinct, a lively social, cultural, and retail center, residential neighborhoods, a major church and associated schools and educational institutions, and a major business park. The project is currently in the early stages of construction.Structure:The studio will visit Warsaw at the beginning of the semester for approximately a week. Students will work individually through the semester to develop specific site design proposals. Following the final review, the studio will produce a publication of the proposals. The studio will be jointly taught by Martha Schwartz and Elizabeth Mossop. Sponsored by PROKOM Investments and coordinated by Guy Perry INVI.