Located in the ruins of an old monastery in the town of Otyn, the project for a center for behavioral addictions rehabilitation offers a valuable solution of how to address the desolate conditions of historical monuments that require care themselves. A timber structure encases the existing building in order to protect it from further degradation. Additionally, walls made of wood are inserted within the sequence of existing spaces to accommodate new functions where needed. Renewable resources are used by means of geothermal boreholes, heat pumps, and solar panels on the roof to heat the building in the winter. The tectonic quality of the filigree construction stands in dialectical tension with the heavy masonry of the monastery building, resulting a playful combination of the old and the new.

The jury appreciated the project’s parallel agendas to create spaces for people requiring care, while caring for buildings requiring support and maintenance themselves. Whereas the metaphor at first appeared too obvious, the jury nonetheless applauded the author’s carefulness in avoiding line for line correspondences between the rehabilitation of the building and its use as a rehabilitation center. At the core of the discussion was not only the question of how to best restore historical buildings, but moreover the deployment of architecture in its aesthetic value for people in times of need. The jury noted that a “modern sanctuary” is being created, namely, a place of tranquility, repose, beauty, and poetry.

More about the project: Modern Sanctuary in Poland