When we step onto a boat that will carry us across a lake to a place we have never visited before, we usually carry with us a set of expectations — impressions shaped by online articles, travel reviews, and the polished images of glossy tourist brochures. We expect to arrive at an unremarkable, purely transitional place: a scattering of anonymous box-like buildings, from where a bus will simply transport us onward to our true destination — the old town of Koszalin.

Yet as the silhouette of the landing pier and the cluster of buildings slowly emerge across the lake, something feels unexpectedly different. The buildings are not bland, utilitarian boxes at all. Their forms and roofs seem to echo the character of the historic coastal towns we may have encountered elsewhere. Gradually, we notice that the place is alive with activity — people strolling along the waterfront, others pointing and waving toward the arriving boat, diners gathered on a lively terrace, while music and children’s laughter drift through the air.

We begin to question what we had been told. The tourist agency had assured us that there would be little of interest before reaching the old town, nearly nine kilometres away from the lake. And yet this small ensemble of buildings, gathered around an intimate public square, suddenly feels worthy of exploration in its own right.

This project is about challenging preconceived expectations and introducing a sense of surprise and discovery. It seeks to encourage visitors to slow down, linger, and engage with the place — transforming it from a point of transit into an essential part of the journey and the experience of Koszalin itself.

Our most memorable moments as travellers often come from encountering places we never intended to find while searching for something entirely different. As Yogi Berra once humorously remarked: “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”

The long landing pier establishes a strong pedestrian axis that acquires an almost ceremonial character as visitors disembark and gradually approach the shoreline. From this slightly lowered perspective, the buildings appear elevated upon a podium, reinforcing the sense of arrival and anticipation.

Naturally, the extension of this imaginary axis became the ideal location for the project’s central focal point — a compact urban square conceived as the heart of the development. Around this space, the various building programmes required by the competition brief are carefully arranged. Both buildings were intentionally positioned close together on a single plot, allowing

the larger site east of the boat ramp to remain entirely dedicated to a public park.

Public spaces are essential meeting grounds for diverse communities, fostering social interaction, recreation, and collective engagement — from spontaneous everyday encounters to organised cultural events.

The overarching urban strategy was to orient both the square and the building functions toward the lakefront. This principle draws inspiration from historic public squares that open directly onto water, such as Piazza Giosuè Carducci in Sirmione, Italy, or the waterfront spaces surrounding the Molo pier in Sopot.

The entrance to the square from the south-west, facing the car park and bus stop, is framed by one of the arches of the bus shelter. Beyond its practical role, the structure serves as a symbolic gateway to the city of Koszalin. In this sense, it loosely recalls traditional ceremonial gateways such as the Japanese torii, the Korean hongsalmun, or even the European triumphal arch. The shelter itself becomes a recognisable landmark, visible from afar to visitors approaching from Promowa Street — particularly at night, when the structure is illuminated. In an era when cities increasingly compete through memorable and visually engaging — “Instagram-friendly” — public spaces, the project consciously and unapologetically embraces the idea of architecture as part of the city’s cultural identity and image.

The most efficient and enjoyable spaces are those that attract and accommodate more people. To achieve this, we have integrated a variety of sensory and spatial elements that enhance user comfort and enrich the public realm — such as a water feature, changing patterns of light and shadow, vegetation, and tactile material textures. At the centre of the square, a shallow water feature creates opportunities for play and interaction, particularly for children, while also contributing evaporative cooling during the warmer summer months.

A seamless relationship between interior and exterior spaces was a key design objective. The ground floors remain entirely step-free and permeable, maintaining an open and inviting atmosphere, encouraging active street presence and improving accessibility for people with special needs. The main restaurant, opening directly onto the square and complemented by roof terraces and outdoor seating, further animates the public realm by drawing people into the space, encouraging them to linger. As sociologist William H. Whyte famously observed, food-related amenities can boost plaza usage by up to 20%, as “food attracts people who attract more people.”

Additional external stimuli — such as street performances, temporary art installations, or open-air exhibitions — further strengthen social interaction and contribute to the site’s distinctive identity. For this reason, the project incorporates dedicated areas for public art as well as a small amphitheatre embedded within a grass-covered mound in the park. From here, families and couples may gather to watch the sunset over the lake. The amphitheatre and adjoining lawn can also host small concerts, seasonal festivals, and community events.

The mound itself is formed using soil excavated during the construction of the two buildings, reducing transportation costs and minimising waste. Beyond its recreational function, its positioning also contributes to mitigating the effects of potential flooding.

Both the square and the park are conceived as flexible, multifunctional public spaces capable of accommodating a wide range of activities. Alongside conventional seating — including free-standing benches and seating integrated into the façade of the auxiliary building — the project introduces more informal opportunities for occupation, such as lounge chairs during the summer months and the grass-covered mound itself. These varied environments support different forms of use and activities, from people-watching and sunbathing to reading, informal working on a laptop, having a snack, and play.

The lakeside promenade reinforces the legibility of surrounding activities and spaces while also helping visitors orient themselves, particularly during peak tourist periods. In contrast, the park’s curving and irregular pathways create quieter, more intimate pockets for private conversation and contemplation, while simultaneously framing unexpected views toward the lake. The park’s informal character also allows for future adaptation, including the potential addition of small food and beverage pavilions within the limits established by planning regulations.

Finally, we propose replacing the existing timber accessibility ramp adjacent to the boat ramp with a new concrete wheelchair-accessible ramp, ensuring barrier-free access to the pier for people with special needs.

Architectural Language

As visitors — particularly first-time visitors — we instinctively hope to be welcomed by architecture that feels rooted in its setting, as though it has always belonged there. What we do not seek is a landscape dominated by anonymous structures, technical infrastructure like wind turbines and solar panels, or façades stripped of character and identity. Too often, in the pursuit of efficiency and cost reduction, architecture neglects the ways in which the built environment shapes human perception, memory, and emotional response.

Our proposal draws inspiration from the architectural heritage of the coastal towns of Pomerania, with their expressive roofscapes, intimate urban spaces, and rich material character — qualities already visible in seventeenth-century depictions of Koszalin. The project reinterprets these regional traditions through a contemporary architectural language that seeks continuity rather than imitation.

For us, context extends beyond the immediate physical site or geographical location. It encompasses the cultural and historical layers of a place, its collective memory, and the identity of the communities that inhabit it. Therefore, architecture is not only about integrating a building into its immediate surroundings in a purely functional sense, but also about engaging with the deeper and more intangible dimensions of the place — its spirit, its historical legacy, and its cultural influences and continuity.

The chosen materials and architectural vocabulary consciously reference the regional building tradition that can be traced back to the Backsteingothik heritage of the Baltic region, characterised by exposed clinker brickwork and distinctive green-patinated roofs. This tradition has shaped the architectural identity of Pomerania for centuries. Historically, copper roofing was reserved for important civic and religious structures due to its high cost. Today, however, contemporary materials offer more economical alternatives capable of achieving a similar richness and visual depth while remaining within the project’s budgetary framework.

Public preference for modernist buildings has often been questioned in various studies conducted across the European countries, which suggest that between 77% and 84% of respondents favour more traditional architectural designs over contemporary or modern styles, which are sometimes perceived as “oppressive” or “inhuman”. These findings indicate that certain modern approaches may lack a clear “sense of place” and can fail to engage with local cultural traditions, resulting in lower levels of public appreciation.
By contrast, façades incorporating detail, texture, rhythm, and what researchers describe as “organised complexity” tend to be perceived as more humane, visually engaging, harmonious to the

human eye, and emotionally resonant.

Research further suggests that aesthetics and the surrounding environment are not merely a matter of personal opinion: our built surroundings influence well-being, and positive perceptions of place are closely linked to higher perceived quality of life and happiness. Large, monotonous façades devoid of articulation rarely encourage people to linger, stroll, interact, or feel inspired. In her 1961 book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, Jane Jacobs argues that urban environments rich in variety and visual detail encourage slower movement and a more leisurely pace, while also fostering spontaneous encounters, social interaction, and consumption.

Architects often experience buildings holistically — through atmosphere, light, proportion, and spatial experience — whereas public perception frequently focuses more directly on the appearance and detailing of façades. In response, our proposal incorporates contemporary brick detailing and three-dimensional masonry patterns that give depth and articulation to the building envelope beyond the flat surface. This relatively economical strategy enriches the architectural expression through shadow, texture, and material tactility while allowing traditional regional elements to be reinterpreted within a contemporary framework rather than merely replicated. Due to the complimentary nature of their colours, the reddish tones of the exposed brick walls contrast with the green-coloured roofs, creating a visually dramatic, “vibrating” effect visible even from afar across the lake.

Ultimately, we advocate for architecture that reflects the richness and complexity of human life rather than imposing sterile functional uniformity. As Le Corbusier once remarked: “It is life that is right and

the architect who is wrong.”

Sustainability Measures

In 1965, Abel Wolman introduced the concept of “Urban Metabolism” — a poetic yet powerful metaphor that understands the city as a living organism. Within this framework, the urban environment continuously consumes resources such as water, energy, and building materials, while simultaneously discarding its by-products in the form of wastewater, emissions, and solid waste. Moving beyond traditional linear systems toward a circular economy — one that prioritises reduction, reuse, repair, and regeneration — is therefore essential in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reclaiming value from what would otherwise become waste.

Within this perspective, the project addresses three interconnected relationships fundamental to sustainability and the circular economy: “water-wastewater”, “energy-emissions” and “building materials-solid waste”.

Brick is a beautiful and durable material that ages gracefully and, when properly constructed, can endure for centuries. In contemporary construction, embodied carbon can account for 35–40% of a new building’s lifecycle emissions, while operational emissions often represent only around 12% of the total lifecycle carbon footprint.For this reason, sustainability should not be understood solely through technological performance, but also through longevity, adaptability, and cultural value.

People are naturally drawn to environments that feel meaningful, well-crafted, and beautiful. Buildings that are appreciated by their communities are more likely to be maintained, adapted, and preserved over time rather than demolished and replaced. In this sense, beauty itself becomes a sustainable strategy, extending the

lifespan of architecture and reducing the consumption of natural resources associated with continual rebuilding.

A central objective of the project is to maximise the reuse of locally sourced materials wherever feasible, thereby reducing transportation costs, embodied carbon, and construction waste. By “locally sourced,” we also refer to materials already present on site — including existing concrete pavers and hardscape elements that may be reused within the new development.

Similarly, excavated soil generated during foundation works is proposed to be repurposed to form the landscaped mound and amphitheatre within the park, reducing waste transportation while simultaneously contributing to flood mitigation and recreational use.

This approach could be extended further through the selective incorporation of reclaimed brick from demolished buildings for the façades of the new structures. The reuse of reclaimed masonry can reduce construction waste and costs, lower the demand for new raw materials, and decrease the project’s overall carbon footprint, while simultaneously supporting the principles of a local circular economy.

The EU Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC establishes ambitious targets of 70% for the recycling of construction and demolition waste, recognising that successful implementation

depends not only on technical technical and environmental factors but also on institutional commitment and public acceptance.

Beyond environmental considerations, reclaimed materials also introduce a unique tactile and visual richness. Weathered brickwork and naturally patinated surfaces contribute to an architecture that feels layered, timeless, and deeply rooted in place — encouraging what might be described as an “aesthetics of imperfection.”

In this way, the buildings may evoke a a sense of timelessness — as if the buildings had always been there.