Sports and Rehabilitation Center of the Medical University of Warsaw will be erected along Trojden Street in Warsaw, on Banach Campus at Ochota, one of the districts of the capital of Poland. The Center will perform sport and didactic functions, located in the following complexes, interconnected by means of an underground parking and technological facilities of water treatment:

• Didactic complex of Physiotherapy Propaedeutics composed of:

- gym and multipurpose space, thanks to a moveable wall, it is possible to expand them into one big sports area.

• A complex of a gym and specialist premises along with a didactic complex of the Physical Education College and administrative complex

- sports hall of the dimensions 44.90m x 25.80m is adapted to practicing the following sports: volleyball, basketball, tennis, handball, indoor football; two two-surface acoustic curtains that enable to divide three separate and independent sectors; a complex of specialist halls is composed of: gym, combat fights hall, fitness hall.

• Complex of the Olympic pool with lifeguards and coaches rooms

- on the level of the first floor a general fitness gym and a fencing room.

• Complex of training pool with a steam and dry sauna
• Connector with cafeteria

- from cafeteria, there will be a direct access to a green terrace covered with a folded membrane structure.

The espalier of maples along Prince Trojden Street has inspired the designers to open southern facades to the greenery that will merge inside the Center. Thanks to this, the users of the pools will be able to feel as if they swim among trees. Irregular frontage with recesses and a green piazza creates a harmonious composition; glazed facades of the complexes were designed as a spatial complement of the espalier. All facade separations/elevation divisions refer to the Fibonacci sequence, used to describe natural phenomena, including the growth of the trees. Vertical COR-TEN weathering steel sheets, laser perforated and fixed to the walls, perform the function of vertical shaders and allow to obtain the effect of light filtered through leaves, both: inside and outside. The facades also perform a usage function, on the western side of the internal piazza a climbing wall has been designed that, thanks to the use of folded membrane roof, can be used also during adverse weather conditions. The architecture refers also to the existing urban tissue and fits into the surrounding buildings.

The greenery dominates inside the object and outside of it. In the mail hall, there are green module walls, eastern facade is all covered with plants that make up a unique vertical carpet of flowers, grass grows on the roofs of all buildings.

It is obvious that the use of the Olympic pool on the daily basis is connected with high expenses. Due to this reason, one of the fundamental guidelines on the design stage, was to make that the complex of pools be multifunctional. The bigger of the pools of the SRC of the MUW, of the dimensions 25m x 51.25m, and the depth of 2 m, designed in the steel panels technology is characterized by a series of innovative solutions, often designed at a particular order. These were:

- mobile partition in a form of a transport platform that serves to separate a basin of two separate pools of any dimensions;

- the shallowing bottom applied along the entire width of the pool and for a distance of 10 m makes it possible to shallow the pool to any depth,

- a lowerable acoustic screen, in the form of a man-made leather curtain which divides the pool hall into two freely shapeable dimensions, is affixed to the technical platform installed under the roof above the audience; from the technical platform maintenance works will be conducted and operation of lighting specially adapted to TV broadcasts;

These measures are to increase the profitability of facility maintenance, and thanks to them the investor achieves possibilities of using the facility not only for purposes of Olympic training or swimming competitions, but also for all sorts of commercial activities e.g. a swimming school, classes for mums and infants, aqua aerobic, etc.

Another of aspects considerably affecting the profitability of swimming facility maintenance are costs of maintenance of audience stands. As part of the Sports and Rehabilitation Centre of the Medical University of Warsaw, three independent stands were created:

- an open permanent stand for 341 persons,

- a closed viewing terrace for sports commentators and VIPs for 45 persons; it is a futuristic semi-circular structure of bent glass suspended on a steel structure directly above the pool, it guarantees greater privacy and separation from direct sources of noise, which is particularly important during TV and radio transmissions;

- a moveable folding stand is located above the training pool for 292 persons; it is a solution adapted to the investor’s individual needs and ensures optimisation of maintenance costs and space management; installed on special actuators it will be opened up only during competitions with the facility full occupancy.

An interesting body or innovative functional solutions are not the only features a good building should be characterised with. Modern architecture is ruled by the same laws as other branches of the market and must be fashionable. And undoubtedly ecology is fashionable. Fortunately, search for savings in building maintenance and natural environment protection usually go hand in hand as many investors have already found out.

The Sports and Rehabilitation Centre of the Medical University of Warsaw has been equipped with solar installations and PV panels. That is why solar energy will be used to heat the process swimming pool water, and in the event the energy is not received, the solar system will be applicable to pre-heat warm water. In the summer time, in turn, the solar system will be used to heat water for showers and for welfare purposes and heat the swimming pool water. Rainwater recovered from the roof, unfit for drinking, will flush toilets.

All installations are monitored by BMS covering by its operation control and monitoring of AC central units, lights, heat sub-stations, etc. Owing to a system of sensors and detectors the building can intelligently “react” to changes in the environment, both inside and inside, which leads to the maximisation of functionality, comfort and safety with simultaneous decrease of the facility maintenance costs. 

In cooperation with AI Architects Cyprus.