KOTydż (read cottage)
The KOTydż project is a workshop for design students from Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic and it also involves the local communities of Poznań's districts. Based on a DIY non-formal education format, the workshop is another initiative held as part of project-oriented education carried out jointly by SARP Poznań and the Association Punkt Wspólny. Participants will be tasked with designing and making their own houses for free-living cats in two Poznań districts. Thirty-six students will take part in the project. They will be split into five working groups led by renowned designers. The workshop will take place from 12-20.04.2023 in Poznań.
TASK: design and create houses for free-living cats
Free-living cats are a permanent and legally protected component of the urban ecosystem (see: Art. 21 of the Act of 21 August 1997 on the protection of animals – Journal of Laws of 2003, No. 106, item. 1002, as amended). According to the abovementioned law, they contstitute a national good and should be provided with conditions that are conducive to their development and free existence. Free-living cats are not stray animals and as such they must not be captured, taken away or hindered from living in a given place.
At present, the cat shelters located in the housing estates selected for the project are made up of old racks and cardboard boxes wrapped in tape – due to their unsightly appearance, some residents have called for them to be replaced or removed. The estate administrations are not legally allowed to do away with these houses or capture the cats, which leads to a lot of social tension among neighbours and between the cooperative/neighbourhood community council and the residents. A large part of the community members is aware of the existence of these animals and try to help them, especially in winter, by feeding them or leaving quilts, blankets and old towels in their bedding. To address these issues, some cooperatives opt for factory-built houses offered by private companies. However, these houses do not meet the basic safety requirements for these animals. Hence the pressing need for a workshop that will yield designs for functional and safe structures that at the same time will be aesthetically integrated into the given architectural context.
How to create a house
for free-living cats?
HEAT
no gaps in the insulation, closely contacting layers of insulation material (we make warm styrofoam sheds from 10 cm thick slabs)
EASY ACCESS
the interior of the kennel should be easily accessible to the cat caregiver (cleaning, replacing straw/bedding)
ELEVATION
the shelter should stand on an elevation in order to provide ground insulation and protection from water, ice, etc.
TWO ENTRANCES
large multi-cat shelters should have two entrances at two different spots
NOT TOO BIG
the dwelling should not be too big and the ceilings in the rooms should not be too high. Cats prefer smaller spaces, which also hold heat better.
DIMENSIONS
dimensions that an adult cat occupies: small: 30x30cm, larger: 35x35 cm
suggested space for 1 cat: 35cmx35cm and 40x40cm
suggested size of entrance opening: 15x15cm
JEJU studio (PL)
Tutors
Young architecture practice based in Poland, directed by co-founders and lead architects Iwo Borkowicz and Adam Siemaszkiewicz. Office ambition is to convey contemporary space understanding within forms found somewhere between classical beauty and mundane awkwardness. Architects are fascinated by peculiar forms made with simple lines, raw materials and honest detailing. Can a building tell a joke? A logic is they guide, intuition is the weapon of choice. They like collaborations. They care.
KOBRA studio (CZ)
Small architecture studio based in Brno. There are three of them. Kristina, Michael and Petr graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Brno Technical University in the master studio under the direction of Jan Mléčka. In 2020, they founded the architectural studio Kobra, which is based in the Rybářská Brno art studios, where they collaborate with other architects and artists.
social.form (DE)
The Darmstadt based design studio social.form conceives and develops socio-cultural projects, designs and plans objects and spaces that are intended to create, support and negotiate community and realises artistic interventions in urban space. Whether it's a temporary intervention, a neighbourhood square or a community center, for us good architecture always forms the basis for joint action, encounters and social exchange. Socialform stands for conscious work in the field of tension between the designed form and the social demands on the objects and spaces. Low-threshold and cross-disciplinary projects with a high degree of identification and participation are realised.
Atelier Starzak Strebicki (PL)
Jola Starzak + Dawid Strebicki
Architects and urban planners. Following their studies in the Netherlands and many years of working for design engineering studios in Belgium and in the Netherlands, they established their own design engineering studio in 2011. Presently, they are working on furniture, interior, architectural and urban design projects in Poland and Belgium. What intrigues them about design is the diverse scale of design work: from furniture, through house and interior design, to the city planning scale.
Rolf Starke + Anatolii Kotov
Anatolii Kotov is currently a PhD student, research and teaching assistant at B-TU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany. His research focuses on the application of AI/ML/Robotics in architectural design and engineering. Several years of experience as a professional architect in major architectural firms. Winner of several architectural competitions of different kind. Most relevant for the workshop - 1 prize in the international competition 24H House for a Dog
Rolf Starke is equally enthusiastic about architecture and technology and consequently works at their intersection. He was tinkering with virtual reality, drone photogrammetry and robotics, exhibiting at the Futurium Berlin. Now he is focusing his practice around Architecture and Artificial Intelligence, which he was teaching before at the TU Braunschweig.
Recruitment
who can apply?
how to apply?
Participation in the workshop is open to design students from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany.
Participation is free of charge.
The organizers cover the cost of accommodation in Poznań as well as transport (for foreign students from Brno or Berlin) and food – 2 meals a day.
If you would like to participate in the workshop, please fill in the application form provided below.
Recruitment for the workshop runs from 1.03 until 20.03, 11 p.m.
You will receive information about qualifying for the workshop on 21.03.2023.
