Modernization of one of the largest wooden historic buildings in Poland together with its old park. In the cubature of the 100-year-old Sanatorium Gurewicz in Otwock, a modern medical center was designed with a hotel and a hospital part, housing rooms for operating patients, rehabilitation and diagnostics.

The building was built in stages before the Second World War, erected by the Jewish family of Abram Gurewicz, and it became the most important object for the architectural identity of Otwock - a city that had the character of a spa and in which other decorated wooden buildings were erected in a similar style. During the war there was a Luftwaffe hospital here, and after the war a secondary school for nurses. The building had no owner since the nineties and was gradually deteriorating. The planned investment turned out to be more difficult than expected due to the total destruction of the wooden substance of the building. The modernization was accompanied by a comprehensive artisanal reconstruction of almost the entire facility.

The investment was associated with two basic problems. The first was to place a modern orthopedic hospital in a historic, wooden building with a limited cubature. This meant the necessity to adapt the building to the serious requirements related to the load-bearing capacity of the structure, fire restrictions and the need to fit complex installations in the building. The second problem is related to the obligation to preserve the architectural character of the building. Not much could be saved from its structure and rich decoration due to the biological corrosion of the building and the complete devastation of interior furnishings during the communist era. The Otwock community expected the Investor to preserve the genius locci. After the technical expertise showing the catastrophic condition of the building, it was decided to completely dismantle it and rebuild it, including the reconstruction of most of the decorations. It was possible thanks to the craftsmanship related to wooden folk architecture developed in the Polish mountains.

The building was dissolved as a box in a box. As the original structural system has not survived to this day, the internal structure of the building is now a reinforced concrete shell housing all the complex functions of the building. This structure is covered with a self-supporting external wall structure made of pine wood and a wooden roof. The hidden structure of the external walls is made in a system of wooden poles and wooden logs inserted between them ("sumikowo - łątkowa" structure characteristic for Mazovia). Most of these elements were reconstructed and the small amount that survived was used during construction. The architects and the investor decided to reconstruct also the non-existent turret and sunbathing terrace on the basis of historical photographs - these fragments of the building did not survive the war. Richly decorated verandas, which have survived almost intact until todaywere dismantled, restored and reassembled. The interiors and surroundings of the building have been partially reconstructed on the basis of old photos. The restaurant and hotel rooms with preserved ceramic stoves are designed in their original location.

SYMBOL OF OTWOCK

The Gurewicz Sanatorium was saved primarily thanks to the courage and determination of the investor. An architectural icon important not only for the identity of the Vistula River region, but also for our memory of the lifestyle of the wealthy bourgeoisie of the Belle Epoque and the interwar period has been preserved. The private, cosy orthopaedic hospital will serve not only a select few, but thanks to the generally accessible diagnostics and restoration, also all the inhabitants of Otwock. The final stage of the investment will be the future construction of a designed swimming pool and wellness facilities.

The complex modernisation of the building was a compromise between the will to preserve a unique monument and the demanding standards of the present day. We were encouraged by the unequivocal support from local activists and Otwock residents. In the conservation community we heard many words of support, but there was also no shortage of critical voices, even considering the modernisation as a devastation of the wooden monument. We are convinced that the decaying historical building, which has been rebuilt many times over the years and for which no one wanted to take responsibility, had no chance of surviving without a user who would breathe a well-thought-out contemporary function into it, in addition to referring to the original purpose of the building. This required flexibility on the part of all those involved, rather than a rigid adherence to dogma.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The multi-discipline designs for the various phases (conceptual design, multi-discipline conceptual design, building design and detailed design, as well as author supervision) are by the Grupa 5 Architekci studio;

The conceptual and detailed design of the building's interiors is the result of cooperation between Grupa 5 Architekci studio and MAMarchitekci studio;

The execution design of the interiors of the facility, which is the author's interpretation of the aforementioned executive design of the interiors, as well as supervision of its realisation on the construction site is the authorship of Ms Urszula Brzozowska-Majdecka;