Our goal was to create a place for the local community with inspiring architecture and environmental awareness - energy-efficient, based on renewable resources, using low-emission, natural materials, and blending into the surrounding nature and local context.

The library is located in a single-family housing district with pre-war architecture and a lot of greenery, but a lack of public spaces. The building houses a library for adults and children, a multifunctional conference room, a space for children’s activities, and offices for the management of the district libraries. The lobby area provides a place to sit with a laptop or have a meeting. The green area adjacent to the building is an extension of the internal space and can be used in summer for reading, library lessons, and events. Since there is no fence, the building has a broader green context.

The plot was a clearing with paths that residents used as shortcuts. Since the building had to cut these paths, we designed the entrances in such a way that the paths lead to them and created a parallel passage adjacent to the building.

The plot remained unfenced.The plot had the charm of informal use and nature, which had spontaneously taken over the space. To match this atmosphere, we chose wood as the façade material, a natural arrangement of greenery, and mineral paving.

There was a demand for different functions expected by the library, residents, and local NGOs; thus, the building had to be efficient and flexible. The conference room can be used for library lessons and meetings of the district library teams, but it can also be connected with the lobby, creating a larger space for events. Furniture can be easily stored and adjusted to different needs. The functions are arranged in such a way that parts of the building can also be used outside the library’s opening hours.

The building has a hybrid construction system based on prefabricated timber elements, with the staircase and elevator shaft made of precast concrete. The main structure consists of glulam, while the walls are timber-frame panels with wood-fiber insulation. The façade is finished with thermally treated pine boards, and the windows are also made of wood.

The structural wooden elements and the concrete walls of the staircase were left unfinished. Finishing materials included plywood cladding, wood wool panels, wooden lamella ceilings, and linoleum flooring. When selecting materials, we considered their environmental impact during production, their potential for reuse or recycling, and their influence on indoor air quality.

The building is heated with a heat pump, and part of its electricity demand is covered by a photovoltaic installation. Rainwater is drained into rain gardens and stored in a tank for watering the plants.

The project has been nominated for the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award, and has received several awards, including the Architectural Prize of the Mayor of Warsaw.