Njirić/Bušnja, Dječji vrtić Medo Brundo, Zagreb, Hrvatska Njirić/Bušnja, Medo Brundo Kindergarten, Zagreb, Croatia124 125

Arhitektura kao generator samodiscipline

Idis Turato

napisao written by

¶ Danom završetka pisanja ovog teksta otvoreno je gradilište našeg posljednjeg projekta, novog vrtića u gradu Krku. Projekt smo započeli 2005. godine, te smo paralelno s projektiranjem izradili detaljni plan za područje novog stambenog naselja u novom dijelu Krka. Usporedo s projektiranjem našeg vrtića pratio sam natječaj, projekt i izgradnju vrtića ‘Medo Brundo’ u Retkovcu arhitekata Hrvoja Njirića i Davora Bušnje u Zagre-bu. Kako arhitektura ipak ponekad može biti i brza, autori su realizirali od natječaja do useljenja svoju kuću u rekordnom roku od dvije godine. Naš je projekt tekao bitno sporije, tipič-no za arhitektonsko-urbanističko okruženje u Hrvatskoj. To

¶ On the same day when this text was completed, the con-struction site of our last project was opened – a new kinder-garten in the town of Krk. We started this project in 2005, and, parallel to the designing, we made a detailed plan for a new residential area in the new part of Krk. Along with the work on designing our kindergarten; I was following the competi-tion, project and construction of the Retkovec Medo Brundo Kindergarten in Zagreb, the work of architects Hrvoje Njirić and Davor Bušnja. Architecture can still occasionally prove to be a quick process: the authors completed the building, from the time of competition to its occupation in a record time of

Architecture as a generator of self-discipline

arhitektiarchitects

Hrvoje Njirić Davor Bušnja

Domagoj Blaževićfotografija photo by

Njirić/Bušnja, Dječji vrtić Medo Brundo, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Njirić/Bušnja, Medo Brundo Kindergarten, Zagreb, Croatia

Njirić/Bušnja, Dječji vrtić Medo Brundo, Zagreb, Hrvatska Njirić/Bušnja, Medo Brundo Kindergarten, Zagreb, Croatia126 127oris, broj 50, godina 2008 oris, number 50, year 2008

sve je to u projektu nemoguće spoznati i doživjeti, a ponaj-manje potrebno racionalno predvidjeti. Ljepota nepredvidivo-sti procesa i korigiranje vlastitih postavki i premisa u toku materijalizacije arhitekture uvijek je nenadoknadivo korisna ako je moguće da se u postupku realizacije dogodi. ¶ Sunčano zimsko jutro, djeca u sobama, odgajateljice spremne na posjet, ravnateljica ne baš spremna na komunikaciju.... krećemo....započinje uzbudljiva arhitektonska šetnja. Mogućnost da ho-dam kroz netom realiziran projekt doveo me do trenutka ne-kih spontano nastalih zaključaka. Arhitektura vrtića ostala je uz škole i poneke građevine društvene namjene posljednji azil za klasično bavljenje arhitektonskim prostorom. Mogućnost kreiranja različitih prostorno-funkcionalnih sklopova i defini-ranja mjesta susreta, edukacije i socijalnog kontakta arhitek-turom moguće je upravo ovdje. Vrtić za djecu, vrtić za arhi-tekte. Zabavište za djecu zabava(ište) za arhitekte. Pod zabavom podrazumijevam zadovoljstvo i sreću trenutka kada arhitektonskim alatima proizvodimo uzbudljiva i poticajna mjesta i trenutke. Arhitektura vrtića mora osigurati kvalitetan proces u vremenu, educirati niz generacija i biti okvir za odra-stanje i znatiželju. Vrlo jasna pravila, dimenzioniranja i funk-cionalni sklopovi omogućuju njihove različite interpretacije i derivacije. ¶ Prvo što mi je odmah bilo tjelesno jasno ulaskom

barked upon an exciting architectural stroll. An excursion to the kindergarten, a walk through the kindergarten. ¶ I have always needed the experience of the spatiality of a built work, its materialization and the physical impression of architectu-re to be able to fully explain to myself and understand the energy of a building and project. The very passing in real time, tactile quality of materials, smells and sounds of a space, li-ght… all these are impossible to perceive and experience in project drawings, and least of all necessary to rationally anti-cipate. The beauty of unpredictability of a process and correc-ting of one’s own postulates and premises in the course of materialization of architecture has always been irretrievably useful if it is possible for it to happen during the procedure of realization. ¶ A sunny winter morning, children in their rooms, kindergarten teachers ready for the visit, headmistress not so ready for conversation… and it begins… the exciting architec-tural stroll has commenced. The possibility to walk through an only recently completed project has brought me to a mo-ment of a few spontaneous conclusions. Architecture of kin-dergartens has remained, along with schools and few other public buildings, the last asylum for a classical approach to architectural spaces. The possibility to create different spati-al-functional assemblies and define places of meeting, educa-tion and social contact with architecture is possible exactly here. Kindergarten for children, kindergarten for architects. Playground for children, play(ground) for architects. By the term playground I imply the pleasure and happiness of the moment when we produce exciting and motivating places and moments by help of architectural tools. Architecture of kin-dergartens has to ensure a quality process in time, educate a number of generations and serve as a frame for growing up and curiosity. Very clear rules, dimensioning and functional assemblies enable different interpretations and their deriva-tions. ¶ The first thing that instantly became clear to me, in physical terms, and in the very moment of entering the kin-dergarten was the fact that ‘our kindergarten’ would leave an entirely different impression than this remarkable project. I was very glad about it, however, I asked myself how to use my colleague’s experience in my own thoughts and turn it into a stimulus for a new creation. Communication and experience of realization as creative and motivating structure. Simulta-neously, I recalled the sketch design, layout, characteristic Njirić-style sketches and models, which perfectly responded to the posed question of the site or context with their con-ceptual and functional-structural notions. On a small-sized plot, Hrvoje created a complex structure of an introverted carpet. The kindergarten units with closed atriums and sce-

zaostajanje u vremenu bilo je sa današnje distance vrlo plodonosno – projekt sam mogao usporavati i ubrzavati u pojedinim njegovim fazama osvrćući se više puta na sebe i naše postavke, te takva iskustva i zaključke dovoditi u uspo-redbu s odličnim Hrvojevim projektom. ¶ Ni jedna arhitekton-ska zamisao ili ideja ne može krenuti od sebe same, te ju je nemoguće gledati izvan konteksta povijesti i iskustva pret-hodnika, nastanka, mjesta i okolnosti u kojima je arhitektura realizirana. Ona je, barem u mom slučaju, derivacija nakuplje-nog znanja, emocija i iskustva arhitekture prije mene i para-lelna trenutku u kojem djelujemo. Kad je realizacija Hrvojevog vrtića bila privedena kraju, a mi upravo završavali izvedbene projekte, nazvao sam kolegu i zamolio ga da nas provede kroz svoju kuću. Što iz razloga arhitektonske radoznalosti i ‘navu-čenosti’ na struku s neutaživom žeđi za spoznajom nove ar-hitekture, što zato da mi prolazak kroz završeni projekt mož-da pomogne u rješavanju vlastitih kreativnih nedoumica i otvorenih pitanja našeg projekta, krenuli smo u uzbudljivu arhitektonsku šetnju. Izlet u vrtić, šetnja kroz vrtić. ¶ Iskustva prostornosti realizacije, njezina materijalizacija te tjelesni doživljaj arhitekture uvijek mi je bio potreban da do kraja sebi pojasnim i spoznam energiju neke kuće i projekta. Prolazak u vremenu, taktilnost materijala, miris i zvuk prostora, svjetlo,

two years. Our project was progressing at a significantly slower pace, typical for the architectural and urbanistic surro-undings in Croatia. This temporal delay was, from today’s point of view, very fruitful. In other words, I was able to slow down the project or quicken the pace in different phases to look back repeatedly at myself and our postulates and to com-pare these experiences and conclusions with the excellent project of Hrvoje. ¶ Not one architectural notion or idea can commence on its own and it is impossible to observe it out of context of history and the experience of our predecessors, of its coming to being, the place and circumstances in which this architecture was realized. It is, at least in my case, a derivati-on of accumulated knowledge, emotions and experience of architecture before me and concurrent with the moment in which we act. When Hrvoje’s kindergarten was completely finished and we were just finishing the working drawings, I telephoned my colleague and asked him if he could take us through his building. One of the reasons was architectural curiosity and ‘addiction’ to the profession, accompanied by unquenchable thirst for cognition of a new architecture. Anot-her reason was the fact that going through a completed pro-ject might help me in solving my own creative doubts and unanswered questions related to our project. And so, we em-

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u vrtić da će ‘naš’ ostavljati potpuno drugačiji dojam od ovog odličnog projekta. To mi je bilo jako drago, ali postavljam si pitanje kako iskustvo kolege upotrijebiti u svojim mislima i kako ga pretvoriti u poticaj za novo stvaranje? Komunikacija i doživljaj realizacije kao kreativna i poticajna struktura. Para-lelno sam se prisjetio idejnog projekta, tlocrta, karakteristič-nih njirić skica i modela koji sa svojim konceptualnim, funkci-onalno-oblikovnim postavkama savršeno odgovaraju na postavljeno pitanje parcele, konteksta. Hrvoje na skučenoj parceli radi složenu strukturu introvertiranog tepiha. Vrtićke jedinice sa zatvorenim atrijima i scenarij unutrašnje ulice oko koje postavlja sve zajedničke i uslužne funkcije vrtića defini-raju os i arhitektonsku kičmu kuće. ¶ Već prvim korakom u ulazni hal dočekao me potpuno drugačiji osjećaj od očekiva-nog. Koji je razlog tome? Shvatio sam da ću morati dublje ući u analizu materijalizacije, te da sam sada pred uzbudljivim trenutkom u kom me projekt dovodi u još jedan krug spozna-je i traži od mene dodatnu koncentraciju, analizu projekta-realizacije. Kada me Maroje Mrduljaš pozvao da napišem ovaj tekst o vrtiću ‘Medo Brundo’ u Retkovcu, pristao sam iz prve, bez razmišljanja. Razlog prvi: pojasniti sebi samom (a možda i drugima) neočekivani osjećaj iskustva realizacije projekta na takvom vrhunskom primjeru. Razlog drugi: dati svoj skromni prilog Orisu i njegovom uredništvu u pokušaju da pokrene konstruktivno-kreativni dijalog unutar struke oslobođen kli-šeja i navada arhitektonskog pisanja i kritike. Pisanje i kritika kao projekt za sebe. Pisanje kao iskustvo komunikacije i men-talni fitness i otvorena razmjena misli s kolegama koja nas jača i postavlja u jaku poziciju naspram svakodnevnog djelovanja u ‘stvarnom svijetu’. Upravo taj stvarni svijet Hrvatske u kojoj je sve moguće, a i nije... dovodi do nepredvidivih i kreativnih trenutaka i novih mogućnosti. Prostor ‘između sustava’, ne-

nario of the interior street around which all common and service functions of the kindergarten are arranged define the axis and architectural spine of the building. ¶ Already the first step into the entrance hall evoked a completely different fee-ling than expected. What was the reason for that? I realized that I would have to carry out a deeper analysis of materiali-zation, and that I was at that point facing an exciting moment in which the project was leading me to another layer of insight and required additional concentration from me, an analysis of the project-realization. When Maroje Mrduljaš asked me to write this text about the Medo Brundo Kindergarten, I agreed immediately, without giving it any thought. The first reason: to explain to myself (and perhaps to others) an unexpected feeling of the experience of the realization of a project on such a supreme example. The second reason: to make my humble contribution to Oris and their editorial board in their attempt to initiate constructive-creative dialogue within the professi-on, freed from clichés and habits of writing about architectu-re and criticism of architecture. Writing and critique as pro-jects in themselves. Writing as an experience of communication and mental fitness, and an open exchange of ideas with colleagues that makes us stronger and provides us with a powerful position in comparison with the everyday functioning in ‘the real world’. And exactly this real world of Croatia, in which everything is possible and is not possible… enables unpredictable and creative moments and new possi-bilities. The space ‘between the systems’, unpredictability and unstableness are the creative frame (at least to me) of today’s activities. ¶ Hrvoje’s kindergarten, in accordance with the project brief and programme, defines and designs a space at the junction of two streets as a kind of urban dialogue between the kindergarten and city. The position of the building and

situacija

situacija

uzdužni presjek

longitudinal section

poprečni presjek

cross section

tlocrt prizemlja

ground floor plan

tlocrt krovne terase

roof terace plan

aksonometrija

tlocrt 2. kata

2nd floor plan

axonometry

tlocrt 1. kata

first floor plan

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predvidivost i nestabilnost kreativni su okvir (bar meni) u današnjem djelovanju. ¶ Hrvojev vrtić sukladno projektnom zadatku i programu definira i projektira prostor na križanju dviju ulica kao svojevrsni urbani dijalog vrtića i grada. Položaj građevine i njezina parcela zasigurno bi bila primjerenija po-slovnoj ili uslužno-trgovačkoj namjeni. Upravo tu manu ugra-đenu u bit projektnog zadatka Hrvoje koristi kao svoju pred-nost. U startu snažna odluka koju zapravo nameće sama parcela i njezin ‘nemirni’ kontekst, te dovodi vrtić i parcelu u poticajni sukob-odnos sa gradom. Dio parcele prepušta gradu i javnoj komunikaciji. Odličan i hrabar potez koji ne bi bio moguć unutar sustava koji nameće i definira idealna pravila parcele, položaj i njezine dimenzije. ¶ Nastavno na ulazni atrij koji se povezuje s dijelom parcele izvan ograde vrtića i pred-stavlja javni i urbani dio parcele dolazimo do unutrašnje ulice sa nizom sadržaja, staklenih kutija – od ravnatelja, do računo-vodstva, švelja, preko pedagoga, koji izravno komuniciraju s prolaznikom i djecom. Takav potez osigurava konstantni dija-log između strana i neprestano pretapanje odgoja, komuni-kacije, edukacije i usredotočenosti jednih na druge, bez obzi-ra na to s koje strane stakla se nalazili. Od odgajatelja, preko djece, do švelja i kućnog majstora, preko kuhara i pedagoga, sve je pretpostavljeno i definirano staklenim okvirom ili po-

the plot would certainly be more appropriate for business, service or trade activities. This disadvantage, implanted in the very essence of the project brief, is used by Hrvoje exactly as an advantage. A strong decision at the very beginning, actually imposed by the very site and its ‘disturbed’ context, which places the kindergarten and plot into a motivating conflict-relation with the city. Part of the site is offered to the city and public circulation. This is a remarkable and brave move, which could not be possible within a system that imposes and defi-nes ideal rules for a plot, its position and dimensions. ¶ The entrance atrium, connected to the part of the plot outside the kindergarten fence and representing the public and urban segment of the site, leads to the interior street which contains a number of programmes, glass cubes. These glass cubes are intended for the headmistress, accounts office, seamstress, pedagogues – and they all communicate directly to passers-by and children. Such a move ensures a constant dialogue between the two sides and constant merging of upbringing, communication, education and focusing of one to the other, no matter on which side of the glass they are. From kinder-garten teachers to children, to seamstress and repairman, to cooks and pedagogues, everything is conditioned and defined by glazing frames or sliding walls of the big multipurpose

atrium. Precisely this excellently formed and technologically well-conceived space leaves an impression that has not been given so far in our perception of kindergartens. For that rea-son, the first impression upon entering through the entrance hall put me (and I believe any other visitor) into an unexpected relation with the building. At the present time of ‘Disneylan-dization’ of styles and general over-abundance of Pevec-like and Kika-like aesthetics, such a kindergarten and entrance hall space certainly represent a conflict when related to the con-ventional habits and lifestyle in one’s own home, both in the minds of children and their parents. Furthermore, it becomes a kind of educational-spatial physical shock, catharsis, mo-ment of perceiving a different, highly aestheticized and shaped architectural space. ¶ Defined by the proposal in the compe-tition entry, the area intended for the kindergarten teachers’ offices which Hrvoje unmistakeably placed on the ground floor at the edge of the plot that belongs to the section of urban dialogue of the kindergarten with the city, was unfor-tunately eliminated during the realization of the main project. Fire prevention regulations and the budget proved and showed that the ‘fire prevention strain’ of the building was not able to endure a kindergarten unit on the upper floor and therefo-re the management of the kindergarten had to be placed on

kretnim kliznim stijenama velikog polivalentnog atrija. Upra-vo taj vrhunski oblikovan i tehnološki dorađen prostor ostav-lja dojam koji u našoj percepciji vrtića nije bio do sada poznat. Iz tog razloga prvi dojam nakon ulaska kroz ulazni hal doveo me, a vjerujem i svakog drugog posjetitelja, u neočekivani odnos s kućom. U današnjem vremenu ‘disneylandizacije’ sti-lova i sveopće poplave ‘pevec-kika’ estetike ovakav vrtić i pro-stor ulaznog hodnika sigurno dovodi djecu, a i njihove rodite-lje, u sukob između ustaljenih navika i načina života u okvirima svojih kuća te biva svojevrsni edukativno-prostorni tjelesni šok, katarza, trenutak spoznaje drugačijeg i visokoe-

Njirić/Bušnja, Dječji vrtić Medo Brundo, Zagreb, Hrvatska Njirić/Bušnja, Medo Brundo Kindergarten, Zagreb, Croatia132 133oris, broj 50, godina 2008 oris, number 50, year 2008

autori authorsarhitektonski ured architectural office

investitor clientneto površina net area

projekt projectrealizacija completed

cijena cost

Hrvoje Njirić, Davor Bušnjanjiric + arhitektiGrad Zagreb / City of Zagreb2650 m²/sqm200520072.720.000,00 €

Dječji vrtić ‘Medo Brundo’, Dubrava 185, Zagreb, Hrvatska Medo Brundo Kindergarten, Dubrava 185, Zagreb, Croatia

stetiziranog i oblikovanog arhitektonskog prostora. ¶ Natje-čajnim projektom definirani prostor boravka za odgajatelje koji Hrvoje nepogrešivo smještava u prizemlje na rubu parce-le, u dijelu urbanog dijaloga vrtića sa gradom, nažalost biva eliminiran u toku realizacije glavnog projekta. Požarni propisi i proračun dokazali su i pokazali da ‘požarno opterećenje’ gra-đevine ne može podnijeti vrtićku jedinicu na katu, te je po-trebno upravu vrtića smjestiti na kat građevine, a vrtićku je-dinicu u prizemlje na mjesto gdje joj realno nije idealno mjesto. Time je nažalost izgubljen dio komunikacijske živosti i funk-cionalne prokrvljenosti prostora vrtićke ulice. Pomicanje pro-stora za odgajatelje na kat građevine bitno je poremetilo Hr-vojevu ideju o prožimanju javnih sadržaja s vrtićem. Tu dolazimo do pitanja koje sebi često postavljam. Da li se gra-đevine mogu i trebaju projektirati scenarijima ili klasični arhi-tektonsko-prostorni konstrukt svojim elementima ploha, bridova, platformi i prostornim razdiobama udomljuje sadr-žaje i kreativno potiče upotrebu prostora neovisno o namjeni, pravilima i uvjetima korištenja? ¶ Vrtićke jedinice su, kao i

‘vrtićka-ulica’, oblikovane minimalistički kao pažljivi ali vrlo precizni okviri unutar kojih se odvija život i rast mališana. Na-mještaj projektiran po mjeri prostora, bojan bijelom bojom zidova, zajednički ostvaruju efekt prostornog elementa gdje sjena, plohe i udubine definiraju mjesta u jedinici. Prostor je podijeljen u dvije visine. Ona okrenuta starijima je 3 metra (nešto viša od uobičajene) a druga, visina 1 metra, namijenje-na je mališanima. Dio namještaja i ogledala definira tu intimnu i na prvi pogled odraslima nevidljivu projektiranu visinu, pro-stor djece. Spajanje ploha zida, lomovi svjetla preko reflekti-rajućih i staklenih ploha, te brižljivo projektiran namještaj spajaju se sa žutim elementima opreme i pokretnih mekih strunjača. Žuta boja pretapa se u travnato zelenu. Zelenilo smiruje, slova i rečenice putuju po staklenim plohama. Viso-koestetiziran i zahtjevan prostor. Hrvojevo inzistiranje na toj odluci, te upotreba tehnološki savršenih materijala i tehnolo-gije zasigurno će ostati duboko urezani u sjećanje djece koja ga koriste. Roditelji i odgajatelji također ovakvim su projek-tom dovedeni pred gotov čin gdje se moraju maksimalno koncentrirati na svakodnevni odgoj djece i prenositi energiju radoznalosti i potrebu za stjecanjem znanja koju ovaj vrtić vrlo zahtjevno generira i postavlja pred svojeg korisnika. Ar-hitektura kao generator samodiscipline i koncentracije. ¶ Zad-njim rečenicama i slovima ovog teksta odlazim na Krk u prvi službeni posjet gradilištu, ovog puta kao nadzorni inženjer (na gradilištu me uopće ne poznaju kao projektanta). Veselim se trenutku kad ću s Hrvojem prošetati gotovim vrtićem, te

se nadam da će sve ovo nakon 10 mjeseci gradnje rezultirati svojevrsnim nastavkom priče. Ako to rade s filmovima i knji-gama, zašto mi ne bismo započeli s istom praksom u arhitek-turi. Odgovor Hrvoja slijedi ... To be continued!

the upper floor of the building and a kindergarten unit on the ground floor, positioned in a place which was not ideal in re-ality. This, regretfully, created a loss of some of communica-tional liveliness and functional quality of the circulatory sy-stem of the kindergarten street’s space. This relocation of the space for kindergarten teachers to the upper floor of the bu-ilding disturbed Hrvoje’s idea of merging common spaces with the kindergarten. Here, we are faced with the question I often ask myself: can or should buildings be created in accor-dance to scenarios or does a classical architectural-spatial construct, with its elements of planes, edges, platforms and spatial divisions, represent a home to contents and creatively motivate usage of space not in dependence on purpose, rules and conditions of this usage? ¶ The kindergarten units as well as ‘kindergarten street’ are formed in minimalist manner, as carefully yet very precisely formed frames within which the life and growing up of the little ones occurs. The furniture, designed according to the space’s proportions and coloured in the same white colour as the walls, creates an effect of spatial element where shadows, surfaces and niches define the places in a unit. The space is divided into two levels. The first one is 3 metres high (it is somewhat higher than usual) and is intended for older children and the other 1 metre high is intended for little children. Part of the furniture and mirrors define this intimacy and – at first sight invisible to adults de-signed height – children’s space. Joining of wall surfaces, re-fraction of light over reflecting and glass surfaces and carefu-lly designed furniture merge with yellow elements of equipment and movable soft mats. The yellow colour dissolves into grass-green colour. The greenness is calming; letters and sentences travel all over the glass surfaces. This is a highly aesthetic and demanding space. Hrvoje’s insistence on this decision and usage of technologically perfect materials and equipment will certainly remain deeply imprinted in the me-mory of children who use it. Parents and kindergarten tea-chers have also been presented with an accomplished fact with such a project, and they have to focus maximally on the everyday bringing up of children and to transfer the energy of curiosity and need for acquiring new knowledge which this kindergarten very demandingly generates and sets in front of its users. Architecture as a generator of self-discipline and concentration. ¶ The last sentences and letters of this text take me back to Krk, to my first official visit to the construc-tion site, this time as supervising engineer (people on the construction site are not at all aware I am also the architect). I am looking forward to the time when I will stroll through my

completed kindergarten with Hrvoje and I hope that all this will result in a continuation of the story after ten months of construction. If they can do it with films and books, why wouldn’t we start the same practice with architecture? Hrvoje’s answer follows… To be continued!