Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock

Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

doi:10.37190/arc210308

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to present Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock as a non-typical but also unique example of the Nadświdrzańska architecture. The next aim is to reevaluate the concept of decoration as the constitutive factor of the Nadświdrzańska architecture, using Monestiroli’s theories regarding ornament and decoration. A comparative analysis of the Gurewicz building against the background of other buildings of the Nadświdrzańska architecture shows that the discussed building is a specific version of a characteristic composition of forms. Another goal is to show the processes behind the reconstruction of the Health Resort in the context of the situation of that object in 2015 in order to finally carry out design priorities behind the modernization based on the preservation of three identities: function, form and material.

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2021

3(67)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210308

Krzysztof Mycielski*, Tomasz Trzupek**

Design priorities on the example of the modernization

of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock

Introduction

Theory and practice in the eld of architecture rare-

ly go hand in hand. Theory does not want to tolerate the

compromises of practice, while the latter does not very

often look at the deliberations of the former. The follow-

ing article presents the process of interpenetration of these

two issues aimed at implementing the best practical solu-

tions based on earlier research.

Nadświdrzańska architecture – the genesis, definition

The name of Nadświdrzańska architecture is used to

dene objects with a summer function, occurring within

the so-called “region of the historical Otwock line”

. The

popular name “Świdermajer” was given to them later, and

it was recorded and made famous in 1949 in the poem

Trip to Świder by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński. Adam

Miłobędzki notes the inuence of Swiss patterns on the

construction of summer resorts, including those in the

suburbs of Warsaw, at the turn of the 19

and 20

centu-

ries due to the expansion of railway junctions, including

* ORCID: 0000-0001-5334-5131. Faculty of Architecture, War-

saw University of Technology.

** ORCID: 0000-0001-5893-6790. Faculty of Architecture, War-

saw University of Technology, e-mail: tomasz.trzupek@pw.edu.pl

Adam Krajewski determines the range of the occurrence of the

Nadświdrzańska architecture as an area along the so-called Otwock line

from Śródborów to Wawer [1, p. 127]. Today they are: Anin, Między-

lesie, Radość, Zbójna Góra, Miedzeszyn, Falenica, Michalin, Emilia-

nów, Józefów, Świder, Otwock. Robert Lewandowski extends the list of

towns to include Daków, Miedzeszyn Nowy, Emilianów, Rycice, Anielin

vel Jarosław, Świder with the health resorts of Otwock, Błota, Nowa

Wieś, Świdry Małe, Świdry Wielkie and Celestynów; however, the au-

thor in his research does not distinguish the changing, with time, names

of places, using the valid addresses [2, p. 41].

the Warsaw–Vienna railway [3, pp. 295, 296]. The Al-

pine style appeared in the present territory of Poland in

the 19

century in an eclectic-historical version, which

only freely referred to the vernacular architecture of the

Alpine region. This process is already related to a com-

pletely new social system, which is part of the modern

world of railways, mass tourism and democratic changes.

With time, the “Alpine style” objects began to move fur-

ther away from their models. The role of ornamentation

has increased, and the remnants of the original architec-

tural features of the Alpine region are the prominent roof

eaves and balconies under the gables. The summer resort

architecture, with its roots originating from the objects

found in the mountains, began to appear regardless of

the topography, e.g. in Ciechocinek or Międzyzdroje [4,

p. 232]. According to Aleksander Wojciechowski, it was

[…] the most universal and cosmopolitan style of wooden

architecture (after: [5, p. 102]). Marek Olkuśnik, in his

cross-sectional work on tourism in Europe at the turn of

the 19

and 20

centuries, mentions the characteristic

way of building summer resorts near Warsaw, criticized,

mocked and ridiculed by the then elite as excessively

oriental and decorated [6, pp. 206–208]. However, when

comparing the “Świdermajer” architectural objects with,

for example, the objects of neo-Russian style of dachas

near Moscow and near Petersburg, the examples from

the suburbs of Warsaw clearly show greater modesty and

economy in the expression of decorations, or more modest

articulation of the walls (there is no construction of round

log walls, such as in Pogodin’s House by Nikolai Nitkin).

The purpose and the method

The purpose of this paper can be divided into two

groups. In the rst part, the intention of the text is to pres-

ent Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock as a non-

82 Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

studies he deals with Michał Elwiro Andriolli, the genesis

and area of occurrence of the phenomenon in question [2,

pp. 35–47]. Adam Krajewski in his works denes the re-

gion of its origin, discusses its individual elements, deals

with its periodization and attempts to dene the architec-

ture of the Vistula river and points to its Swiss-Russian

genesis [1, pp. 127–141]. Jerzy Szałygin [8, pp. 216–238],

Marcin Górski [9, pp. 72–75] together with Wiktor Lach

[10, pp. 6–25], [11, pp. 5–20] are dening the character-

istic features. Ewa Pustoła-Kozłowska wrote about urban

changes in the region [12, p. 11]. Iwona Trzcińska dealt

with the social impact of so called “Świdermajer” ar chi-

tecture [13, pp. 11–15, 75]. Agnieszka Szurek wrote about

Otwock in the context of visiting trends in other ho liday

resorts in Poland and around the world [14, p. 75]. Ag-

nieszka Wośko-Czerniakowska created drawing charts

with over a series of examples of façade compositions,

formwork, porch structure and a list of formwork ends

[15, pp. 108–113].

Extension

Abram Gurewicz Health Resort against

the background of the features

of Nadświdrzańska Architecture

Marcin Górski carried out a comprehensive and clear

analysis of the features of Nadświdrzańska architecture in

the case of the building in question [9, pp. 72–75]. Abram

Gurewicz Health Resort was created in 1906–1943.

From

a single “Gurewiczanka” villa, it grew by adding more

wings and merging several objects (Fig. 1). “Gurewiczan-

ka”, already after the plan, the location of the entrance and

typical but also unique example of Nadświdrzań ska archi-

tecture, present on a large scale, with an additive, random-

ly shaped body. Another goal of this study is to revalue

the concept of decoration in Nadświdrzańska architecture

because the decorations in verandas can be something

more than just ornaments and constitute one of the main

identity factors of Nadświdrzańska architecture. The sec-

ond group of the goals of this work is to present the process

of reconstruction of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in the

context of the situation in that facility existing in 2015 and

to present design priorities behind the modernization.

A comparative analysis of the features of Abram Gu re-

wicz Health Resort against the background of other build-

ings of the Nadświdrzańska architecture will be carried

out, with particular emphasis on buildings of a similar

scale and similarities in the shape of the body. Next, there

will be a distinction between ornament and decoration in

the Nadświdrzańska architecture and the key role of open-

work decorations on verandas in dening the architecture

under discussion will be indicated. In the second part of

the text, specic features will be compared with the ac-

tual technical condition of the facility before the recon-

struction, and the modernization process will be described

based on the preservation of three identities: function,

form and material.

Researchers

Andrzej Cichy dealt with the periodization of build-

ings, the development of a typology of formwork, and

pointed to its role as one of the style features of this ar-

chitecture architecture [7, p. 35]. Robert Lewandowski

is a popularizer of the architecture of the region, in his

Fig. 1. Following stages of development of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock.

It can be seen how the typical shape of “Nadświdrzańska” Architecture in the case of villa “Gurewiczanka” (~1906–1923) was continuously

developing in a much richer shape. The three separate facilities were connected by wings in the years 1927–1935 (drawing T. Trzupek)

Il. 1. Kolejne etapy rozwoju Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza w Otwocku.

Typowy kształt architektury „nadświdrzańskiej” w przypadku willi „Gurewiczanka” (~1906–1923)

przemieniał się w znacznie bardziej złożoną formę. Trzy odrębne obiekty połączono skrzydłami w latach 1927–1935 (rys. T. Trzupek)

Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock 83

the veranda, resembles the characteristic shapes of other

“Świdermajer” objects with a similar scale and principles

of shaping the body. The complex obtained its individual

character after numerous reconstructions, multi plying the

typical features of Nadświdrzańska architec ture, such as:

additivity or stepped character of the blocks.

In the architecture of the so-called “Świdermajer” ob-

jects, verandas are their main architectural distinguishing

feature. They come in many dierent variants. There are

1-,

2- and 3-level, polygonal, glazed and stepped veran-

das. The front façade of verandas usually had 3 or 5 mod-

ules (an even number of pillars), the side façade usually

had 2 modules (3 pillars). In addition to verandas, there

are also entrance porches, turrets, balconies, balcony ter-

races and loggias. There are also hipped roofs, mansard

roofs, and roofs with angles clearly exceeding 30°, veran-

das appear in dierent numbers and in dierent places.

Both of the presented examples (Fig. 2) are unusual and

therefore meaningful. Villa “U Dziadka” is specic due

to the asymmetrically located entrance, simplied detail

or the use of a shed roof. The inter-window strips have

obliquely arranged formwork, and the boards that ll the

balustrades are straight, the decorative eect is obtained

by interchangeably using a wide and narrow prole. The

veranda in the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort building is

also unusual, it is extended by another, non-usable level,

added later. In the archival photos, the height of the veran

da’s roof is lower than the roof above the building’s body.

The veranda is closed and glazed, the openings in the bal-

ustrades are built-up. There are also external stairs here,

this time located centrally.

The main function of the architecture under analysis

were living quarters, intended for rent in the summer

Hence the need for several multi-storey structures to al-

low all guests to enter their own part of the veranda. The

buildings were entered through a small porch to the stair-

case from which you could get to a 2.5-track system with

Some claim that Nadświdrzańska architecture assumed the func-

tions of schools, hospitals, sanatoriums and health resorts as well as pri-

vate residential houses, but the rst two uses are not conrmed in reality.

In fact, the building at 101 Kraszewskiego Street in Otwock was used as

a primary school, although it was not designed for that purpose, but only

adapted after the war [8, p. 365].

a b

Fig. 2. Comparison of verandas:

a) “Willa u Dziadka” (Otwock, 43/47 Mickiewicza Street),

b) Abram Gurewicz Health Resort (Otwock, 8 Armii Krajowej Street).

The first one was seriously remodelled in the 1970s (drawing T. Trzupek)

Il. 2. Porównanie werand:

a) „Willa u Dziadka” (Otwock, ul. Mickiewicza 43/47),

b) uzdrowisko Abrama Gurewicza

(Otwock, ul. Armii Krajowej 8).

Pierwsza została poważnie

przebudowana w latach 70. XX w.

(rys. T. Trzupek)

84 Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

a corridor in the middle. On the side of the entrance porch

there were kitchens and bathrooms, and on the front and

side there were rooms for rent and verandas. Comparing

the shape of the primary object – Villa “Gure wi czan ka” it

was initially similar, but due to growth of whole complex,

the typical arrangements started to change.

The dominant building materials were pine and oak

wood for the foundations. The construction of the walls

of the ground oor was post-log, the structure of the rst

oor was skeletal (the discussed example of Abram Gure -

wicz Health Resort). The insulation was often made of

compacted needles, clay, straw and wood shavings. The

interiors were nished with rough boards covered with pla -

ster on reeds. The outer plinth of the building was about

40–60 cm high and was made of brick, sometimes it was

plastered. Simple purlin and purlin-collar systems do-

Fig. 3. Axonometry of buildings with complex shapes: a) Abram Gurewicz Health Resort, 8 Armii Krajowej Street (early 1906),

b) Dr Przygoda Sanatorium, 5 Warszawska Street (1

quarter of 20

century), c) 10 Moniuszki Street (1929),

d) 24 Zaciszna Street (approx. 1920), e) 13A Samorządowa Street, Villa “Nowość II”, f) 5 Kościuszki Street (before 1893).

All facilities are located in Otwock. The black forms are in fact examples of the most typical solid structures in the Nadświdrzańska architecture,

they can be distinguished in much richer and complex shapes of bigger objects (drawing T. Trzupek)

Il. 3. Aksonometrie budynków o złożonych kształtach: a) Uzdrowisko Abrama Gurewicza, ul. Armii Krajowej 8 (pocz. 1906),

b) Sanatorium Dr Przygody, ul. Warszawska 5 (1. ćw. XX w.), c) ul. Moniuszki 10 (1929), d) ul. Zaciszna 24 (ok. 1920),

e) ul. Samorządowa 13A, willa „Nowość II”, f) ul. Kościuszki 5 (przed 1893 r.). Wszystkie obiekty znajdują się w Otwocku.

Podkreślenie części brył przez zaczernienie ma wydobyć najbardziej typowe układy brył w architekturze nadświdrzańskiej.

Są one odnajdywalne w znacznie bogatszych i złożonych zespołach brył (rys. T. Trzupek)

Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock 85

minated in the roofs covered with light tar paper or asbestos

cement. Gutters and nishing were made of zinc sheets

[7, pp. 36–40], [10, pp. 10–25], [1, pp. 134–138], [8, p. 366].

The formwork, its dimensions and prole are an im-

portant element when considering the features of the

Nadświdrzańska architecture. There were two horizontal

friezes: window friezes and inter-story friezes. The upper

part, located on the knee wall, had a vertical formwork

direction and was nished with decorative cut-outs. The

corners of the building were additionally accentuated with

moldings. The decoration was also present in llings of

balustrades, under and over the windows, window frames,

shutters in protruding eaves of gable walls and verandas,

and in llings of veranda structures [7, pp. 36–40].

In most of the summer houses in Otwock, the façades

were impregnated with linseed oil. The villas were also

painted in light colors: light aquamarine, pink, white, pale

yellow, light beige, azure, various shades of gray. Sanato-

riums and treatment facilities were painted in light gray

and white (e.g., Abram Gurewicz Health Resort). The

schedule of conservation works on the discussed complex

contains conclusions from stratigraphic studies, which

show that at the end of the 1920s the Health Resort was

white and gray. In the 1920s, when the extension of the

guesthouse was completed, all wings were unied. The

façades were designed in a very light gray color scheme,

with the exception of white windows [11, p. 20]. The com-

position of the body of a typical building consisted of the

main body founded on a brick foundation and verandas

added on three sides in a skeleton structure. Attics, usu-

ally usable, with a knee wall, were covered with a gable

roof (with a slope of within 30°) protruding beyond the

gable wall and centrally crossing the roof of a small avant-

corps. There were dormers in the roof slope illuminating

the attic rooms. The buildings are characterized by a frag-

mented body shaped by adding smaller ones, covered with

a separate, gable roof.

Abram Gurewicz Health Resort is an unusual example

among other buildings of Nadświdrzańska architecture.

By juxtaposing its body with objects of a similar scale,

one can see the randomness of this system compared to

other objects, and at the same time it is possible to nd

some similarities. It is possible to distinguish characteris-

tic modules repeated in the solids, which are in fact exam-

ples of the most typical solid structures in Nadświdrzańs-

ka architecture (Fig. 3). In the case of Abram Gurewicz

Health Resort under analysis, these were three separate

facilities connected by wings in the years 1927–1935. In

Figure 3 there is also the newest intervention, which does

not disturb the characteristics of the form.

The issue of ornament and decoration

in the Nadświdrzańska architecture

The problem of ornamentation in the Nadświdrzańska

architecture occurs with virtually every attempt to dene

There is also information about other species such as spruce and

larch.

it, for many researchers it is identity factor of this build-

ings

[10, pp. 16, 17], [1, pp. 133–136], [8, p. 366]. An

interesting distinction is made by Antonio Monestiroli

by separating the concepts of decoration and ornament.

According to Monestiroli, decoration, in the Vitruvian

approach, consists in searching for forms appropriate for

a given building, and “building elements take represent-

ative forms” and become inextricably linked with the

whole. Ornament, as understood by Monestiroli, is some-

thing secondary to architecture, it functions in the form

of “stage directions”, leading its own narrative, often not

directly related to the building

[16, p. 37].

The issue of ornaments in architecture had its ethi-

cal dimension from the very beginning of development

of architectural theories. Architects and theorists such as

Christopher Wren, Johann Bernhard Fisher von Erlach,

Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Walter Gropius and Adolf

Loos emphasized, above all, the purposefulness of its use,

connection with the material and they were critical of its

various manifestations

. At the end of the 20

century,

the problem of ornament ceased to be so passionately dis-

cussed with the simultaneous increase in popularity of use

and a complete change in the understanding of the prob-

lem of ornament in architecture, just to mention Daniel

Liebeskind’s or Zaha Hadid’s works, where whole build-

ing appears as decoration/ornament.

The decorations appear in the so called “Świdermajer”

architecture in the form of boards cut with a hair saw. One

of the main features of the Nadświdrzańska architecture is

the veranda, which was to be a buer space between the

interior of the building and the surrounding nature, and the

openwork partitions were to lter the sun and constitute

an additional membrane between man and the forest. The

forms that the openwork decorations took are secondary

to the role they played – they were aimed at bringing peo-

ple closer to nature and at the same time separating them,

and in this sense, located in the verandas, determined the

sense of this architecture. Therefore, in the understanding

of Monestiroli, cut-outs on verandas are decorations, and

not only mere ornaments (Fig. 4).

Modernization of the Abram Gurewicz

Health Resort – the situation now

Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock, designed

by architects unknown to this day, is the largest preserved

building representative of the so called “Świdermajer”

architecture. The analysis of the issues described above

shows that it is a non-typical example of the Nad świ-

drzań ska architecture, occurring on a large scale, with

Krajewski draws attention to the misuse of the concept of “wood-

carving” (consisting of carving) in relation to ornamentation found in the

Nadświdrzańska architecture, which is based on cutting with a hair saw

(laubzega) [1, pp. 137, 138].

The decorum principle was based on the compliance (unity) of

the form with the content.

Hakan Sağlam in his paper Re-thinking the Concept of “Orna-

ment” in Architectural Design presents the attitudes of leading architects

towards ornament from antiquity to the present day [17, pp. 126–133].

86 Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

an additive, specically shaped body. Its other features,

such as colors, materials and façade composition, are cha-

racteristic of the Nadświdrzańska architecture as a group.

In 2015, when the preliminary works related to the

modernization of the facility and its adaptation to a mo-

dern medical clinic were commenced, designers from the

Warsaw-based Grupa 5 Architekci studio faced two ma-

jor challenges. These translated into specic design deci-

sions, supervised by the Masovian Conservator of Monu-

ments, requiring a precise denition of priorities essential

for maintaining the architectural character of the building.

The rst issue concerned the existing building sub-

stance. During its several decades of history, the build ing

changed its users and was rebuilt several times, in cluding

Fig. 4. Abram Gurewicz Health Resort – the verandas

– one of the main features of the so called “Świdermajer” architecture,

which were to separate and link the interior

with the exterior in the same time.

In the understanding of A. Monestiroli,

the cut-out wooden planks were decorations

and not only mere ornaments (drawing T. Trzupek)

Il. 4. Uzdrowisko Abrama Gurewicza – werandy,

jedna z głównych cech tzw. architektury świdermajer,

jednocześnie miały oddzielać i łączyć wnętrze z zewnętrzem.

W rozumieniu A. Monestiroliego wycinane deski

były dekoracją, a nie tylko ornamentem

(rys. T. Trzupek)

even enlarging it during the Nazi occupation with addition-

al brick segments referring to the style of reduction classi-

cism, which was the ocial style of the Third Reich. Af-

ter the pre-war period of splendor, when the building was

a guesthouse with an exotic garden advertised as “A. Gu -

rewicz’s Health Resort”, the building served as a military

aviation hospital, and from 1960 to 1991 it served as a me-

dical high school for nurses [11, p. 5].

The monument, left unattended in recent years before

modernization by the Polish Alzheimer Foundation, which

was its another owner, was in agonizing technical con-

dition in 2015. The construction expertise of the existing

object showed a diversied internal structure of the build-

ing deviating from its original purely wooden structure.

In the four wings of the building, including the former

villa “Gurewiczanka”, in the 1980s, in place of the former

internal wooden structure, brick walls and Klein ceilings

were made, and a reinforced concrete staircase was also

implemented in one of these wings. However, when the

building was rebuilt from the inside, the wooden structure

of the external walls was preserved along with the form-

work attached to it and ornamented with it. The internal

wooden structure was preserved in its entirety in only two

wings of the building, which, according to the authors of

the expert opinion, were not suitable for repair due to their

disastrous condition and should be dismantled and then

recreated in the present form

Both the construction expertise, the architectural in-

ventory and the analysis of archival photos showed that

the surviving, though heavily degraded external ornament

required numerous replacements and additions. The only

larger elements of the building that have survived to this

day in a relatively intact condition were richly decorat-

ed wooden verandas – ventilated and thus not exposed to

progressive biological corrosion.

At the beginning of the design work, a fundamental

question arose related to the need to dene the adopted

conservation formula, namely, which historical elements

can be preserved and which should be recreated, bearing

in mind the most important values of the existing architec-

ture [18, pp. 102–108] (Fig. 5).

The identity of the function

The rst issue concerned the function of the modernized

building, which was to consist of a medical center with

a hotel part and a small orthopedic hospital with operat-

ing rooms with an ICU, rehabilitation rooms and heavy

diagnostics. The related question could not be reduced to

The geometry of the existing building as deformed due to the sub-

sidence of shallow foundation footings. The foundation walls, which do not

have any insulation and are signicantly damp, cannot be used as founda-

tions for the modernized facility. The static and strength analysis included

in the expert opinion showed that the preserved roof truss did not meet the

load requirements already at the time of the building’s construction. The

on-site inspection revealed leaking roong in many places, causing ood-

ing of the building. The wooden walls were assessed in the expert opinion

as damp, corroded as a result of fungus and insect activity and deformed.

Biological corrosion, which is still active, caused advanced degradation of

the wooden ceilings and their fragmentary collapse in many places.

Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock 87

a purely functional problem, separate from conservation is-

sues. It concerned the real possibilities of designing a par-

tially wooden and strictly limited size historic building,

a hospital function with advanced medical technology and

extensive installations. Therefore, the conservation issues

overlapped with the contemporary rigors related to the de-

sign of health care facilities, concerning, inter alia, the need

to strengthen the structure, the requirements of the Depart-

ment of Health and Safety and re regulations [18, pp.

102–108]. Both the authors of the modernization project

from Grupa 5 Architekci studio, and the authors of the con-

servation work program involved in the project, as well as

the representatives of the Provincial Conservator of Mon-

uments decided that maintaining the building’s medical

function, referring to its original purpose, is an important

value related to the identity of the place. Among the inhab-

itants of Otwock, this investment began to be perceived as

an important stage in regaining the status of a health resort

supporting the development of tourism [19, pp. 95–110].

The distribution of functions in the designed mo der-

nization partially corresponded to the historical layout.

The hotel rooms and the restaurant are situated in their

original location. In this part of the building, a few original

interior design elements have been preserved, such as the

cast iron railing of the staircase, tiled stoves and internal

wooden carpentry, which have been renovated and partial-

ly relocated. The interior design of this part of the building

made as part of the modernization (by Grupa 5 Ar chitekci,

Renata Pieńkowska and Urszula Brzozowska-Majdecka),

along with selected contemporary furniture, can be per-

ceived as today’s interpretation of the pre-war decor cap-

tured in the photos in the archival advertising materials of

the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort.

The planning of the medical functions required respect

for the characteristic additivity of the object and the inti-

mate scale of its individual wings. For this reason, some

of the designed functions, which did not t into the given

cubic capacity, were located in the basement (including

diagnostics rooms), as the temporary disassembly of the

building during its implementation allowed for its base-

ment. The equipment related to emergency supply of

electricity and heat to hospital, also outside the outline of

the monumental building, was located in a new technical

pavilion erected on the site of the former free-standing

boiler room. At the back of the modernized guesthouse,

the designers from Group 5 Architects designed a mod-

ern building of a swimming pool and spa, unnished so

far, in the scale of the wings of the historic building and

constituting a contemporary interpretation of local histor-

ical architecture with a veranda with an exposed wood-

en structure but devoid of ornaments and maintained in

a minimalist style.

The valorization method and its priorities were dened

in the program of conservation works prepared by Fest-

grupa. The desire to maintain the authenticity of the func-

tion (“subject to changes of the structure of demands” [11,

p. 16]) was conrmed, the need to maintain the authen-

ticity of the form while retaining the traces of subsequent

changes in the building and preserving the authenticity

of the structure and material of coniferous wood within

the external walls was emphasized. The study clearly em-

phasizes that […] one of the key elements for the artistic

value is the location of the former guesthouse building in

a forest garden and the organic connection with the sur-

roundings by means of open arbours, glazing and terraces

[11, p. 17].

Fig. 5. Biologically corroded wooden walls and ceilings of the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort – condition in 2015

(source: archive of the Grupa 5 Architekci)

Il. 5. Biologicznie skorodowane drewniane ściany i stropy Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza – stan w 2015 r.

(źródło: archiwum Grupy 5 Architekci)

88 Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

Fig. 6. Cross-section through the footing and the outer wall of the modernized Abram Gurewicz Health Resort, consisting of a thin inner reinforced

concrete partition and a self-supporting wooden outer structure with formwork mounted on it (source: archive of Grupa 5 Architekci)

Il. 6. Przekrój przez podstawę i ścianę zewnętrzną zmodernizowanego Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza, składającego się z cienkiej wewnętrznej

przegrody żelbetowej i samonośnej drewnianej konstrukcji zewnętrznej z zamontowanym szalunkiem (źródło: archiwum Grupy 5 Architekci)

Fig. 7. Abram Gurewicz Health Resort:

a) the preserved wooden elements of the post-and-plunk structure are being reassembled on the southern façade of the southern wing,

b) display of the post-and-plank (characteristic for Mazovia) structure in the interior of a public café (source: archive of Grupa 5 Architekci)

Il. 7. Uzdrowisko Abrama Gurewicza:

a) montaż zachowanych drewnianych elementów konstrukcji słupowo-ryglowej na elewacji południowej południowego skrzydła,

b) ekspozycja konstrukcji słupowo-ryglowej (charakterystycznej dla regionu Mazowsza) we wnętrzach kawiarni publicznej

(źródło: archiwum Grupy 5 Architekci)

a b

Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock 89

The identity of the form

The degree of degradation of the building, including

its secondary brick part (and, as it turned out after the un-

covering works on the construction site – made contra-

ry to the art of construction), inuenced the decision to

completely demolish and dismantle the building, to select

carefully biologically non-corroded wooden elements in

consultation with wood experts from the Warsaw Uni-

versity of Life Sciences and about to recreate faithfully

its form and decoration. It was found that the seriously

damaged internal structure of the building (and largely

not preserved as wooden to this day, or documented by an

inventory) has a largely utilitarian value, not translating

into the most important values related to the identity of the

Nadświdrzańska architecture. Inside the building, it was

replaced with another utilitarian structure – reinforced

concrete, adapted to the demanding modern standards of

healthcare facilities

In the spatial sense, the adopted principle can be

compared to the modernist concept of “box in the box”

– the new monolithic reinforced concrete structure was

According to Program prac konserwatorskich dot. budynku daw-

nego uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza w Otwocku [The program of con-

servation works on the building of the former Abram Gurewicz Health

Resort in Otwock] prepared by the Festgrupa company, The aim of the

project is to adapt the building of the former Gurewicz guesthouse to

new functions, while maintaining the highest possible authenticity of the

substance in the face of its serious degradation (vide: mycological and

construction expertise). The new structure of the partitions will be a rein-

forced concrete monolith inserted into the interior, while maintaining the

structural system of the external perimeter walls of the building [11, p. 3].

covered with the fully preserved but largely reconstruct-

ed traditional wooden structure, both skeletal and post-

and-plank, typical of the historical buildings of Mazovia.

Only in this way was the historical structure of the exter-

nal walls covered with a shuttering and wooden ornament

(Figs. 6, 7).

On the initiative of the architects and the investor, and

at the same time the owner of the building (Carolina Car

Company) and with the approval of the Masovian Mon-

ument Conservator, in the northern wing of the building,

elements of architecture important for the character of the

place, the existence of which in the pre-war period were

conrmed by archival photographs – a wooden tower and

a terrace for sunbathing, were recreated (Fig. 8).

The identity of the material

The structure of the external walls was best recreated

from the elements preserved on the southern façade of the

wing of the building housing hotel rooms. The sunlit wall

did not suer from fungal growth. In addition, in the same

south wing, in the interior of a public cafe (the entrance

of which is located in the arcade of a representative open-

work veranda), selected elements of the post-and-plank

structure were displayed.

In the existing building, ve types of preserved exter-

nal shuttering were discovered, which, in consultation

with the conservation services, were limited to three – au-

thentically historical – on the reconstructed façades. How-

ever, during the construction works it was decided that the

formwork should be reconstructed in its entirety, and not

the preserved one supplemented, as the old elements with

the new ones could not undergo similar deformations.

Fig. 8. Elements of the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort recreated on the basis of archival photos:

a turret (a) and a sun terrace (b) in the northern wing of the building (photo by A. Grzesik, K. Mycielski, archive Grupa 5 Architekci)

Il. 8. Elementy Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza odtworzone na podstawie archiwalnych zdjęć:

wieżyczka (a) i taras słoneczny (b) w skrzydle północnym budynku (fot. A. Grzesik, K. Mycielski, archiwum Grupa 5 Architekci)

90 Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

Fig. 10. The wooden veranda of the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort

adjacent to the central wing of the eastern façade of the building after its renovation and reassembly

(photo by A. Grzesik, the archive of Grupa 5 Architekci)

Il. 10. Drewniana weranda Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza

przylegająca do środkowego skrzydła elewacji wschodniej budynku po jego remoncie i ponownym montażu

(fot. A. Grzesik, archiwum Grupy 5 Architekci)

Fig. 9. The inventory drawings of the preserved woodcarving details of the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort made in 2015 (a)

and reassembly of the openwork southern veranda (b)

(source: archive of Grupa 5 Architekci)

Il. 9 Rysunki inwentaryzacyjne zachowanych detali snycerskich Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza wykonane w 2015 r. (a)

i ponowny montaż ażurowej werandy południowej (b)

(źródło: archiwum Grupy 5 Architekci)

Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock 91

This would cause the wooden structure of the façade to

degrade quickly again.

The precisely inventoried decorative openwork elements

were recreated on the construction site by highlander crafts-

men. The exception were two representative wooden ve-

randas, which, after the disassembly, careful cleaning and

impregnation, were retained in the original with the ttings,

which, due to the fundamental role played by these ele-

ments in the context of the identity of the Nadświdrzań ska

architecture, was a key achievement of the entire modern-

ization (Fig. 9).

Summary and conclusions

Modernization of the Abram Gurewicz Health Resort

in Otwock and adapting it to a modern medical function,

both due to the modern requirements put forward to such

facilities and the disastrous technical condition of the

monument and its previous numerous reconstructions,

required many consciously made compromise design de-

cisions. The authenticity that is still visible in the modern-

ized building was determined by the clear conservation

formula consisting in the careful reconstruction of the

wooden self-supporting structure of the external walls,

the ornament covering it, and above all in the renovation

and preservation of the original wooden verandas of the

building. The ornaments appearing on them are more than

just ornaments – they constitute a kind of decoration in the

understanding of Antonio Monestiroli, and thus are one

of the main identity factors of the Nadświdrzańska archi-

tecture (Fig. 10). Eorts have been made to maintain the

continuity of the medical function, consistency of form

(both historical and new extensions) and maintain the ma-

terial identity of the object by preserving and conserving

the historical tissue using the latest conservation methods.

One should point out the formal uniqueness of Abram

Gurewicz Health Resort compared to other buildings of

the Nadświdrzańska architecture, but also the representa-

tiveness of the features present. Interdisciplinary collabo-

ration with specialists in various elds, including monu-

ment conservators, and the use of scientic research to set

design priorities early in the design process, provide the

possibility to create a bridge between practice and theory.

Translated by

Jadwiga Andrejczuk-Panasiuk

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Abstract

Design priorities on the example of the modernization of Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock

The purpose of the paper is to present Abram Gurewicz Health Resort in Otwock as a non-typical but also unique example of the Nadświdrzańska

architecture. The next aim is to reevaluate the concept of decoration as the constitutive factor of the Nadświdrzańska architecture, using Mone-

stiroli’s theories regarding ornament and decoration. A comparative analysis of the Gurewicz building against the background of other buildings of

92 Krzysztof Mycielski, Tomasz Trzupek

the

Nad świdrzańska architecture shows that the discussed building is a specic version of a characteristic composition of forms. Another goal is to

show the processes behind the reconstruction of the Health Resort in the context of the situation of that object in 2015 in order to nally carry out

design priorities behind the modernization based on the preservation of three identities: function, form and material.

Key words: Świdermajer, Nadświdrzańska architecture, wooden architecture, modernization

Streszczenie

Priorytety projektowe na przykładzie modernizacji Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza w Otwocku

Celem autorów artykułu jest przedstawienie Uzdrowiska Abrama Gurewicza w Otwocku jako nietypowego i unikatowego przykładu architektury

nadświdrzańskiej. Kolejnym celem jest przewartościowanie koncepcji dekoracji jako konstytutywnego czynnika architektury nadświdrzańskiej przy

wykorzystaniu teorii Monestirolego dotyczących ornamentu i dekoracji. Analiza budynku Gurewicza na tle innych budowli architektury nadświ-

drzańskiej pokazuje, że omawiany zabytek jest specyczną wersją charakterystycznej kompozycji form. Autorzy artykułu ukazali także procesy prze-

budowy uzdrowiska w kontekście sytuacji tego obiektu w 2015 r. Przedstawione zostały priorytety projektowe modernizacji opartej na zachowaniu

trzech tożsamości: funkcji, formy i materiału.

Słowa kluczowe: świdermajer, architektura nadświdrzańska, architektura drewniana, modernizacja