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WORKSHOP

KOTydż (read cottage)

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The KOTydż project is a workshop for design students from Poland, Germany and Hungary 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 three Poznań districts.  Forty-five 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 11-19.05.2024 in Poznań. 

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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.

FREE-LIVING CATS

How to create a house
for free-living cats? 

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            HEAT 

 

no gaps in the insulation, closely contacting layers of insulation material (we make warm styrofoam sheds from 10 cm thick slabs)

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    TWO ENTRANCES

large multi-cat shelters should have two entrances at two different spots

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     EASY ACCESS

the interior of the kennel should be easily accessible to the cat caregiver (cleaning, replacing straw/bedding)

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       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.

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       ELEVATION

the shelter should stand on an elevation in order to provide ground insulation and protection from water, ice, etc.

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      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

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

Previous editions

TUTORS

Tutors 

OBIEKT
Jan Szymankiewicz

graduated from Architecture and Urbanism
at University of the Arts in Poznan.
He gained experience at NL Architects
in Amsterdam and Coop Himmelblau in
Vienna. Later he collaborated with OMA,
7478 and MVRDV in Rotterdam. He worked
on various projects including public buildings,
housing, infrastructure and interior design
based in Europe, China and Middle East.
He was involved in all project phases from
concept design to design development.

Dr. Gaizka Altuna Charterina

is a researcher and teaching staff at the Department of Architectural Design and Representation (CoLab) of the TU Berlin. He is interested in architectural design processes informed by knowledge generated through prototyping, digital technologies and collaborative processes.

Mátyás Molnár

is an architect from Dunaszerdahely, SK. After graduating from the International Master in Architecture at KU Leuven in 2016 he has been living and working between Ghent and New York. For more than 5 years Matyas has been a collaborator of architecten de vylder vinck taillieu ( later AJDVIV) and SO-IL. He has designed and lead workshops for Horst Arts and Music Festival for multiple years, constructing pavilions for Atelier Bow-Wow and advvt. He has exhibited at the Milano Design Week in 2023, the Belgian Art & Design Fair in 2021 and the Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk in 2018. In his work his interest lies between rational pragmatism and the spontaneity of making.

Mirza Vranjaković

an architect based in Berlin, Germany, has a diverse background with studies and professional experiences across Istanbul, Madrid, Basel, and Berlin. Involved in architectural education since 2016 through CoLab at TU Berlin, he is also the founder of the architecture studio STADTGRAD.

GAB studio
 

GAB is an emerging architectural and urban design firm, founded in 2016. Studio led by Katarzyna Osipowicz-Grabowska and Piotr Grabowski is focused on creating space for living, culture, work and leisure. In our projects, we are looking for the most appropriate spatial, material and semantic solutions.

Dr. Víctor Armas-Crespo

an architect, researcher and teaching staff at the Department of Arts and Humanities at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. His background covers professional experiences across Paris, London, Nouakchott and Madrid. Since 2013 is involved in both, Start-ups related on building furniture and interior design produced with digital fabrication, and also design education at URJC. Now doing a research stay at CoLab at TU Berlin.

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Recruitment

who can apply? 

how to apply?

Participation in the workshop is open to design students from Poland, Germany and Hungary.

Participation is free of charge.

The organizers cover the cost of accommodation in Poznań as well as transport (for foreign students from Gyor 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  13.04, 11 p.m.

 

You will receive information about qualifying for the workshop on 14.04.2024.

APPLICATION FORM

Thank you for your submission!

If you have any problems with Registration form on our website you can also send your application form to workshop email:  kotydz@gmail.com 

If you dont have website or online portfolio please send us at least 2 project via email: kotydz.workshop@gmail.com

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