Independence House

The One Day Foundation, led by Monika and Szymon Krzyżanowski, assists young people from children’s homes and foster care in the difficult process of becoming independent. With the support of Sebastian Kulczyk, the Foundation runs the so-called Independence House in Warsaw. It is a place for meetings, training courses, workshops and holiday trips, where educators and psychologists supervise the development of young people. In order to operate on a larger scale, the Foundation decided to build a new centre near Otwock.

The architecture of the new ‘House’ in Otwock is intended to reflect the Foundation’s mission as clearly as possible. The aim is to create a space that is not just a building, but a safe haven, a place of integration and support.

The main building was designed on a circular plan with an internal patio – this centripetal layout promotes bonding while ensuring privacy thanks to rooms with a view of the forest. The complex is complemented by workshop rooms, a sports pavilion and smaller residential cottages.

The design had to take into account the unique neighbourhood of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park. Therefore, a wooden structure and prefabricated modules were chosen. This solution reduces construction time, noise and transport in a heavily wooded area. The buildings will be erected on light wooden poles, in place of the old buildings. All of them are designed to be ‘detached’ from the ground, which will preserve the natural character of the place without creating architectural obstacles for the fauna and flora.

Project page: Independence House