How to play in a bunker?

Cracow Technical University (Politechnika Krakowska), Kraków

Project idea

Modern urban centers are developing rapidly. Year after year, population and building density are increasing. As a result, they are becoming more vulnerable to the effects of hazards. Nowadays, cities must be prepared for various types of unforeseen crises, in which the rapid mobilization of resources and the adaptation of infrastructure to new functions will ensure safety. We are observing an increase in the frequency and intensity of disasters resulting from climate change and human activity. We hear daily about armed conflicts forcing citizens into mass migration. Natural disasters and extreme weather events place people in hopeless situations, in the face of which there is no other option but to flee to the nearest available shelter. Increased urban population density and high levels of urbanization mean that the effects of disasters are far more severe, leading to serious consequences on a larger scale than in areas with lower population density, where residents are more dispersed. For this reason, it is essential to be able to rapidly mobilize resources and adapt infrastructure to new functions. It is crucial to plan for emergency shelters and analyze the potential for converting public facilities to serve alternative functions in the face of a threat, providing a safe place that ensures protection for residents.

This project focuses on the design of a multifunctional sports hall that serves recreational, educational, and community purposes in everyday use while being capable of rapid conversion into a protective shelter and emergency support center during crisis situations. Owing to its size, location, and technical infrastructure, a sports hall is well suited to perform this dual function.

The aim of the project is to develop an architectural concept that combines high-quality public space with the requirements of safety, resilience, and emergency preparedness. The proposal introduces design solutions that enable efficient transformation of the building into a protective shelter while maintaining its functional, spatial, and architectural quality in everyday use. The project promotes the principles of sustainable development through the efficient use of a single building for multiple purposes and by strengthening the resilience of the urban environment.

Project description

There is a growing discussion about what places of refuge should look like today and what role public architecture should play in ensuring safety. A contemporary shelter should no longer be perceived as a hidden, isolated facility used only during emergencies. Instead, the idea of civil protection should become an integral part of the urban fabric and everyday life. This concept inspired the integration of a protective shelter with a building that serves the community on a daily basis.

Hence the title of the project: "How to Play in a Shelter?"The title refers not only to the sports function of the building but, more importantly, to the question of whether everyday architecture can be combined with protective architecture whether a place of movement, activity, and social interaction can also provide safety in times of crisis. It asks whether a shelter can become part of everyday life rather than remain solely a symbol of emergency.

Project is based in Poland. Local analyses identified Kielce as an appropriate location for exploring this concept. The city faces a shortage of collective shelters as well as a lack of publicly accessible indoor sports facilities, particularly in densely populated residential districts. The selected site, located adjacent to the Kielce Reservoir, also lacks sports and recreational infrastructure available for everyday use. The project therefore addresses two complementary needs: improving public safety while simultaneously creating a space that promotes physical activity, recreation, and community integration.

The architectural form of the building has been developed in close relation to the existing topography and natural landscape. The structure is partially embedded into the ground, allowing it to blend into its surroundings rather than dominate them. Most of the existing greenery has been preserved, and the architecture becomes part of the landscape instead of disrupting it. The building is shaped by a deliberate incision into the terrain, creating a clear primary circulation axis intersected by four secondary axes. The main pedestrian route guides visitors through the site and continues directly toward the Kielce Reservoir, establishing a natural connection between the city, the building, and the waterfront.

This axis leads to the central courtyard, which serves as the heart of the complex and integrates the building with its surroundings. It functions as a public space for everyday use, social interaction, and recreation while organizing the circulation throughout the site. A network of pedestrian and cycling routes extends the recreational programme beyond the building itself, reinforcing its open and community-oriented character.

Under normal conditions, the building operates as a public sports hall with a wide range of supporting functions. Following the main circulation route, visitors pass the glazed entrance and the administrative zone before reaching a café overlooking the reservoir and a kayak rental facility. The pedestrian route continues towards the waterfront, making the building an integral part of the recreational promenade surrounding the reservoir.

Descending to level -1, visitors enter a spacious central foyer that forms the main circulation hub of the underground level. Despite being below ground, the space remains bright and welcoming thanks to carefully designed skylights and landscaped courtyards introducing daylight and greenery into the interior. These solutions reduce the feeling of enclosure and create comfortable conditions for everyday use. On the left side of the foyer are complementary facilities, including a conference room, coworking spaces divided into open and quiet working areas, a childcare centre, and a restaurant.

The main sports hall occupies the right side of the lower level and is complemented by a four-lane running track suspended above it. Additional sports facilities include dance and yoga studios, squash courts, a fitness area, wellness facilities, and a comprehensive network of changing rooms and sanitary spaces. The building has been designed with flexibility in mind and incorporates numerous storage rooms for equipment required during emergency operation.

In emergency situations, the building is transformed into a Class S1 collective protective shelter with a capacity of approximately 600 people. The underground level becomes fully sealed through the isolation of the protected zone. The shelter is partially embedded in the ground and covered by an approximately 70-centimetre layer of soil. Three independent entrances, located outside potential collapse zones, provide access to the shelter. The approach routes are designed with right-angle turns to reduce the effects of blast waves and radiation.

The flexible sports hall allows for the rapid implementation of a modular shelter layout that complies with current humanitarian standards. Lightweight movable partitions create individual accommodation units of four square metres per person, while allowing adjacent units to be combined into larger family spaces. The shelter employs the Paper Partition System (PPS) developed by Shigeru Ban, providing occupants with a minimum level of privacy while maintaining flexibility to adapt the layout to changing needs.

The main shelter areas are organized around clear circulation routes and communal spaces that encourage social interaction. Additional facilities include sanitary areas with portable toilets, dining spaces, storage rooms, and a first-aid point. Evacuation is provided through three independent staircases, each designed to accommodate approximately 200 occupants.

The proposed sports hall is therefore more than a response to potential emergencies it forms part of a broader urban resilience strategy. During everyday operation, it promotes health, physical activity, and social interaction, while in times of crisis it provides protection and safety. The project demonstrates how architecture can successfully combine everyday life with civil protection, responding to the question posed in its title: How can we play in a shelter without sacrificing human scale, comfort, and a sense of community?

Technical information

The project concerns a public utility building combining a sports and recreation centre with a multifunctional Class S1 protective shelter. The structural and material solutions have been developed in accordance with applicable construction law, technical regulations, and safety standards.
The structural system is based on a mixed reinforced concrete wall-and-column framework. The use of reinforced concrete results directly from the building’s function and the decision to partially embed the structure into the terrain. The need to ensure resistance to exceptional loads related to emergency shelter conditions justifies the use of monolithic reinforced concrete elements for foundations, load-bearing walls, slabs, and structural cores. Steel structures are used selectively in long-span areas such as the sports hall and communal spaces.
The building is designed as a two-level structure, including one underground level that serves as a sports and recreational space under normal conditions and as a protective shelter in emergency scenarios. This level is structurally reinforced and adapted to ensure airtightness and protective performance.
In emergency conditions, part of the building is isolated and excluded from the protective function. This primarily concerns above-ground zones with a high proportion of glazing, which in everyday use provide openness, natural daylight, and visual continuity with the surrounding landscape. In shelter mode, these areas remain outside the protected zone and function only as structural and transitional elements.
For this reason, special emphasis has been placed on maintaining daylight access and spatial quality in the underground level. Skylights and structural openings in slabs have been introduced to allow natural light penetration into the interior, reducing the sense of enclosure typically associated with subterranean spaces.
An important element of the concept is the system of green courtyards and gardens located at level -1, which continue the landscape of the ground level into the underground structure. This solution ensures spatial and visual continuity between above-ground and below-ground environments, creating the impression of nature extending through the building’s layers.
As a result, the underground level is not isolated but remains an extension of the surrounding landscape. In this context, green roofs and internal courtyards play a dual role: they reduce the visual impact of the building in the landscape and simultaneously strengthen the spatial continuity between ground level and the underground zone.
Overall, the technical solutions are a direct response to the site conditions, functional programme, and the dual-use strategy of the building. The combination of reinforced concrete structure, steel long-span elements, and integrated landscape and daylight systems results in a resilient, adaptive, and context-sensitive architectural object deeply embedded in its environment.

Documentation

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