WYBIEG_4

Location: Dog playground

The dog playground is located in the park on Nábřeží Míru Street in Český Těšín. It is an important recreational area for the residents of both cities. Within a short distance, visitors will find two kids playgrounds, space for sports, but also for relaxation and flowers.

Thanks to the immediate vicinity of two bridges over the Olše River (Družby and Svobody), the river embankment became a true centre of the common Czech-Polish life of both cities. The embankment area is used by residents for walks with friends, relaxation with both younger and older children, or sports activities on the bike path or fitness attractions. 

The park offers a view of the landmark of Cieszyn in Poland – the Piast Tower and a beautiful panorama of the historic buildings of Cieszyn. In the immediate vicinity of the park is the historic building of Těšínské tiskárny a.s., which was founded in 1806 as Prochaskovy tiskárny.

 

Before the workshop, the playground contained basic equipment: a bench and a trash can. Furthermore, trunks of felled trees were located in the playground, which were, except for one, in a very bad condition. The dog paddock has its own operating rules, which its users are obliged to follow. It is the only such place in the entire city of Český Těšín. According to the city ordinance, it is possible to release dogs to run free in several locations in the city, however, none of them are located in the city centre. The dog paddock is therefore the only location where dogs living in the city centre can run freely.

On average, it is used by about 2–3 dogs at a time. Larger groups of dogs are rather rare. The playground is not very large, and therefore it is not possible to release larger groups of dogs or keep the groups apart.

 

NEEDS

Before the workshop in the dog playground, users lack standard agility/training attractions – tunnel, jumps for dogs of different sizes, slalom and balance beam. At the same time, it would be good to add additional seating options for dog owners. According to the users of the playground, it would be good to maintain the maximum possible space for the free movement of dogs. Dog attractions cannot be too close to the fence due to its low height. It would be good to place a multifunctional element in the dog enclosure, which would fulfill, for example, the function of jumps, balance beam and, at the same time, offer seating options for dog owners. It would be good to arrange the above in several height levels so it could be used by dogs of all sizes.

FINAL RESULTS

Installation design for a dog play area on the boulevards along the Olza River on the Czech side of the border. The group of participants led by Slovak architects from the GRAU studio wanted to create a place where it is not the owners who rule, but the dogs — as evidenced by the name of the project: the Dog Republic.
The result is a 3-metre-high structure, which resembles a fun, carefree music-festival-type installation rather than the standard obstacles found in dog play areas.
The Dog Republic project is complemented by a bench designed for dog owners who visit the play area. The furniture piece, made of the same materials and mirroring the proportions of the main structure, is to be an additional stimulus for integration between the pet owners.

Student participiants:

Bartosz Teodorczyk,Eryk Szczepański, Kuba Kozaczenko, Robert Rössler, Alexandra Májska, Gosia Wybieralska,Veres Dóra, Maria Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Olga Darwaj
support: Julia Zubek

Tutor: Grau/ Andrej Olah and Matej Kurajda

Architects from Slovakia

GRAU is an architectural studio based in Bratislava, Slovakia, founded in 2014,  led by Andrej Olah and Filip Marčák. GRAU works on different scales of projects, from interiors to public buildings. Architects always trying to play with context in context, do not fake, work with honest materials and approaches. Office work from whole to detail, from vision to realization. Grau are constantly looking for connection between interior and exterior.