michał spólnik & marcin kitala envision skyscraper as cluster of 'biome starters'

‘New Spring’: an Agroecological skyscraper 

Polish architects Michał Spólnik and Marcin Kitala share their proposal for an agroecological skyscraper called ‘New Spring’. Rising dramatically over cultivating fields, the timber structure is envisioned as an aggregation of modules – each one holding the seeds of future gardens, fields, or farmlands that can be dispatched to specific regions to help restore their natural landscapes. The project has won third place in the 2022 Skyscraper Competition organized by eVolo Magazine. 

Sharing their inspiration behind ‘New Spring’, Spólnik (see more here) and Kitala (see more here) comment: ‘Global food production relies greatly on an extremely small number of crop and livestock species. Together with changes in how land and water resources are used, population growth, urbanization, and shifting food culture, this lack of crop diversity poses a threat to global food and nutrition security. For the sake of our society – and for the ones to come – we might like to rethink the ways we treat our land.’

replenishing lands with experimental ‘biome starters’

Following the principles of agroecology, each proto-garden or module belongs to a particular biome with its distinct flora, soil, microorganisms, small animals, and microclimate. These ‘biome starters’ are experimental from the start, often combining plants that do not come together in the natural environment. Such experimentation, the architects note, is essential when fighting climate change, where some damages cannot be reversed, and new solutions and adaptations are needed.

Hidden behind the envelope of modules and their timber supporting structure is a core filled with hardware functions: seed and plant tissue banks, laboratories, lecture spaces, data centers, warehouses, and high-tech composters. The program is completed with meetings, discussions, and knowledge-exchange events.

a modular timber structure symbolizing rebirth 

The modular pods feature cross-laminated timber, allowing for agile fabrication and a relatively repetitive assembly and disassembly process. Strains of CLT linear elements branch out from the core towards the pods – finding their way in optimized load-bearing bundles. Ladder-like features placed upon particular elements stimulate activities of small animals that roam around in the floating gardens. Modules can be added, removed, or replaced freely. 

Reflecting on the choice of location, the architects state: ‘New Spring could have flourished in many places around the world, but there is some kind of specificity among the fields of Poland. Cultivating the land over the centuries gave rise to many local festivities praising all the goods that flourish from this fertile soil. With its shape informed by the traditional Easter Palm, the structure also symbolizes cyclical rebirth and rejuvenation.’

project info:

name: New Spring

location: Poland
architecture: Michał Spólnik, Marcin Kitala

third place winner in: eVolo 2022 Skyscraper Competition 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom