New headquarters of the forest inspectorate in the dam
The Forest Inspectorate Rajgród, which is a part of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Białystok, has been protecting the nature in its region for nearly 100 years. After two years of construction, the foresters received a modern office building with technical infrastructure.
Nature conservation in Rajgród has an extremely rich history, dating back to the times of the Second Partition of Poland. At that time, as Forestry, and from 1925 as the Forest Inspectorate, it took care of the forests of Rajgród, establishing one of the oldest nature reserves in Poland: Grzędy and Czerwone Bagno, where the last subpopulation of elk in our part of Europe survived in the wild.
When designing the new headquarters of the Forest Inspectorate, the main assumption was to create an object referring to the surrounding nature, and at the same time, reflecting the rank of this institution. The creators of the concept were primarily inspired by the construction of the historic Polish manor house. The building was designed in the traditional brick technology with the use of prefabricated ceiling elements made of compressed concrete. The designers decided, however, to break the traditional appearance of the building body with the modern façade. “The Rajgród Forest Inspectorate building was designed in reference to the traditional Polish manor house, with a contemporary diversity of masonry and wooden elements. As a result, they obtained a characteristic appearance, additionally emphasizing the purpose and the rank of the institution located in it”, says the author of the design, architect Tomasz Zaforymski. The building was finally completed in February 2017. It has 1054,16 m2 of usable area and consists of three floors.
Tradition combined with modernity
Looking closely at the building of the forest inspectorate, it can be noticed that every detail has been carefully thought out and refined. The façade was made of red-brown shaded clinker brick DARWIN, which, owing to its texture and color, can be perfectly used in buildings combining tradition with modernity. The appearance of the object is diversified by large eaves above the gable walls, resting on wooden, decorative beams. The design is crowned with a roof covered with a ceramic tile Röben Monzaplus in the copper color, which ensures durability and protection owing to its frost resistance, strength and resistance to weather conditions. “The choice of Röben products was primarily determined by their technical parameters, price and colors that met the design assumptions. The selected materials have a significant impact on the aesthetic value of the reception of the spatial form of the object and the operational conditions of the durable finishing of the walls and roof”, explains Tomasz Zaforymski.
The materials used are in line with the ecological construction trend. The designers focused on ceramic materials both at the production and operation stage, since they are safe for the environment. Pursuing the idea of environmentally friendly construction, they decided to heat the building with 114 kW heat pumps.
The new headquarters mainly holds administrative functions for the whole Forest Inspectorate. The building comprises 14 fully equipped, functional and comfortable office rooms, where 20 people will work. The offices are located on the ground floor and attic, from which there is a beautiful view of the surrounding areas. There is also a conference room on the premises, next to which a plaque commemorating Józef Sienkiewicz, who was the Rajgród Forest Inspector in the 19th century, was mounted. Technical, economic and archive rooms are located in the basement.
