Sensu largo. Revitalization of the palace ruins into a support space for families of people with disabilities.

Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk

Project idea

„Sensu largo. Human, milieu, architecture. The revitalization of the von Kleist family palace
ruins in Juchów into a space of support for families of people with disabilities."

Are we ready to create spaces that not only exist, but also understand?

It is a response to the needs of people struggling with chronic illness, based on personal
experience - as the sister of a person with a rare genetic disease.
The project involves the adaptation of a 19th-century palace in Juchów, Poland into
a respite center. This space addresses not only physical needs but also emotional ones. The
strength of this place lies in the connection between architecture, humanity, and nature. The
lake and the palace park become an integral part of the building’s form. The architecture is
designed with harmony in mind. Spaces for integration are interwoven with areas that offer
room to breathe. The facility provides accommodation, hotel care, and therapeutic support.
However, the most important aspect is what is immaterial. The adaptation of the architecture,
interiors, and the innovative therapeutic approach respond to the needs of those who live daily
in the shadow of disability. The designed architecture is more than just form. It is a space that
listens, understands, and offers a sense of safety and support. Above all, it is a place that
provides solace in the proximity of nature, silence, and the support of those in similar situations.
The interiors are complemented by a sensory relief project that integrates able-bodied
and disabled people. It is a three-dimensional story about what is at the heart of the
project — water.

Project description

This project is a story about a space that offers natural relief instead of forced therapy. It was born out of personal need as the sister of a person with profound intellectual and physical disabilities, I know how deeply disability affects every member of a family. When one person lives with a disability, it reshapes the emotional structure of the whole household. That’s why we never needed a space just for the patient we needed a place for all of us. Not a hospital. Not a care facility. But a space where each person parent, sibling, caregiver could simply be, without explanation or guilt. A space that sees them, too.

The project reimagines the ruins of the von Kleist Palace in Juchowo as a center of respite not just for individuals in care, but for the entire family, treated as an interconnected emotional system. The architecture doesn't try to fix or cure. It listens. It opens gently. It becomes a quiet ally in the process of living through complexity.

But what mattered just as much as space was connection. Designing this project, I spoke with families in similar situations, and I realized something that had been missing from my own childhood: conversation. A moment of shared recognition. A sentence that says: me too. This kind of meeting peer-to-peer, parent-to-parent, sibling-to-sibling allows us to name what we carry, and to begin to accept it. That’s where resilience starts not in isolation, but in being seen.

In that sense, this is a kind of architecture of amor fati of loving the fate we never chose. It’s not about resignation. It’s about transforming pain into presence, loss into belonging. As a child, I longed for connection with others living similar stories. This space offers that — for those who come next.

Technical information

The architectural structure of the project is based on two wings east and west embedded within the restored layout of the palace ruins. Each serves a distinct yet complementary purpose, responding to two fundamental forms of relief: physical and emotional.
The entire design is rooted in the preserved brick fabric of the original structure, which becomes a deliberate carrier of memory. The material palette reclaimed brick, new brick, wood, lime plaster, and glass forms a sensory environment where architecture supports, rather than dominates, the human experience.

EAST WING (RIGHT WING)
Function:
A therapeutic and relaxation-focused wing. Its centerpiece is a hydrotherapy pool with access to a terrace that opens onto the palace park. This wing also includes guest rooms, individual therapy rooms, and a sensory zone located on the upper floor.
Design theme:
Water — as a symbol of cleansing, balance, and inner peace. Its presence is both literal and abstract: reflected in the pool, the nearby lake, and subtly echoed in textures, acoustics, and atmosphere.
Spatial layout:
The heart of the wing is a glazed atrium inspired by traditional orangeries, bringing natural light deep into the interior. It divides the space into smaller zones that promote intimacy, interaction, and moments of pause — both for families and individuals.
Therapeutic functions:
The wing includes rooms for psychological therapy, physiotherapy, and basal stimulation, as well as a sensory relief area designed for deep relaxation. Each room is tailored to emotional and tactile comfort, supported by daylight and soft acoustics.
Architecture:
Due to the building’s deteriorated condition, only the outer perimeter walls were preserved. Floor-to-ceiling glazing was introduced to reconnect the interior with the surrounding landscape and enhance daylight, reinforcing the therapeutic role of nature in recovery.

WEST WING (LEFT WING)
Function:
A social and integrative wing. It includes a communal dining room, an open-access kitchen for guests, a living space with a fireplace, and an upper mezzanine. This is the heart of everyday community life — a place for meals, conversation, and shared presence.
Design theme:
Home — interpreted as warmth, safety, and connection. This wing refers to the archetype of the house as a space of rituals, shared food, and belonging.
Spatial layout:
The facade of this wing can be fully opened to the outside, allowing for seamless indoor-outdoor interaction and collective activities. The mezzanine creates vertical connection and gentle visual integration between the communal zones.
Therapeutic functions:
This wing works through what might be called placebo architecture — it supports mental well-being indirectly, through warmth, sensory cues, the smell of food, natural materials, and quiet light. It encourages slowing down and emotional openness.
Architecture:
The architectural language is rooted in a rustic style, using solid wood, natural veneer, linen, terrazzo, oak parquet, and woven carpets. The interior is designed to offer richness without overstimulation — encouraging attentiveness, grounding, and sensory presence.

Documentation

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