Roca

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Project type Large-scale, mixed-use.
Location Krakow, Poland.
Interior Designers Tremend Architects.
Roca Expertise Specification support (product proposal) with designer Tremend.
Roca Products
The Gap wall-hung toilet with seat & cover, Diverta basin, Hall urinal, Access wall-hung toilet with seat & cover, Victoria basin, Debba basin.

 

Magda Federowicz-Boule is the owner and President of Tremend, an architecture studio based in Warsaw, Poland, which specializes in architecture, interior design and sanitary and electrical installation. They are known for their green building projects which integrate natural and recycled elements. We spoke to Magda about the AC Marriott hotel in Kraków, for which Tremend did the interior design, working closely with Roca.

  • Tell us a bit about your studio.
    Magda Federowicz-Boule: We work in several different fields: hotels, industrial spaces, and others. But whatever the case may be, we try to make them zero consumption.
  • How so?
    When we do a renovation or adapt a project, we try not to construct new materials. We always try to renew what we have. The first questions we ask ourselves are: what can we keep? What can we adapt? What can we reuse? Not destroy, but renew. This is the first step

  • What if the materials are not available?
    If we have to use other materials, we try to use recycled materials, we check the sources of those materials, and we make sure that the contractors we use are on the same page. Also, we try to be very local. This is more ecofriendly and ends up being more cost efficient in the end as well. We try to tell a local story, produce something that speaks to the community.

  • What are the key things to keep in mind as far as saving energy?
    How can we reuse, recycle? We did a coworking in Katowice where the users could generate energy using bicycles, for example. You have to be creative. We also try to look at the surrounding space. How can we use the natural features of the land to gain warmth during the winter and stay cool during the summer? Even the way you orient the space to the light can be important

  • How did you apply these principles to the Marriott project?
    The AC Marriott we did in Kraków from an existing building. Originally it was constructed as apartments, but still we had to adapt it. For modifications we tried to use green materials, recycled materials. The result was not only more eco-friendly, but I think more beautiful as a result. We also included a lot of greenery – plants and so forth, although that’s something different than green design.
The AC Marriott is a very special project, I would say. It was a challenge, but I love how it turned out.
  • How was your experience working with Roca?
    We’ve done a lot of projects with Roca, not just Marriott. They’re always a good corporation to work with. They share our concerns about ecology and green design, although in their case it’s applied more to bathrooms, of course. They’ve designed water-saving technologies, and things of that nature.

  • Who chose the bathroom fixtures in the case of the Marriott?
    We did – we usually choose pretty much everything. Each country will have its own unique tastes as far as bathroom fixtures goes, but in the end the functions and ideas are the same everywhere.

  • How do you feel about how the project turned out?
    The AC Marriott is a very special project, I would say. It was a challenge, but I love how it turned out – very elegant, lots of nature-inspired designs, contributions by local artists, made with local materials and matching a local design sense. It was a great collaboration.