Nature’s Sanctuary reimagines the ruins of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Zagórz
as a living landscape where cultural heritage and ecology are interwoven. The project
addresses pressing environmental challenges—flooding, drought, and biodiversity loss
while questioning conventional approaches to conservation.
At the city scale, the proposal introduces nature-based solutions to improve landscape
resilience. Artificial wetlands along the Osława River regulate water flow, filter agricultural
runoff, and restore ecological balance, mitigating the risks intensified by climate change. At
the site scale, the monastery ruins and adjacent grounds are reorganized into six functional
zones, each exploring distinct conservation strategies through vegetation, succession, and
adaptive reuse. This framework is supported by a multifunctional educational pavilion,
small-scale architectural interventions, and necessary infrastructure to make the heritage
site publicly accessible.
Intellectually, the thesis positions itself within ongoing debates in heritage theory. It
engages with Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Brandi, and international conservation charters, while
proposing a “third way” that integrates cultural memory with natural processes. Rather than
preserving ruins as static monuments, the design embraces transformation, allowing
nature to co-shape the site. The concept of “fourth nature” where ecological systems
reclaim and coexist with human traces frames the ruins not as relics of the past but as
evolving habitats.
The project raises the central question: What is the value of ruins beyond their historicity?
In doing so, it demonstrates that heritage sites can serve as catalysts for ecological
restoration, public education, and aesthetic renewal. By enabling a dynamic dialogue
between history, landscape, and ecology, Nature’s Sanctuary exemplifies how design can
transform vulnerable heritage into a resilient and inspiring environment.
Nature’s Sanctuary – Fourth Nature as a Living Landscape in the Ruins of Carmelite Monastery
Student: Katarzyna Jamioł, Cracow University of Technology, Landscape Architecture
Supervisors: Urszula Forczek-Brataniec
Winner of the 2025 WLA Student Awards – Outstanding Award in the Concept – Large Design category