#WELL! NOT MY SYREK!

[hotgirlstiles]

that one fic with coal miner stiles <3

[architectnews]

Polish Architecture News: Buildings Designs

Polish Architecture News 2021, Poland Buildings, Construction Design, Property Images, Architects

Polish Architecture News

Key Property Developments in Eastern Europe: New Buildings in Poland – Built Environment Updates

post updated 12 September 2021

Polish Building News

Polish Architectural News

Polish Architecture Designs – chronological list

21 Jul 2021 Mausoleum of Martyrdom, south-central Poland Architects: Nizio Design International photo : Marcin Czechowicze Mausoleum of Martyrdom, Michniów Viewed from the outside, from its northern and southern elevations, the building of the Mausoleum of Martyrdom of Polish Villages in Michniów brings to mind wooden country cottages arranged one behind the other. This row of symbolic huts has a disturbing form.

25 Jun 2021 Q22 Office Building, Warsaw Architecture: Kuryłowicz & Associates photography : Echo Investments Q22 Office Building Warsaw Occupying a place of prominence in Warsaw’s city centre between John Paul II Avenue and Grzybowska street Q22’s stealth profile redefines the city skyline while serving Warsaw’s growing body of global professionals.

23 Jun 2021 Contemporary Dacha, Poznań, western Poland Design: Mode: Lina photo : Patryk Lewińsk Modern Dacha, Gmina Międzychód Poznań “From my grandfather I inherited a modest forester’s lodge in the heart of Pszczewski landscape park. I wanted to enhance it and create Contemporary Dacha for friends and family.” The idea of finishing the second house in the middle of the woods came from Investors’ love for nature and proactive way of spending spare time, as well as the need to create an asylum, standing in contrast to the quick, everyday life of big cities.

20 Jun 2021 Fertility Clinic and IVF Laboratory, Wroclaw Architects: FAAB Architektura photography : Maciej Jezyk Fertility Clinic and IVF Laboratory, Wrocław This is a specialist fertility clinic, with a one-day hospital, and IVF laboratory at Grabiszyńska Street in Wrocław, Poland. The technologically complex function enables the diagnosis and treatment of women, based on the latest medical knowledge.

3 Apr 2021 Mountain Shelter, Lubań Architects: TOPROJEKT image courtesy of architects practice Mountain Shelter, Lubań This building follows the slope to the north, descending almost to the bottom of the valley to the level of the tent base. As the slope rises slightly to the west, it was possible to meet the provisions of the plan with the height relative to the surrounding area, despite the design of four storeys. Windows on the northern slope of the roof almost do not affect its surface, thanks to which the body is very compact and homogeneous, especially after closing the shutters. The compositional lines follow the landscape, and the volume of the design only raises on the top of a small hill on which it is designed.

post updated 3 Mar 2021 By the Way House, Central Poland Design: KWK Promes photo © Jarosêaw Syrek By the Way House in Central Poland The investor had his own vision of the interior arrangement with the living area on the first floor. Additionally, he wanted to place a house in the middle of the plot, far away from the river, where a marina was supposed to be.

20 Mar 2021 Kindergarten in Opole / Malina Architects: PORT photo : Stan Zajączkowski New kindergarten in Opole / Malina The architects aimed to create inspiring and stimulating kindergarten’s space, to foster kids growth and development. Building acts as a „vassel” for young human beings, where its form casts user’s behavior, sense of security and self-esteem.

26 Mar 2021 Piątkowska 133, Poznań, western Poland Design: Easst architects photo : Przemysław Turlej Piątkowska 133 Poznań Located at the intersection of St. Leonard and Piątkowska Streets, the building designed by Easst Architects has both commercial and residential function. It was built on a degraded space that had previously been a parking lot for years.

24 Feb 2021 TechnipFMC Office, Krakow, southern Poland Architecture: The Design Group photo : The Design Group, Fotomohito TechnipFMC Office, Krakow The new TechnipFMC office takes us to the world of water stories. It influences emotions and imagination in such a way, that it is really hard to give up thinking about this unique place.

post updated 1 Feb 2021 Konieczny’s Ark, Brenna Architects: KWK PROMES picture : Olo Studio Konieczny’s Ark in Brenna The most appropriate building turned out to be a fully open on mountain landscape one-storey building, which gives the same view to all of the interiors. Because of the plot being located in an absolute wilderness a problem of security came out.

12 Jan 2021 Mixed-Use Gdynia Development, Gdynia Architects: RMJM Prague picture from architects Gdynia Development The team at RMJM Prague recently placed fourth in Polish competition for a mixed-use development in the city of Gdynia. The competition was close and they were thrilled to have been considered alongside a number of prestigious firms.

26 Nov 2020 Slab House, Poznań, western Poland Design: Mode: Lina photograph : Patryk Lewińsk Slab House, Poznań This residential property project came into existence in the suburbs of Poznań on one of many hills surrounding the city. It was not an easy task – architects from mode:lina had to inscribe the building’s form into all too steep hill’s slope.

13 Nov 2020 Łódź Monopolis, Clariant Shared Service Center Design: The Design Group, Architects – TDG photo courtesy of architects office Clariant Shared Service Center Łódź Monopolis In this year’s edition of the International Property Awards, the title of the Polish “Award Winner” is awarded to the Warsaw-based studio The Design Group led by Konrad Krusiewicz. It is their interior design for the Clariant Shared Service Centre office in the Lodz Monopolis that has been recognized by the numerous IPA jury in the “Office Interior Design” category.

14 Oct 2020 House at Crossroads – The Harder The Better, Rogoźna Architects: Toprojekt photo : S. Zajaczkowski Crossroads House, Rogoźna The times when the proximity of the road was an indicator of the attractiveness of a place to live, have long been forgotten. Once a small distance from a residential building to the road gave a chance for easy contact and exchange of goods.

10 Sep 2020 Visma Software Office Krakow

7 Aug 2020 Kindergarten Little Explorers in Chroscice

6 Aug 2020 Primary school in Milicz

3 Aug 2020 CHEP Polska Sustainable Office in Warsaw

6 Aug 2020 Milicz Primary School, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland Architects: PORT photograph : S. Zajaczkowski Milicz Primary School The school building is part of the old christmas tree bauble factory in Milicz. One of the main goals in the projects was to maintain the continuation of the building’s history.

1 July 2020 Łódź Monopolis Building Design: The Design Group, Architects – TDG image courtesy of architecture office Clariant Shared Service Center Łódź Monopolis

1 Jun 2020 MUS Restaurant & Bar, Poznań, western Poland Design: Easst architects photograph : Błażej Pszczółkowski MUS Restaurant & Bar in Poznań This space is located on the top floor of a skyscraper located in the very center of Poznań. The curtain walls are fully glazed and behind them there is a view of the magnificent panorama of the city.

22 May 2020 Quartz office, Poznań Design: Easst architects photograph : Przemyslaw Turlej Quartz Office Poznań The plot, with which the client came to our studio, is located on the outskirts of the city of Poznań. Until recently, it was a post-industrial district, poorly urbanized and with low land value.

29 Apr 2020 Silesian House – Ślonsko Chałpa Design: mode:lina photo : Patryk Lewiński Silesian House in Poland The final shape of this property is the result of the reconstruction of existing buildings from the so-called State Collective Farm from the 1970s evoking the essence of buildings from that period.

13 Mar 2020 Vertical Oasis Building, Warsaw Design: FAAB Architektura pmage : FAAB studio Vertical Oasis Building in Warsaw Harvesting electricity from the sun, lowering the building’s energy demand, the geometry of the facade creating shade where needed, these are the features creating the basic ECO-DNA of the Vertical Oasis Building.

17 Jan 2020 Revitalization of Powstańców & Sobieskiego streets in Rybnik, Rybnik, Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern Poland Design: Toprojekt Architects photo : Wacław Troszka Revitalization of Streets in Rybnik The section between the market and the fork of ul. Powstańców and Mikołowska were tightly encapsulated in the early stages of the city’s development. This is where most of the shops and services were located that did not fit in the market.

20 Oct 2019 Złota 19 Apartments, Katowice Architecture: Zalewski Architecture Group photograph : Tomasz Zakrzewski / Archifolio Złota 19 Apartments Katowice The project of apartment buildings assumed maximum use of a small plot area. Along with practical function characterizing the project, designers of the Zalewski Architecture Group have not forgotten to implement the project into the context of Katowice architecture.

9 Sep 2019 Shipping Containers Office, Cieplewo Architects: mode:lina photograph : Patryk Lewiński Shipping Containers Office in Cieplewo, Gdansk Located in the vicinity of Gdańsk port, in the town of Cieplewo, this commercial Polish property surprises its visitors with a unique interior inspired by sea shipping containers.

9 Aug 2019 Camppinus Park, Jezierzany Interior Design: mode:lina photograph : Studio Prototypownia Camppinus Park in Jezierzany, Poland Resort In a Polish seaside town of Jezierzany, by Wicko lake, there is a new microcosm surrounded by trees – an innovative place which came from a passion for local traditional architecture and a need for modernity. The Investor invitedmode:lina designers to make their ambitious interior architecture vision a reality.

post updated 4 Aug 2019 ; 8 Oct 2013 Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, Warsaw Design: Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects photog : Juha Salminent Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, Warsaw The origins of the Museum of the History of the Polish Jews go back to the mid-1990s, when the founding director of Tel Aviv’s Diaspora Museum and the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, Yeshayahu Weinberg, convened an international working group to plan a new museum dedicated to the history of the Polish Jews.

9 July 2019 Cichy House, Czerwionka—Leszczyny, Silesia, southern Poland Architects: Toprojekt photograph : Juliusz Sokołowski New House in Czerwionka—Leszczyny

17 Jun 2019 Red House in Rudy Architects: Toprojekt photo : Juliusz Sokołowski House in Rudy

30 Apr 2019 ChiChi 4U, Poznan Architects: mode:lina photograph : Patryk Lewiński ChiChi 4U Poznan ChiChi 4U has a new venue on Poznań’s gastronomy map! You will now fnd their burgers in northern part of the city in an unusual spot created by mode:lina.

More contemporary Polish Architecture News online soon

Polish Architecture News 2018

3 Oct 2018 INEA salon, Poznan Architects: mode:lina photography : Patryk Lewiński New Building in Poznan It was a natural move for the telecommunications leader in the Greater Poland region, to give the interiors of their salon a makeover.

2 Oct 2018 PURO Hotel, Halicka Street, Kazimierz Architects: Conran and Partners photography © Anna Stathaki New Hotel Building in Krakow The design of the 228-room hotel building in the city’s former Jewish quarter clearly references elements of the area’s history, including its once-bustling industrial heritage, while still achieving a strong residential feel. The café, restaurant and bar incorporate indoor and outdoor areas with private ‘pockets’ of space.

29 Jul 2018 By the Way House, Central Poland Design: KWK Promes photo © Jarosêaw Syrek New House in Central Poland The investor had his own vision of the interior arrangement with the living area on the first floor. Additionally, he wanted to place a house in the middle of the plot, far away from the river, where a marina was supposed to be.

27 Jul 2018 Chopin International Music Centre Competition, Żelazowa Wola, Gmina Sochaczew, Sochaczew County, Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland Design: ELEMENT image © ELEMENT / https://ift.tt/3eEoTxz Chopin International Music Centre Competition Żelazowa Wola is a small village in Poland, well-known as a birthplace of a famous polish compositor and pianist – Fryderyk Chopin. The picturesque scenery of endless forest favors leisure activities and relaxation. Tourists from all over the world gather here to honor Fryderyk Chopin.

16 Feb 2018 Wondercase Gliwice Stair Interior, Gliwice, Upper Silesia, southern Poland Design: Zalewski Architecture Group photograph : Tomasz Zakrzewski / Archifolio Wondercase Gliwice Stair Interior The concept of modernization of the staircase in a historic building from the late 19th century is based on the idea of evoking in recipients associations with the old character of the building but obtained through the use of modern spatial and formal solutions.

8 Feb 2018 Fabryczna offices, Lódz, central Poland Design: MVRDV, Architects with Piotr Bilinski Architects image courtesy of architects office Fabryczna Offices Building in Lódz The project is located in the centre of Lódz across the street from the newly developed railway station “Fabryczna”. The development is close to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Lodzki Dom Kultury, the building is inspired by the city’s industrial textile heritage.

More new Polish Architecture News welcome for consideration

Poland Building Updates 2017

4 Sep 2017 VÈLO7 Cycle Shop, Poznan Architects: mode:lina photograph : Patryk Lewiński Cycle Shop in Poznań VÈLO7 is a group of bicycle enthusiasts who want to share their passion with others. Interested in offering best quality bicycles to their customers, they have decided to create a unique place that would reflect their common fascination.

3 Aug 2017 Stadion Energa in Gdansk Design: RKW Architektur + image courtesy of architects Stadion Energa Gdansk Building The Stadion Energa Gdańsk, previously called the Baltic Arena and PGE Arena Gdańsk, is a football stadium designed by RKW Architektur +. It was built as one of the designated venues for the finals of Euro 2012 football championships, but is now used mostly for football matches.

29 Jun 2017 Opera Software Office, Wroclaw Architects: mode:lina photographs : Marcin Ratajczak, Maciej Dąbrowski Opera Software Office in Wrocław The designers from mode:lina have faced a challenge of planning an interior project for Norwegian company Opera Software, creator of the popular web browser. The company headquarters are located in two prestigious town houses in the hearth of Wroclaw – one from the beginning of the XIX century and the second from 1913 – which the owner is Zbigniew Grycan.

12 Jun 2017 Baltyk Tower, Poznań Design: MVRDV, Architects picture © MVRDV Baltyk Tower Poznań Bałtyk appears totally different depending on what side it is approached from. A linear building with a concrete, entirely glass-fronted façade and clearly exposed aggregate grain, sets it apart from its surroundings and is an example of a balanced combination of “old” and “new” architecture in the context of the neighbouring historic building of Concordia Design and the Haven.

21 May 2017 Villa Wolf Reconstruction News Design: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe architect image courtesy of architects Wolf House Guben by Mies van der Rohe The “Association for the reconstruction of the Villa Wolf by Mies van der Rohe e.V.” supports a ‘second step’ to the founding, for planning, construction and operation of a non-profit organization responsible for the reconstruction of the Villa Wolf gGmbH, the modern first work of the American and German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

27 Mar 2017 Zlota 44 Tower in Warsaw, Warsaw Design: Daniel Libeskind Architect image courtesy of architects Zlota 44 Tower Building in Warsaw Daniel Libeskind, alongside developers Amstar and BBI, have opened the doors to Zlota 44, Warsaw for the first time to residents and the public. The soaring 52 storey (192 meter /629 ft.) tower has taken ten years to complete, due to its unique shape and design.

21 Mar 2017 GE Customer Experience Center, Bielsko-Biala Design: Zalewski Architecture Group photograph : Tomasz Zakrzewski / Archifolio GE Customer Experience Center in Bielsko-Biala The main objective of the exhibition space is to present the products of GE grouped in thematic areas (Industrial Area, Commercial Area, Application Area) and at the same time familiarizing viewers with additional information by means of multimedia installations. Various product groups and their issues are presented within a dedicated “islands” – annexes to the general exhibition space.

16 Feb 2017 Bidfood Farutex Culinary Academy, Łódź Architects: mode:lina photo : Marcin Ratajczak Bidfood Farutex Culinary Academy in Lodz The architecture office were commissioned to design an interior arrangement of Bidfood Farutex Culinary Academy. The academy was specially designed for presentations, culinary or sommelier workshops purposes, meetings and training courses.

15 Jan 2017 Varso Tower in Warsaw Design: Foster + Partners image courtesy of architects Varso Tower in Warsaw Construction begins on Poland’s tallest tower designed by Foster + Partners. The construction of a new flagship development, Varso by international real estate developer HB Reavis, comprising three buildings including an office tower designed by Foster + Partners, has commenced with completion scheduled for 2020.

CKK Jordanki Auditorium in Torun

Nemo House by the Masurian Lakes

Living-Garden House in Katowice

Stolarnia

Aquarium Office Complex in Gliwice

Institute for Disarmament of Culture and Abolition of War in Warsaw

Fence House in Poznań

The Bunker of Arts in Krakow

Podkowa Lesna Residence, Poland

More Polish Architecture News online soon

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This is the index page for architectural projects in this eastern European country on the e-architect website

Comments / photos for the Polish Architecture Information page welcome

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[karolina-syrek]

OUT OF CHARACTER

Name/alias: Summer

Age (18+): 23

Pronouns: she/her

Timezone EST

Life commitments (AKA activity): I work three twelve hour shifts a week

Anything else? New World in My View - King Britt

IN CHARACTER - BASICS

Full name: Karolina Syrek  

Used name(s): Karo / Karolina

Age & D.O.B. : 23 years old, November 12th

Gender identity & pronouns: Cis female, she/her

Sexual orientation: Pansexual

Nationality: Polish

Faceclaim: Mia Wasikowska  —one / two

Label: The Ravaged

Weapon(s) : Bow and Arrow

Current location: North-Eastern region of Poland, close to the boarder of Belarus 

Affiliated with: Unaffiliated

Travel status: Traveling alone

IN CHARACTER - SUMMARY

In some ways, you were naive to think that light would always follow the darkness. Now a bitter ash weighs heavily upon your tongue, as if anger has raged through you as unstoppably as a chemical fire, burning you alive from the inside out. You are a wolf who’s lost her pack, stumbling forward through a winter storm that seems destined to go on without end. A girl too afraid to open her mouth, lest a sorrowful howl tear it’s way from her throat. The warm light of your homestead was once an unfailing beacon. The lamps once lit behind windows reminded you that there were others, waiting for you to come home. Now the lights have been snuffed out, and you are all that’s left in the blackness. You stumble, grasp around blindly, but you do not fall; you will not vanish in the night. You may be a mere sliver of a girl, reduced to trembling fists and clenched teeth, but you are also a survivor; you’re a tapestry of grit and resolve, woven together by a thread handed to you by your father. To keep yourself warm when the cold darkness, you wrap his beliefs around you tightly. The echoes of his words reverberate through the boundless wilderness that is now your mind. ‘Karo’, he told you once, ‘There is no paradise for cowards.’

IN CHARACTER - IN DEPTH

The Before - "From tiny experiences we build cathedrals.”

In the beginning, it was merely a farm. Passed down to their family by her mother's father, in a village with a population no larger than two hundred. It was the lifeblood of a community. Eventually as Karolina grew older, after the end came during her eighteenth year with deafening booms and raging fires, the farm’s survival became so closely tied to her own she felt as if she had grown into the land itself, gnarled roots extending from her body, binding her to the earth that belonged to her forefathers. But in the end it was just a farm, not a castle or fortress that could promise protection from the horrors that loomed on the horizon. The dream of a safe haven burned just as quickly and as easily as the rest of the world did.

Prior to fire and brimstone unleashed by the major world powers in 1995, the village of Bogumiły was hardly worth making note of on a map.  Karolina Syrek was born to a local school teacher and farmer’s daughter, small-minded but well-meaning people who lived by three unwavering values: there is work, there is God, and there is family.  “These are what we live for, Myszka.” Her father’s words still echo in her mind now. Work. God. Family.

The village was comprised of three farms, one local store, a shop run by a decrepit seamstress and her daughter, one school for ages five through fourteen (the older children having to be bussed out to a high school in a larger district) and a tavern that only served warm beer, beneath a portrait of the most recent Soviet ruler that stared balefully down on the villagers, appraising the mundane rituals of their daily life. Most importantly was the church, an worn building standing at the border of the Bogumiły, where all of the townsfolk would trek down a mile long road, every Sunday without fail.

Karo was raised to rise with the sun, to work with the community for the betterment of the harvest. She and her parents lived in a small farmhouse on her grandfather’s land,  a humble beginning that would eventually become a mecca of their community, although they did not know it at the time. Starting at the age of seven Karo would rise early before leaving for the school house, tending to the livestock in the barn, bringing the cows out into the pastures. When she would return home, prior to any homework, she would check in with her mother to see if there were household chores to be done before she tended to their private vegetable garden. She grew into the callouses on her hand, back becoming stronger with each day of work, allowing her to stand tall and proud along with the rest of her family. They were all part of something greater together than they could’ve been alone.

She was an independent yet focused child, often enjoying the tasks and projects her parents gave her.  Karo would build structures out of the hay in the barn and attempt to build dams of of rocks in the nearby stream, then drag her father by the hand to proudly show him her creations. Often in her free time she would be found climbing trees, always trying to reach the tallest branch. Her father once called her brave. In the same breath, her mother called her reckless. 

As the years passed, her father’s face began to show its age, her mother’s skin darkened permanently from damage of an unforgiving sun, but they were still content and it was enough. Every evening they would link hands around the kitchen table before eating, often sharing their meals with extended family or members of the village. An educated man was either loved or feared; Henryk Syrek was well-respected throughout the community. The family was, in general, well thought of, being one of the larger employers in the town and having a reputation for being fair and just to their workers. Her father often brought fellow heads-of-households to his table, to share the latest political manifestos and agricultural advancements that many in the rural working class had no time to pursue on their own.

During her fifteenth year, a pillar of their community was ripped from the ground. Her grandfather was lost to a stroke, leaving her mother at the head of their family business. There was no discussion between the trio as they sat around their kitchen table the evening after the funeral, grimly looking over the documents and logs scattered across its surface. They all knew it would be Karo’s final year in school as she was now needed elsewhere, and while part of her wanted to argue with them, to demand she should not be denied her education, she remained silent. Karo knew that this land, the land of her grandfather, would one day belong to her.  In order for it to survive, a piece of her would have to be given to it, just as her mother and grandfather all sacrificed pieces of themselves for its continued survival.

And so, until the end of it all, Karo operated as her mother’s right hand- a second in command to the woman who raised her. Some days it involved her working until her shirt was drenched in sweat, others it entailed fighting tooth and nail with other local communities for fair prices on their crops. No soul was willing to pay more than they had to, as the government quotas robbed them blind for whatever they were not free to sell on their own. Yet she did not complain, never chose to act against what she was told. This was the way of the work, this was her family, and this was God’s will.

Her unwavering faith in these three things took its first beating in 1995.

Her mother, the farm’s representative for the Rural Solidarity Union, had been in Warsaw at the time of the nuclear attacks, working on a petition for a government that- unbeknownst to her- was otherwise occupied.  Karolina’s last memory of her mother was a mere glance of her warm face; a brush of a kiss on her cheek, and the sigh of her goodbye following Karo as she turned away, already forgetting the parting as her mind went over the work that had to be done before sunset. In the end, the men and women in her village never knew how vile things had gotten. They could not have expected that global political tension had become strung so tight that the slightest wrong move could cause an irrevocable snap.

The After - “what is a ghost? something dead that seems to be alive. something dead that doesn’t know it’s dead."

There was a change in the air, a darkening of the sky, and Karolina knew something in the world had shifted. The radios only provided so much information while the whole world was screaming.  Karo and her father never saw her mother again. They soon knew better than to look for her.

Perhaps she would have felt the loss of her mother harder if the rest of the world wasn’t already falling apart around her. At first, the sickness came, seeping into the bodies of the youngest and oldest of the community. Within the first year, the village population was cut in half. The sole doctor in the town said it was the air; the once fresh country air now carried with it something toxic, something rotten. It would start as a small cough, and end with lesions on the chest and blood filling their lungs. Yet the true horror was what followed after the deaths. When the first body rose, savagely digging its way through the loose soil it was buried beneath, there were screams heard in the morning air. That ruined shell of a man staggered into the village, having already finished tearing into a family of four that lived on the road that led from the church. Two more were killed before the creature was subdued, only stopping it’s rabid movements when its head was taken off with a rusty shovel and its limbs had been broken by blows from pitch forks. It only took one repeat of the experience for the devout Catholics to forgo the traditional burial for cremation, electing to believe that God would have to forgive them, as he was the one who had allowed this hell on earth to occur.

The village closed ranks by the end of that first year. The surviving families moved inward, occupying the houses closest to the center of the town. Karo’s father, a once gentle man, an educator, was suddenly the one who was looked to for guidance. It became an unspoken understanding throughout the community, perhaps because there were so few left to lead, or perhaps because nobody wanted to take the burden of leading upon themselves. And as Karo had once acted as her mother’s right hand, she now stood at her father’s side, acting as an extension of him. She could always be counted on to do what needed to be done.

It was Henryk who suggested that they build a barrier, a wall to keep the unholy terrors of the world away. In the beginning when messages could still be heard on the radio waves, the people of Bogumiły had the small blessing of hearing warnings of the militia, to not trust men who once stood for the government. A man in uniform would only bring death in his wake.  A six foot wall of rubble, constructed from broken homes of the dead, was quickly put into place.  A northern and southern gate were crafted, never to be left unmanned at any hour. At the northern gate the bell from the school house was placed in case a quick alarm was needed. At the southern counterpart, the church bell torn from the steeple was placed. Several villagers unfailingly performed the sign of the cross when passing it.

At first, stored crops and livestock kept them alive through a system of strict rationing. Many of the crops died in the shadow of the ash that choked the air. Fields, once lush with life, had become sparse and gray. Few plants endured, and those that did were closely nurtured and guarded.  Even after the initial wave of sickness, souls were still lost to starvation. Scouting missions became a necessity, small groups of men and women who would venture out into the wilderness to return three days later with berries, or game, or even bags full of canned food. Not all villages had fared as well as Bogumiły. With the scouts would come the stories; towns littered with corpses, some reanimated, some lost to decay. Stories of kicked down doors and obvious signs of horrific struggle.

The community embraced silence, learned to make noise only when it was a necessity. One never knew who, or what, was just out of sight. Sign language became a useful tool, and a basic form of it was taught to all its inhabitants.

There were few children left in the village, most having been lost to the sickness or from starvation. Those who still remained were often placed in Karo’s care; she acted as teacher and guardian while their parents were otherwise occupied, passing down lessons taught by her father. She enjoyed her time with them- the youngest in their community were the few who could still experience something close to joy. A pure sort of innocence, one that originated from a lack of understanding.

Karo herself took up her grandfather’s bow, which used to hang in their living room above the fireplace mantel. A man who had previously worked on their farm taught her how to whittle arrows, and through trial and error she learned to shoot straight. The girl only left the village to hunt in the nearby trees, her father never permitting her to go any further with the scouting parties. She found some solace in hunting. It was a chance to escape the walls of her community, but the state of the outside world gave little respite.

Her hair was almost always tied in a tight braid down her back- as if, should it fall apart, she would unravel along with it. The inquisitive girl she once was had begun to harden into something more stoic, more fitting with the rest of the world. She learned that as an extension of her father, she was also looked to as another pillar of the dwindling community. Her manner lost most of the warmth she had had as a child; in its place grew a fierce loyalty to the men and women around her. In these dark times, the only light they had came from each other.

In the end, it was remarkable how long the village of Bogumiły survived. Mostly, it was sheer luck that a large raiding militia party didn’t stumble upon them. The few battles that took place over the years were won through grit and a blinding faith that victory was the only option. But, one way or another, luck always runs out. The safe haven fell in the darkness of night. The torches illuminating the entrances to the village were blown out by a fierce winter wind. The first walker caught the villager standing guard unaware, and a futile hand-to-hand combat took place. The church bell stood silent and grave as monsters of a poisoned land began pouring through its gates. By the time the screams started, it was far too late.

That night Karo had been watching the children of the villagers who were on guard that night. When the screams began, she prayed to her merciless God, before grabbing her hunting pack and bow. Her father thundered down the stairs of their farmhouse, barking orders as he grabbed his gun beside the front door- the gun that was not to be used unless absolutely necessary. He grabbed one child, tossing the young girl onto his back as Karoline grasped the wrist of her sibling firmly, perhaps hard enough to leave a bruise. But in the end, she would never know. Henryk wrenched open their front door, and their faces bore identical expressions of terror. Bogumiły was burning, and the gates to Hell were swinging wide open.

Her last memory of her father was even more fleeting than the one she has of her mother. Nothing more than a glance over her shoulder, a quick flash of his well-worn and well-loved face, eyes ablaze as he shot at an approaching walker. All she could then was turn and run, like the demons of Hell were on her heels.

The Girl - “You will not survive here, you are not a wolf. This is the land of wolves now.”

Karolina Syrek ran until her lungs felt as if they were ablaze. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and all she could see was the horizon. She ran until the screams of her community were lost to the thick smog that hung low in the forest. They were all taught that there was no escaping a hoard, no fighting it, the only way to survive was to flee and hope you didn’t become their chosen prey for a hunt. But when she turned back to see how many had managed to escape with her, she found herself utterly alone in the dull glow of the moon. At first she thought she could hear others in the distance, but it didn’t take her long to realize it was just her own laboring breathing, playing tricks on her in the darkness.

At first she stayed put, climbing into a tree to wait out another sunrise and sunset, praying that a familiar face would stumble upon her. When no one came for her, she made her way tentatively back towards the village, eyes wary and alert for any sign of life. A strangled noise escaped her as she drew close to Bogumiły. The once-fortified village lay smoldering, most homes burned to the ground. She could still make out the shape of corpses in the ash.

Karo has spent the past month combing a ten mile radius around her village, spending most of her nights in the safety of the trees in the surrounding forest. She has found nothing but more corpses in her search.

She no longer prays to a God who will not listen.

[romanandreg]

Introducing Haskell to your Company

I've heard time and time again about how Haskell may be a risky technology choice for business. Some companies might be in a situation where this statement may be true, however, in the end, is always a matter of "it depends."

I would like to explore some of the points that companies may go through before picking Haskell (or any other language for that matter) and distill different strategies that may mitigate the risks of using a new language/stack.

Haskell developers are hard to find

There is no denying that finding Haskell developers can be tricky; however is not impossible, here are some strategies that your company recruiters can try out:

Hire remote developers

There is a big pool of Haskellers around the globe that are looking for an excellent shot to work on Haskell, but haven't found one in their city.

Get acquainted with your local Haskell Meetup

The same people that are looking to work remotely on a Haskell gig are likely to be participating in the local Haskell Meetup, and even though they are not looking for a new job, they might feel tainted to work at your company if you bring Haskell into the equation.

Advertise Job Positions in well-known functional programming channels

For Haskell, some of the channels I would recommend are:

Functional Jobs This page is a great spot to advertise jobs in any FP language (Clojure, Scala, Haskell, OCaml, etc.)

Haskell Weekly An excellent source of news and articles for Haskellers, it provides a space for advertising Haskell jobs (The postings don't last very long which may be a good sign).

Sponsoring an FP Conference Some functional programming conferences provide a great space for advertising your desire to hire Haskellers, some of the most popular ones are:

Curry on

Compose Conference

LambdaConf

Host Public Haskell Study Groups

Now is more approachable than ever to start a study group to learn Haskell, there are proven guidelines on how to run one and also well-established study materials. Making people learn Haskell together is also an excellent opportunity to grasp participants skills to teach others as they learn the language.

As it was the norm with Python a few years ago, it is likely that the Haskeller you hire will be a very competent developer. Whoever learns Haskell is plausible she would be a very passionate and motivated individual and understands the repercussions of side-effects pretty well.

You might be saying that these strategies are not so different from the ones you would use when trying to hire developers in other languages (and yes, that's the point I'm seeking to convey).

Is important to bear in mind that if you are looking for a skilled senior developer in any technology, the search will still be challenging. For example, some companies where I've worked before spent months (some cases a year) to fill a Ruby or Java position.

Haskell concepts are hard to understand

Many friends that have attempted to learn Haskell complained about how hard is to understand the core concepts, and I completely understand their pain. Haskell is a challenging language given how different it is to other mainstream languages; nevertheless, I argue that once you get into an advanced beginner level, the leverage you get in comparison to other languages is quite substantial. How so? Haskell in nature is a very constrained language, not giving you "enough rope to hang yourself"; many of the common pitfalls other languages have by providing "easy" (not simple) APIs will just not happen in Haskell; bye-bye null pointer exceptions.

How can we mitigate the onboarding pain? I think first and foremost we need to acknowledge the Haskell pyramid effect. Paraphrasing what Steven Syrek says in one of his posts:

Haskell is capable of representing extremely abstract mathematical entities, but so is math itself, and you hardly need to understand linear algebra to balance your checkbook.

On the same lines, you don't need to know Category Theory to do a Web APIs with Haskell.

Secondly, we need to acknowledge that most of the interfaces in Haskell are very abstract, and humans (sadly) suck at fully grasping those on the first attempt. You'll need to allow mentees to digest an abstract idea a few times (no, your "Monads are like burritos" blog post won't help), and see many different concrete examples of an abstraction before they can understand it fully. Luckily there are resources like The Scala Red Book and The Haskell Book that you can use as resources to do study groups and go one step at a time into the fascinating world of FP.

My company cannot afford to invest in new tech

The first thing to keep in mind is: If your company is working on a Monolith architecture, it makes no sense to invest in any other technology, is simply not viable for any business to "reimplement all the things" in a new language.

If on the other hand, a Microservice architecture is in place, there may be wiggle room to implement some parts of your system using a new stack as long as you don't have the "too many technologies" problem already[*].

[*] I like to imagine adding every new language to a company as tearing the company's soul apart, like Horcruxes

The trickiness comes when developing applications on an entirely new tech, is not just the challenge of a new language, but all the operational costs that go with it:

How can we debug Haskell code when things go awry?

How can we track garbage collection, memory allocations, performance, etc.?

What options do we have to deploy Haskell applications?

Is the library ecosystem mature enough to cover my business requirements?

All of the above are valid concerns that you need to address and sadly you cannot give reliable answers unless you have done production Haskell somewhere else and had the scars to prove it. If you are not experienced in production and got enough people interested in working with Haskell, try to tackle non-risky projects and assess how you would do the operations around it, make failures be less expensive for the business and learn as much as you can in the process.

Also, it might be a good initiative to provide example projects that showcase how you would tackle Real World™ challenges (HTTP APIs, Usage of AWS/GCE, etc.). These codebases will give guidance to less experienced developers on how to get started and let them feel empowered and productive.

Does this sound like a lot of work? You bet. When advocating a new technology inside your company, you unofficially start having two jobs.

Haskell is more of an academic hobby language right?

I've heard this one before despite the fact that Haskell has been around for the past 20 years, and big companies trust it for fundamental concerns of their business. There is also many stories of companies with some levels of success in Haskell.

Haskell is a language that started as an investigation project trying to answer the question: can laziness be used in production settings for profit? (spoiler alert, not so much). However, in the past ten years, it has had lots of production quality libraries developed on top of the Glasgow Haskell Compiler (GHC), conduit, ekg, wai/warp, async, stm to name a few.

I can argue Haskell is great if you are trying to do performant HTTP servers, reliable CLI applications, and systems which need to excel in parallel/concurrent environments.

People are afraid of change

I've had experiences where some people are very afraid of trying Haskell given how different it is, sometimes they go as far as to reflect there is something wrong with me for not going with standard mainstream languages like C/C++/Java.

Dealing with developers in this mindset is a bit tricky, most of the times this would be the well cherished cynical developer that doesn't believe in silver bullet solutions (and that is great). Starting with an honest conversation about the weaknesses of Haskell and then go on its virtues is a good start to get them going. Move the conversation to more of facts vs. passion argumentation, and you and this person will learn way more about the language.

Conclusion

Here are some non-extensive bullet points on how to get Haskell started at your company, do you think I missed something obvious? Please feel free to share comments and impressions; I'm always in the quest of spreading Haskell knowledge into people so that the language can gain more traction in production settings and your feedback may help in this quest, so highly appreciated.