No Grand Prix was awarded in this year's Architecture of the Year competition of the Silesian Voivodeship. Also absent was multifamily architecture. Instead, prizes and awards were given in five other categories. At the same time, the settlement of three other competitions was held : for the best public space in the province and the most interesting thesis.
The quadruple gala was held on Friday at the Silesian Museum. The oldest, as it was organized for the twenty-ninth time, was the competition for Architecture of the Year of the Silesian Voivodeship. The jury (composition of the court at the end of the text) awarded eight prizes and honorable mentions in it. However, there was no Grand Prix. The organizers reported that the level of the submitted works was so good and even, and their scope so diverse, that it was difficult for the court to choose one best realization. Nearly forty-five objects and spaces were submitted to the competition, twelve were nominated.
no blocks or explanations
From the gala stage, however, there was no clarification on multifamily architecture. The August announcement of the competition had anointed this category. However, it was no longer included in the list of nominees. One can only assume that - as in other regions - in this field, which goes for quantity rather than quality, architects had nothing to boast about. Thus, only two single-family houses competed for the award in the residential category in the finals (list of nominees at the end of the text). The trophy went to the M.O.C. studio. Architects ( Ewa Janik, Błażej Janik, Małgorzata Karolak-Góra). They were honored for the transformation of an existing cube house in Katowice. The verdict reads that
The award was given for the remodeling, or rather the transformation of a single-family house into a new and surprising form, making maximum use of its existing load-bearing fabric. (...) Finally, for the visible play with detail, which is, as it were, a "signature" of the building's creators themselves.
House in Katowice, proj: M.O.C. Architects - award in the Single-Family House Category
source: materials of the competition organizer
On the occasion of this award, the organizers pointed out that the construction of new single-family houses is one of the more pleasant tasks for architects, while at the same time - in the face of the climate crisis and the construction industry's carbon footprint - it is becoming a growing remorse. Moderator Anna Dudzinska added:
"That's why 'building without building' is appreciated. Let's not tear down Polish cubes. Let's rebuild them!
"Peace" and the hall
In the "public facility" category, an honorable mention and an award were given. The first was earned by the revitalization (although we should rather speak here of revaluation or transformation) of the old plant canteen of the "Peace" steelworks. The author is Małeccy Biuro Projektowe studio (Joanna Małecka, Wojciech Małecki, Mateusz Majerczyk, Aleksandra Wojtyna). The judges decided that
the award was given for creative reference to the context of the location, the historical neighborhood of the building, and even the customs of the local community. They appreciated the restraint and economy of form with a strongly commercial function, which (...) sets an example of good construction practice for future projects around. Also worth noting is the skillful use of greenery (...).
Revitalization of the old plant canteen of the "Room" steelworks, proj.: Małeccy Biuro Projektowe: - honorable mention in the category Object of Public Utility
source: materials of the competition organizer
The award, in turn, went to the Projekt Plus Architects team (Tomasz Borkowski, Grzegorz Tkacz). The judges recognized their interesting LUX entertainment and sports hall in Rogoznik. The court found it to be:
an engagingly simple, utilitarian block, combining the function of a library and a multipurpose hall. The award was given for the apt and consistent selection of solid, interior and material solutions, and the creation of a place, in the local environment, as an added value to the designed object. Attention is drawn to daylighting with diffused light (...).
LUX entertainment and sports hall in Rogoznik, proj.: Projekt Plus Architekci - award in the category Public Utility Building
source: materials of the competition organizer
exports top!
The category of "export work", i.e. projects completed by Silesian architects outside the province's borders, was themost heavily populated this year. In addition to the award, two honorable mentions were given. The main trophy went for the second time in this edition to the M.O.C. studio. Architects (Ewa Janik, Błażej Janik; cooperation: Agata Jamer, Agata Przybyła, Agata Wiatrek, Martyna Wyrwas, Małgorzata Karolak, Szymon Helicki). The jury thus recognized the Energy-Efficient Kindergarten in Regula, near Warsaw, which is - as was clearly emphasized during the gala - the result of the SARP competition from four years ago. The jury appreciated the serious treatment of young users:
The location of the preschool modules around a green courtyard, aesthetic restraint and material consistency create an optimal space for preschool education. The solution proposed by the architects sets new standards in this type of construction, which until now has mostly interpreted the aesthetic needs of these young people rather infantilely.
Energy Efficient Kindergarten in Reguly, proj.: M.O.C. Architects: - award in the Export Work category
source: materials of the competition organizer
The first honorable mention, in turn, went to the Konior Studio (Tomasz Konior, Dominik Koroś; cooperation: Andrzej Witkowski, Marcin Piotrowski, Wojciech Przywecki, Michał Lipiec, Angelika Drozd, Mikołaj Zdanowski, Piotr Straszak, Wojciech Pruski, Tomasz Szeremeta, Paweł Przeniosło, Katarzyna Sokołowska, Wojciech Sokołowski, Ewelina Bidzińska, Michał Latko, Marcin Maciejewski). The jury thus honored the New Reading Rooms of the National Library in Warsaw, which had previously won the SARP Award of the Year in the "interior architecture" category The jury of the Silesian award found that it was "architecture that creates an atmosphere but does not shout" and appreciated:
The creation of an elegant and timeless interior that enters into a subtle relationship with the existing environment and the creation of an unobtrusive space that allows one to interact with literature.
New Reading Rooms of the National Library in Warsaw, designed by Konior Studio - award in the category of Export Work.
source: materials of the competition organizer
The second honorable mention was awarded to the Wzorro Design studio (Natalia Jakóbiec, Katarzyna Pełka-Bura, Marcin Krater, Marta Żmija-Wojciuch, Karolina Wiśniewska, Anna Dudziak, Marta Milej) for its realization in a place strongly influenced by history. The site in question is the Wawel Crown Treasury. The competition court appreciated:
"an exhibition interior that disappears in the glow of precious monuments becoming an adequate background for the most valuable treasures of Wawel Castle."(...).The authors show the right way in creating museum interiors: they tell a story without forgetting that they are not its protagonist.
New Crown Treasury in Krakow, proj.: Wzorro Design - honorable mention in the Export Work category
source: materials of the competition organizer
but cinema!
Another award was also brought for a museum project. In the interior category, the winner was the Blank Architects team (Lesz ek Woźniak, Jan Poborski, Grzegorz Kenig), which designed the space of the Museum of Metallurgy in Chorzów. Jury:
The award was given for the creation of a multifunctional space created at the junction of the old and new structures. The resulting space properly exposes and draws on the industrial character of the existing buildings while being a generator of their new function - a museum.
Museum of Metallurgy in Chorzow, design: Blank Architects - Award in the Interior Category.
source: materials of the competition organizer
Finally, the Ligas Architekci studio (Lukasz Ligas, Piotr Puszczewicz) earned an honorable mention in the "small form " category (without an award, having been moved from the list of nominees in the "public facility" category). The awardees designed a very original outdoor cinema in Suszec. The jury found that it is:
a multithreaded object animating public space. They appreciated the use of raw, simple materials that guarantee resistance to everyday use.
Outdoor Cinema in Suszec, design: Ligas Architects: - honorable mention in the Small Form category.
source: materials of the competition organizer
The cinema in Suszec was also honored in the second competition decided on Friday: the twenty-third edition of the competition for the Best Public Space in the Silesian Voivodeship. We will detail the results of these competitions and the thesis competitions more extensively in the coming days.
Jakub Głaz
Jury composition:
Team: arch. Kinga Bączyk and arch. Magdalena Orzeł-Rurańska (one vote)
Team: Mariusz Komraus and arch. Aleksander Bednarski (one vote)
arch. Piotr Smierzewski
arch. Joanna Kapturczak
arch. Aleksander Krajewski
arch. Arkadiusz Plomecki - organizing secretary of the competition
Nominations for the AR 2023 award
Single-family house: DDArchitekci - house in Tychy II | M.O.C.. Architects - house in Katowice.
Export work: Konior Studio - new reading rooms of the National Library in Warsaw | M.O.C.. Architects - energy-efficient kindergarten in Reguly | Wzorro - New Crown Vault.
Public Facility: Ligas Architekci - open-air cinema | Małeccy Biuro Projektowe - canteen of Huta Pokój | Projekt Plus Architekci - LUX Sports and Entertainment Hall | Blank Architekci - Museum of Metallurgy | PARADOX - expansion of catering building in Tychy.
Interior: Blank Architekci - Museum of Metallurgy | MMOA - apartment in pre-war villa in Bytom
