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Here is the best architecture of 2023 in Warsaw

08 of March '24

We have met the nominees for the tenth anniversary edition of the Architectural Award of the President of the City of Warsaw. An online poll of residents is now being launched, and the winners will be announced at the end of April. Among the nominees are large museums and small libraries, a lot of rubble, (as usual) somewhat disappointing housing and a complete lack of office buildings.

The competition is organized and the award is funded by the Mayor of Warsaw. The award is given in cooperation with the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Architects, the Mazovian Regional Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland and the Warsaw Branch of the Society of Polish Urban Planners.

As usual, nominations are divided into five categories: public architecture; residential architecture; new life of buildings; public space design and architectural event. You can cast your vote in the poll via the award's website until March 21.

public architecture

The nominations in the public building category are most different in scale. Although officially there are three nominated buildings, two of them were built as part of a single complex, based on a single project selected in an architectural competition - we are talking about the Museum of Polish History and the Museum of the Polish Army. Nominating them separately (different investors, later changes in the projects) emphasizes the importance of the Citadel investment, but also somewhat hides its weakest point, namely the large empty square in front of the cuboidal edifices. The library in Choszczówka is a completely different, intimate building, which was built not with hundreds of liters of concrete and stone imported from the other end of Europe, but in glulam construction and prefabricated wall and ceiling elements. The authors emphasize the desire to reduce the carbon footprint of the structure, further reinforcing the contrast to the edifices in Zoliborz.

Library in Choszczówka

Authors: Ambient
Author of the mural: Alek Slon
Investor: Białołęka District Office of the City of Warsaw.

Nowa biblioteka publiczna w Choszczówce

New public library in Choszczówka

photo: Artur Wosz | © UM Warszawa

Museum of Polish History

Authors: WXCA
Collaboration: WSP Polska, Tuscher Technical Office, Pracownia Akustyczna Piotr Kozłowski, Janczarski Studio, QLAB Laboratory of Light, GASTRO-PROJEKT dr inż. Barbara Koziorowska-Abramczyk, Proteck, RS Architektura Krajobrazu, MT design-execution services: Tadeusz Kurzewski
Investor: Museum of Polish History, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage

Muzeum Historii Polski

Museum of Polish History

© press mat. UM Warsaw

Museum of Polish Army

Authors: WXCA
Collaboration: Biuro Happold Polska, Pracownia Akustyczna Piotr Kozłowski, Studio Krajobraz, Janczarski Studio, MT design and construction services, Protect
Investor: Museum of Polish Army

Muzeum Wojska Polskiego

Museum of the Polish Army

Photo: Marcin Czechowicz, Filip Domaszczyński | © UM Warszawa

public space design

What is most gratifying in terms of projects that have been noted in the area of public spaces is the turn to naturalness, greenery and ruderal greenery. Valuing plants commonly known as weeds and finding value in naturally forming biodiversity rather than the aesthetics of designed gardens. Such strategies are found primarily in the designs of the Operation Storm park, where the matter of debris and plants intertwine, and the naturalistic landscapes of the AK Paratroopers Cichociemni Park. Attractive development and a more natural character were also given to the ponds and public spaces in Pole Mokotowskie Park, unfortunately, the whole concept was not realized, trimming it by several important elements, including the planned pavilions.

Modernization of Cichociemnych Parachroniarzy AK park

Authors: eM4. Architecture Studio. Brataniec
Investor: Zarząd Zieleni m.st. Warszawy

Modernizacja parku Cichociemnych Spadochroniarzy AK

Modernization of Park Cichociemnych Spadochroniarzy AK

photo: Marcin Czechiowicz | © UM Warszawa

Modernization of Pole Mokotowskie park

Authors: WXCA
Cooperation: Szelest Pracownia, Hydroinvest, Hydroidea, Spółka Komandytowa, Space-Group, Civil Transport Designers, Akwen, Kanwa, City Sports Square.
Investor: Warsaw Greenery Board.

Modernizacja Parku Pole Mokotowskie

Modernization of Pole Mokotowskie Park

photo: Krzysztof Babicki | © Greenery Board of the Capital City of Warsaw

Park of Operation "Storm"

Authors: topoScape, Archigrest
Investor: Warsaw Greenery Board

Park Akcji

park of "Storm" action

Photo: Michal Szlaga | © City Hall of Warsaw

new life of buildings

The New Life of Buildings surprises with nominations of places that, although well-liked and excellently functioning, regularly have to fight for their survival. Investment pressure and the City's allowing skyscrapers in the local plan covering Komuna Warszawa, or the recent attempts to limit the residential function in Jazdów are becoming causes of conflicts between space users and City Hall. The third nomination was awarded to the BRDA Foundation for its pioneering, on a Polish scale, activities related to the use of elements of renovated or demolished buildings.

BRDA Foundation activities: the Window and Budo projects

Organizer: BRDA Foundation: Zofia Jaworowska, Petro Vladimirov

Projekt

Window project

Photo: Kuba Rodziewicz | © UM Warszawa

Social and Cultural Quarter Emilia Plater 29-31

Organizer: Komuna Warszawa Theatre: Grzegorz Laszuk, Alina Gałązka
Design: Maciej Siuda, Anna Bukowska

Kwartał społeczno-kulturalny Emilii Plater 29-31

Socio-cultural quarter Emilia Plater 29-31

Photo: Mikołaj Grospierre, Grzegorz Laszuk | © UM Warszawa.

Open Jazdów. 10 years of activity

Organizers: the Open Jazdów Partnership, the Partnership for Jazdów Estate, the Association of Residents of Jazdów Finnish Houses

Otwarty Jazdów

Open Jazdów

Photo: Dominika Dzieniszewska, Andrzej Górz | © UM Warszawa

residential architecture

The huge demand on the real estate market means that residential architecture significantly deviates in quality from the other categories. The nominated housing estates in Bemowo and Kabaty actually only slightly lean beyond the developer's average, an interesting solution in the Rytm estate in Kabaty is the liberation of the first floor. In Bemowo, barely the first stage of a housing development located on a narrow, patch of land has been nominated, so it is difficult to judge the effect. A housing project of a less standard nature is another house of the Bread of Life Community Homes Foundation. Unlike the house in Jankowice, the new building is located in a chaotic urban context, but even from it the author's team was able to distill the most interesting motifs and transform them into a new form.

House of Our Lady of Heart

Authors: XYstudio
Investor: Bread of Life Community Homes Foundation

Dom dla osób w kryzysie bezdomności

Home for people in crisis of homelessness

Photo: Piotr Krajewski | © UM Warszawa

Nordic Bemowo housing estate

Authors: Kuryłowicz & Associates
Investor: YIT Development

Nordic Bemowo

Nordic Bemowo

photo: Nate Cook | © UM Warszawa

Rhythm in Kabaty

Authors: WWAA
Investor: Echo Investment

Rytm na Kabatach

Rhythm in Kabaty district

photo: Konrad Niziołek | © UM Warszawa

architectural event

Just like public spaces, the category of architectural event is ruled by locality and shared space. On the one hand, we have the recurring, fashionable and catchy theme of rubble, its significance for the history of Warsaw shown in the "Zgruzowstanie" exhibition and contemporary trends. On the other, we observe a renewed rethinking of art in urban space and an evaluation of insights from years ago. Walking tours and architectural guides published by the Center for Architecture, among others, are also still popular.

illustrated atlases of Warsaw architecture and architectural walks

Publisher and organizer: Architecture Center Foundation, Agnieszka Rasmus-Zgorzelska
Author: author of the concept, art director, designer: Magdalena Piwowar

Ilustrowane atlasy architektury Warszawy i spacery architektoniczne

Illustrated atlases of Warsaw architecture and architectural walks

Photo: Peter Łyczkowski, Piotr Pędzich | © UM Warszawa

art update, what can be seen in Warsaw's public space?

Organizer: Puszka Foundation
Co-financed by: city of Warsaw
Authors: concept, editing, research design, texts: Aleksandra Litorowicz, Monika Wróbel

sztuka aktuzalizacja. co widać w przestrzeni publicznej warszawy?

art update, what can be seen in Warsaw's public space?

© press mat. UM Warsaw

Gruzowstanie Warszawy 1945-1949, exhibition and book

Organizer: Museum of Warsaw, Rynek Starego Miasta 28/42
Curator: Adam Przywara
Cooperation: Katarzyna Jolanta Górska
Exhibition design: Studio Okuljar Architekt*innen SIA

Zgruzowstanie Warszawy 1945-1949. wystawa i książka

Zgruzowstanie Warszawy 1945-1949; exhibition and book

photo: Tomasz Kaczor | © UM Warszawa

compiled by: Kacper Kępiński

The vote has already been cast

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