Malgorzata TOMCZAK

competitions

The discussion about architectural competitions is not waning. There is debate about what formula to hold them so that the result meets the expectations of the ordering party and the public, how much to open them to young offices, what to improve in the procedure itself so that they are more popular among investors and architects themselves.

In January 2021, the new Public Procurement Law comes into force, with an interpretation of which we begin this issue. It brings hope for the mandatory use of competitions to a much greater extent than before. This is a good thing, because we all agree that an architectural competition is the best way to decide the shape and quality of public space. This is an important issue, not least in the context of the discussion that swept through Krakow's media this summer about the Wislawa Szymborska park to be built in the city center. Unfortunately, for this important investment, the investor, i.e. the city authorities, announced a tender (sic!). Thus, we lost the chance to learn valuable concepts that could define this space.

Let's work on the formula of architectural competitions, let's look for the best solutions - here SARP still has an important role to play. Let the quality and appearance of our cities and immediate surroundings be chosen by a trusted group of specialists in a procedure that creates the best conditions for the best concept to emerge.

Let's build the future of our cities on the basis of the most democratic of all possible procedures - and such is provided by a competition, not by tenders, where the most important criterion is the lowest price.