Małgorzata TOMCZAK
Competitions
An architectural competition begins with a promise. It brings together different visions and ways of thinking about the city in one place. So it seems that all one has to do is choose the best design.
Except that’s where it might end—as was the case with the competition for the new headquarters of the Marshal’s Office at Grzegórzeckie Roundabout in Kraków, which was decided in 2013. Twelve years later, in 2025, the same developer announced another competition at the same location—this time for the Kraków Philharmonic.
The winning design from the previous competition was shelved… We know many such stories from everyday architectural practice. Despite everything, a competition seems to be the best tool—it offers a choice and opens up discussion. That is where its strength lies.
In this issue, we take a look at the most important competitions that have been announced and decided recently. We hope that the winning designs will eventually be realized.
For the cover of this issue, we’ve chosen the new headquarters of the Warsaw-based BBGK studio. This firm’s history perfectly illustrates the role that competitions can play in a studio’s development. The Katyn Museum and the town hall in Konstancin-Jeziorna brought BBGK widespread recognition and success. This time, we take a look behind the scenes. We ask how the firm engaged with the existing space, what it decided to preserve, what to change, and how it created an incredible place for everyday work.
We invite you to read on!
