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.
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
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
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
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.
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 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
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
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
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
Home for people in crisis of homelessness
Photo: Piotr Krajewski | © UM Warszawa
Nordic Bemowo housing estate
Authors: Kuryłowicz & Associates
Investor: YIT Development
Nordic Bemowo
photo: Nate Cook | © UM Warszawa
Rhythm in Kabaty
Authors: WWAA
Investor: Echo Investment
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
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
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; exhibition and book
photo: Tomasz Kaczor | © UM Warszawa
