Hits and kits of 2025
The turn of the year is the best time for all kinds of summaries. And like every year, we ask practitioners and architecture critics to write what they consider a success and what they consider a failure in a given year. We do this in the convention of Kits and Hits. We give our Authors and Authors complete freedom of expression and do not moderate this discussion.
HITS
Hits ahead. As usual, several new and important books fall into this category, which help to better understand, know and transform the space around us. At least four items deserve attention: two of a cross-sectional nature and two of a detailed nature. In appreciating things that are not very spectacular, but extremely important, are certainly helped by "Temple and Dumpster" by Grzegorz Piątek and "For Whom is the City" by Magdalena Milert. A thorough and well-documented knowledge of one of the most important parts of the capital was provided by "Marszałkowska Dzielnica Marzeń" by Krzysztof Mordyński. "Architects and the "Aryan paragraph""Agnieszka Tomaszewicz and Joanna Majczyk, on the other hand, is a valuable, if unpleasant, document. Valuable because, firstly, it shows the scale of the eradication of Jews from the architectural profession, and secondly, it restores the memory of many forgotten or underestimated designers.
With some caution and a bit on the encouraging side, the changes in the state's housing policy should be considered a hit: not siphoning money to developers, but increasing funding for social housing and a more systemic approach to housing (which, in its overall mass, I put on the putty list once again). With this, however, there is a chance for positive change and the much-desired diversification of housing types. There is also a chance for better architecture, as evidenced by the TBS developments (hit!) in Katowice (OVO Grąbczewscy Architekci) and Ajnfarty in Rybnik (SLAS Architekci). On the plus side, we can also record the concentration of housing and space issues in one ministry. Seemingly obvious, but we had to wait.
More and more new public spaces are also welcomed, it is clear that local governments already have the know-how in this area and do not hesitate to use it. Proof of this can be seen in Warsaw's new developments: Central Square (design: A-A Collective) including such a useful triviality as a new zebra on the axis of the PKiN and Żerański Park (design: topoScape, Archigrest, Hubert Trammer, Natalia Trochonowicz).
Also pleasing is the level of works on the list of Polish nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Award and the (already this year's, January) shortlisting of the "Storm" Action Park (Archigrest and topoScape). Several other Polish proposals would also have successfully found their way into the finals.
KITS
In addition to the residential, which I have permanently entered in this section (until further notice), I consider two of last year's contests to be first-rate putty. One for a building, the other for a position.
The first was - as you can easily guess - a competition for a library in Rzeszow. The second - a competition for the head of the National Institute of Architecture and Urbanism. As a rule, competitions are the best tools for selecting the best works or people, but - competitions well arranged and conducted. However, this was not the case in Rzeszow, where the decision began to be "helped" by the mayor himself. The result: a dissenting opinion of several judges and a media scandal, the end of which (at the threshold of this year) is not in sight.
In turn, the competition for the director of the most important national institution devoted to architecture ended in cancellation. The reason: imprecise rules of procedure and problems with vote counting. Quite a slip-up, considering the rank of the position. Or perhaps this rank is not so great after all? There were only six candidates, and that included the current director.
So Rzeszow lost, the architectural community loses, but - and here is the bigger scandal - the institution of the competition itself loses. How to persuade decision-makers now for such a formula and present its superiority over a tender or a granted appointment?
And speaking of decision-makers - an outrageous putty was (and still is) the attempt initiated last year to abolish two-term local government. A political topic, but also important from the point of view of architecture and investment. The concretization of authorities and ossified local arrangements do not usually have a good effect either on public space or on the quality of development permitted by decision-makers.
Jakub Głaz
Read more: A&B 2/2026 - Education,
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