One of the greatest honors in Polish architecture is the Honorary Award of the Society of Architects, which has been awarded since 1966. In the pages of A&B, Wojciech Fudala talks to the winners and laureates of this award about their professional path, SARP activities and current events from the world of architecture. This time his interviewee is Marian Fikus, who received the SARP Honorary Award in 2008.
Marian FIKUS - Architect, urban planner, professor at Poznan University of Technology. Born in 1938 in Kobiórze, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Wroclaw University of Technology. In 1968 he founded a design office together with Jerzy Gurawski (together they created, among other things, the design of the Adam Mickiewicz University campus in Poznan Morasko), in 1988 together with Elżbieta Kosińska he started to run Studio Fikus in Poznan (one of the projects of the office is the Różany Potok housing estate in Poznan). In 1972-1974 he served as president of the SARP Opole Branch, and in 1978-1987 as president of the SARP Poznań Branch. From 1988 to 2003, he was an employee of the Faculty of Architecture at Poznań University of Technology, where he headed the Department of Service and Residential Architecture for many years. In 1995, he was awarded the position of associate professor at the Poznan University of Technology. He has won many competitions and received numerous awards, including the SARP Honorary Award, awarded in 2008.
Wojciech Fudala:I came to see you from Katowice, so I can't start our conversation any other way than with a question about Silesia. Although you are professionally associated with Poznań, you spent your youth in Silesia, and in addition, it was a time when Silesians had to find their way between Polish and German influences, often facing difficult nationality choices. How do you recall this period?
Marian Fikus: My father came from Opole Silesia, where there was a predominantly German population and only villages spoke the Silesian language. He graduated from a German school in Opole, but then chose Poland. We never talked about it, but his decision was probably influenced not so much by nationality issues as by love, namely my mother Elzbieta Charlotta Pawelec. I was born in 1938 already on the Polish side of the border, in Kobióra, where my father was a forester.
Wojciech Fudala:What language was spoken in your home?
Marian Fikus: Polish and German were spoken. It's hard for me to say today whether it was classic Polish, but we had no language problems when, after World War II, the borders of the country were shifted and the entire territory of Opole Silesia, Lower Silesia and Western Pomerania was incorporated into Poland under the agreement of the Allies - Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. My father, with his excellent knowledge of both languages, found his way very well into this new reality.
Wojciech Fudala:Your childhood fell during the period of World War II. How did this time affect your family?
Marian Fikus: The war divided my family. My father fought on the Polish side - in the "Cracow" Army, while his brother was drafted into the Wehrmacht as a doctor. My father was soon taken prisoner and spent almost six years in the oflag at Woldenberg. Throughout this time, he kept up correspondence with his family in Poland, and we regularly sent him food parcels, despite the hard times. After the liberation of the camp, many officers decided to stay in the West, they were aware that Poland would come under Soviet influence. However, my father decided to return, because in Poland his family with two children was waiting for him.
Globetrotter sketches by Marian Fikus
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:What made you choose Wroclaw Polytechnic rather than Silesian Polytechnic as the place to study architecture?
Marian Fikus: In 1949, my father took the position of director of the State Forestry in Opole, to which we moved with the whole family. There I finished elementary school and - developing a passion for drawing - a one-year course at the State Art Culture Center. It was then that I made the decision to continue my studies at an art high school.
There was no such school in Opole, so I ended up at the State High School of Visual Arts in Wroclaw. After graduating from it, I had to decide on my further education path.
Pantomime Theater in Wroclaw, graduation work, 1963 - work awarded at the 7th Biennale of Contemporary Art in São Paulo in 1963
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Then my father intervened. One day he invited me into his office and asked me what direction I wanted to go. I replied that most of the best students from my class were choosing the State University of Fine Arts. Among them was Andrzej Skoczylas, who later became president of the Association of Polish Painters and Graphic Artists. My father, however, convinced me to take a polytechnic course. He said that if I finished architecture and still wanted to study fine arts, he would finance my further education. It was thanks to him that I decided to go to Wroclaw University of Technology and became an architect.
Globe-trotting sketches by Marian Fikus
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:There were many prominent professors at the Wroclaw University of Technology at the time, including Tadeusz Broniewski, Zygmunt Majerski, Henryk Levulis and Julian Duchowicz. How do you recall your relations with these figures?
Marian Fikus: Our professors were primarily professionals. Take Julian Duchowicz. As an outstanding student already in college, I was invited to his studio. Of course, there were no computers back then, so hand-drawing skills counted, and thanks to my experience from art high school, I had great ease in this. As part of the cooperation, I took part in the development of competition designs - although I was not yet listed as a co-author. Since then, architectural competitions have been a very important part of my life, and in total I took part in eighty-five. The first, in 1961, while I was still a student, was an internal competition organized by the Faculty of Architecture of the Wroclaw University of Technology for a May Day poster. The next one was already my diploma.
Pantomime Theater in Wroclaw, diploma work, 1963 - work awarded at the 7th Biennale of Contemporary Art in São Paulo in 1963
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:What subject did you choose for your diploma and who was your supervisor?
Marian Fikus: I just enrolled with Julian Duchowicz, who captivated me with his personality. Of course, most of the classes were taught by his assistants, but when from time to time the professor entered the room, these meetings became really special.
Concept sketch of the Technical Library and Lecture Center of Poznan University of Technology, WARTA campus
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
When it came time to choose a topic for the diploma, Professor Duchowicz would invite students for individual discussions. I remember that there were topics to choose from posted on the blackboard at the time. However, Duchovich told me: "You are not going to make sliced sausage". - This is how he referred to office buildings and other buildings that were designed quickly and schematically. - "You're going to make a Pantomime Theater," he then pulled out a functional program. At the time, the Wroclaw Pantomime Theater was gaining enormous fame, and its program was being developed by prominent professors, including Zbigniew Bać. I searched for a suitable solution for more than two months. The plot was designated in a wedge of greenery, on a bend of the river channel in the downtown area. I analyzed various concepts until an ideological sketch emerged, which turned out to be crucial. When Professor Duchowicz saw it, he said: "This is it. You will have a lot of work, but this is it."
Model sketch of Opole
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:You mentioned that the diploma was also a competition project.
Marian Fikus: My Pantomime Theater project became part of the 7th Biennale of Contemporary Art in São Paulo in 1963. It was the first edition to which Poland was invited. As part of the event, architecture departments were allowed to submit their works, and it was my diploma that was chosen by the Faculty of Architecture of the Wrocław University of Technology to represent the university. It made it to the group of projects from more than fifty countries participating in the theater architecture competition, which in itself was a great honor.
Kedzierzyn-Kozle city center, first prize and second prize in the competition, 1969
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
The jury included Oscar Niemeyer and Kenzo Tange, who ultimately awarded my project first prize. Information about this success reached Poland - the well-known journalist Edmund Osmanczyk wrote about it in "Przekroj". He titled his article "Explosion of young talents," mentioning not only my project, but also Marek Budzyński's victory in the competition for the Victory Monument on Playa Girón in Cuba.
Kedzierzyn-Kozle city center, first prize and second prize in the competition, 1969
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:What professional steps did you take after graduation?
Marian Fikus: I was once again guided by Professor Duchowicz, who invited me for an interview. We met in a very elegant place - the Monopol Hotel, right in the center of the city. There the professor told me, "I know that you were offered an assistantship at the Department of Architecture, in the Department of Drawing. I could also make you such an offer, but this is not the path for you. You are to go to a design office and start working in the profession."
perspective sketch of the church
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:And so you did?
Marian Fikus: Yes, however, the situation was not simple at all. In 1963-1964, there was one of the first economic crises of the People's Republic of Poland, and as a result of a government decree, hiring of new employees was stopped. That's when my mother, who sang in the cathedral choir with the chairman of the Presidium of the Municipal National Council in Poznań, Jerzy Kusiak, helped. He told her that I should apply to the Municipal Urban Planning Workshop at the Magistraat. I went for an interview with the head of that studio, architect Tadeusz Guzik. I presented recommendation documents from Professor Duchowicz, after which I was accepted.
Sketch of the naves of St. Barbara's Church in Turek
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:You repeatedly invoke Professor Duchowicz, your teacher, in our conversation. You, too, had the opportunity to educate young architects. From the perspective of a lecturer, how do you assess the differences between today's generation of students and masters such as Duchowicz or Majerski?
Marian Fikus: Each successive generation is characterized by new values, so a direct comparison is very difficult. On the other hand, if the thoughts expressed in the projects and realizations of the current generation reach the status of the works of Julian Duchowicz, it can be said that they are equally talented, equally hardworking and have the same understanding of architecture. Perhaps they are even better. However, to really make it in architecture, many factors are needed - including luck.
Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Poland in Glogow - design: 1980, construction: 1981-1983
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:And you were lucky?
Marian Fikus: I was lucky that I ended up with the right promoter. If I had ended up with another one, I probably wouldn't have had to search for a solution for two and a half months, but then my project would have been weaker and would have passed unnoticed. Meanwhile, every week I came to Professor Duchowicz, showed him more concepts, and each time he said: "No." When I finally brought him a proper sketch, he said: "This is it." This path was extremely important and necessary for me.
realization of the 600th Anniversary Campus of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, 1998-2002
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:How did you and your business partner, Jerzy Gurawski, meet?
Marian Fikus:Jerzy Gurawski was a Lviv native, and he completed his architectural studies at the Cracow University of Technology. However, many coincidences brought him to Opole, where everyone took part in architectural competitions. Jurek competed together with his colleagues, including Jan Matejuk, and I cooperated with Jan Godlewski, who worked in the Architecture Department of the City Hall on a daily basis. We competed with each other - once I was first and Jurek second, other times vice versa.
Once Jurek said: "It doesn't make sense, let's start together and create one competition team." The first competition we did together was a national competition for the design of the center of the city of Kędzierzyn-Koźle. At that time I did the design with Jan Godlewski, and at the same time Jurek developed the concept with Jan Matejuk. After these experiences, we sat down together and created the third work. We won first, second and third prizes.
Campus of Poznań University of Technology WARTA, first prize in competition, 1999
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:Today, such an action - submitting three separate works to the same competition - would end in disqualification, and the very admission to the competition involves numerous formalities: construction authorizations, references and the fulfillment of many other conditions are required. How do you assess these changes? Was the former, more open model of competitions better?
Marian Fikus: I think it was a good solution in the reality of communist Poland. Competitions were open to all citizens, not just architects. Even an architecture student could compete in them, and it happened that students of the Academy of Fine Arts - graphic designers or painters who were interested in architecture - also took part. Over time, the procedures began to tighten, and after the formation of the Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland, we had to adapt to international standards and requirements for authorizations. However, I believe that the current competition procedures are already too formalized. They lack the openness that used to give people more opportunities and possibilities.
Campus of the 600th anniversary of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, competition design, 1998
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:What if the competition is won by an unqualified student? The ordering party is then not sure that the winning concept will receive a building permit and live to see implementation.
Marian Fikus: It is enough to approach the matter practically. Such a student can, after all, turn to one of the professors at the university and say, "Professor, I was lucky, I won the competition and got the commission to implement the project. Now I need the help of a licensed architect to go through the further procedure." If a student or freshly graduated architect wins a competition, it means so much that his work was fantastic and worth pursuing.
Technical Library and Lecture Center of Poznan University of Technology, WARTA campus - 1st stage of implementation, "opening", 2000-2011
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:When and why did you sign up for SARP?
Marian Fikus: In the 1960s and 1970s, membership in the Association of Polish Architects was a natural step for young architects. In order to join, it was necessary to be recommended by SARP members and to meet certain criteria. I was officially admitted to SARP Opole in 1964, and thanks to my involvement in competitions, I was quickly promoted within the structure. After my first term, I was elected vice-president of the branch for creative affairs, and in 1972-1974 I already served as president of the branch.
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Faculty of Physics - east elevation and main entrance, construction: 1990
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:What made you move to Poznan?
Marian Fikus: In 1974, together with Jerzy Gurawski and Jan Godlewski, we won a competition to design the campus of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, then called the Socialist University. It was a huge undertaking - the academic complex in Poznan's Morasko was planned for 25,000 students. The project included not only teaching buildings, but also a professors' estate, service infrastructure and sports grounds, totaling 300 hectares. Our main idea was to create a central esplanade as a space conducive to the public life of the university.
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Physics - east elevation and main entrance, construction: 1990
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
After winning the competition, we were visited in Opole by the chief architect of the city of Poznan Jerzy Buszkiewicz, whom I remember as a very charismatic man. He said that he would provide housing in Poznań for us, our families and our colleagues, as long as we moved there to draw up the design and carry out author's supervision of the Morasko Campus construction. Six families moved to Poznan with us: three families of technicians and three families of architects. Even then I was impressed by the Poznan organizational order, largely due to Buszkiewicz himself, an outstanding architect and excellent organizer of professional life in the region. As time has shown, I have already stayed in Poznan permanently.
seed sketches for projects
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:The aforementioned Jerzy Buszkiewicz was the chief architect of the city of Poznań, and later the chief architect of the province. With few exceptions, such a position does not exist in today's cities. In your opinion, are city architects needed and should this office be restored?
Marian Fikus: The position of city architect is a broad topic, closely related to urban planning strategy and urban policy. I am convinced that the function of the city's chief architect is extremely important, but it should be held by an experienced architect - someone who really knows his trade. Currently, I see another problem.
seed sketches for projects
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
In city offices, key positions in the architecture departments are filled not with architects, but with master's degrees in spatial management. This is absurd. Urban space planning requires specialized knowledge and practical experience in architecture, not just a general knowledge of urban planning. Urban space planning must be done by architects.
Conceptual sketch of the Morasko Campus of UAM
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:In your career, you have also served as the Regional Ombudsman for Professional Responsibility in the Wielkopolska Chamber of Architects. In the architectural community, this office is often controversial. Although in theory the ombudsmen are supposed to uphold professional ethics, there are still claims that some obvious irregularities - such as copyright violations or signing other people's projects - go unaddressed. How would you address these opinions?
Marian Fikus: Indeed, it happens that the function of the ombudsman is performed by people who are unable to gain full independence or simply show passivity. To answer your question, I will recall a meeting of professional ombudsmen, during which one of the participants gave me as an example. He pointed out the statistics according to which there are only seven cases per year nationwide, of which as many as six are in the Wielkopolska region. He wondered whether this meant that 90 percent of the nationwide problems in the architectural community are concentrated in Poznań, or whether it was rather due to my activity as an ombudsman who actually responded to reported cases, instead of sweeping them under the rug.
Morasko Campus of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, first prize in competition, 1974
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:So what should be the actual role of the ombudsman in our professional government? And who should perform this function?
Marian Fikus: The Ombudsman for Professional Responsibility must first of all know how to oppose what we call cronyism. It so happened that while holding this function, I once conducted a case against Jurek Gurawski. Although he was a warm friend of mine, a business partner and even a neighbor from the Różany Potok estate in Poznań [proj. Marian Fikus - editor's note], I told him directly: "Jurek, don't count on any favor. I will consider the matter objectively and treat it like any other". This was not easy, and my actions led to Jurek's punishment by the Chamber. However, this shows that when serving as an ombudsman, one must be impartial and loyal to principles, not to specific individuals.
University housing estate Różany Potok in Poznań, quarter 15, construction 1996-1999
Illustrations provided courtesy of Marian Fikus.
Wojciech Fudala:Our conversation was about the past, but at the very end I would like to ask about what lies ahead. What, in your opinion, are the biggest challenges that architects in Poland will have to face in the coming years?
Marian Fikus: When I travel around Poland, I often feel disappointed by spatial chaos. Why does a house suddenly spring up in an empty field? Why does a tall building appear in a low development, disturbing the harmony of the surroundings? We lack coherent urban planning thought and long-term planning, so that cities lose clear boundaries, and buildings become scattered and random. Today we have many valuable individual developments, but as a whole, urban space is often chaotic. Architects must do everything they can to make spatial order a priority for cities.
Wojciech Fudala:Thank you for the interview.
interviewed: Wojciech Fudala
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