The{tag:studenci} from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk proposed an interior design for the first floor of the Princes Lubomirski Museum in Wroclaw. The concept was based on the competition design of the museum by the WXCA studio. The student proposed opening the proposed spaces - information desk, café and reading room towards the city, so as to bring it closer to the residents.
The presented project was made in the 1st Interior Design Studio led by Prof. Beata Szymanska and Dr. Pawel Czarzasty at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk.
The student took care of the arrangement of the first floor of the museum
© Julia Zubka
The design basis was the aforementioned 2018 competition building designed by the WXCA architectural firm. It received a building permit this year. The student challenge was to design the first floor as a part of the building open and close to the city. The space was to respond to the needs of the museum's information function, house a café, a checkroom ,and a museum store.
First floor plan of the Princes Lubomirski Museum, drawing obtained from WXCA studio
© Julia Zubka
working on the project
When starting the project, I first of all paid attention to the building concept by WXCA. I wanted an interior that harmonized with the walls, here the material of the museum was important. I was also determined by the history of the Lubomirski princes, whose collections are to be presented in the exhibition space. The third guideline was the city and an analysis of nearby buildings and the age of the residents, who will most often pass by the museum's glazing and look inside," says Julia Zubka.
cafe section and reading room
© Julia Zubka
museum cafe
The glazing designed by the WXCA studio provides contact between the interior and the exterior. On the first floor, the student proposed a simple counter highlighting the passage, which she divided into two sections. One relates to the event in the auditorium, its vernissage section.
This function is highlighted by descriptive shelves and the main section, offering café rarities - coffee, tea and beet cake. It is the one that alludes to the history of the family of the Lubomirski dukes, also connected with the Przeworsk Sugar Factory - the first sugar factory in Galicia, which was built by Prince Andrzej Lubomirski in 1895," explains the student.
The café is kept in a minimalist style
© Julia Zubka
Behind the counter of the café a back room has been hidden, while the whole thing has been separated by a wall, covering the entrances to the already designed toilets. In front of the counter, the author intentionally did not put seats, she wanted this part to remain a free passage reflecting the one behind the windows - the zone between culture and the street.
This is the place where those interested in the permanent exhibition, but not only, can freely walk through and order coffee, I wanted the museum to be close to the residents, Julia adds.
The first floor contains an information desk and café
© Julia Zubka
information desk
When analyzing the location of the building designed by the WXCA studio, the student paid attention to nearby institutions. As she says, these are places where mainly young people spend their time. Therefore, she proposed large interactive screens set up inside the building, but also in front of the entrance, as information zones. As the designer believes:
Increased youth interest would be an asset to the public space. Adolescents would be able to learn about the history the museum tells in a way that is tailored to their world. The screens would also offer the purchase of an exhibition ticket. An alternative to electronic information and ticket purchase would be an area located at the café counter.
Multimedia, interactive information screens
© Julia Zubka
reading room
The design of the reading room section was inspired by historical reading rooms and collections. The student designed large tables that would integrate guests and allow them to read, talk or drink tea together. The furniture would also serve as tables for displaying items from the museum store.
cross-section of the museum's first floor
© Julia Zubka
The reading room would be separated from the rest of the rooms by a special wall, which would include a checkroom - alcoves for hanging clothes. It is worth mentioning that the tables set perpendicular to the planes of the windows are a great place to observe the city.
