Poland

40 A10 #67 EUROVISION: POLAND A10 #67EUROVISION: POLAND 41

EURO

VIS

ION

Guest edited by a leading

national organization in

a single European

country or region. Within

a range of themes, they

strive to give deeper insight into the current

state of architectural

affairs.

In 2015, the edifice of the Szczecin Philhar­monic, designed by Estudio Barozzi Veiga from Barcelona, was distinguished with the Mies van der Rohe Award. This project ex­emplifies a return to the tendency of opening Poland to foreign architects that dates back to the Middle Ages, and is coupled with the phenomenon of an unprecedented scale of construction projects for cultural purposes in the nation’s history. This situation is proof of the stimulating impact of European Union funds. The €490 million fund (less than the cost of the €500 million opera in Oslo alone), allocated for financial support of investments in culture and cultural heritage in Poland between 2007 and 2013, contributed to the construction or redevelopment of 85 centres of culture and artistic education, the reno­vation of 75 buildings listed as national her­itage, and a range of activities unrelated to construction projects.

This growth is a major stimulus for the towns where the buildings are located, even though expenditure in the field of culture has only a meagre share of the budget; road infrastructure receives the largest slice of cake. The total length of highways and ex­pressways grew from 631 km in 2003, to 3391 km in 2015, and this number is anticipated to double until 2023. For comparison, there are 3674 km of such roads in Great Britain. The development of the highway network is ac­companied by a reduction in public transport in the areas remote from the large cities. Many high school students are forced to skip some of their lessons to be able to return home, a situation caused by an insufficient number of bus connections. The EU member state that has developed the most extensive network of highways and expressways is Spain, a country that was often cited as a model for Poland at the time of accession to the European Union. Now, some see the current Spanish situation as a memento for Poland.

Poland is the only member of the current European Union to have witnessed uninter­rupted GDP growth since 1992. The coun­try has seen a sharp increase in the number of students, people with higher education (from 6.5% in 1988 to 17% in 2011), and peo­ple speaking foreign languages, most no­tably English. Average life expectancy has

risen significantly, whereas infant mortality has decreased. Much of the available data portrays Poland as a ‘green island’, to quote the term used in 2009 by Donald Tusk, then the Polish prime minister and now President of the European Council. His opponents point out that Greece was another green country on Tusk’s map of economic growth and decline, and highlight the considerable growth of debt and bureaucracy in recent years.

In 1980, Poland caught the world’s atten­tion with the rise of the Solidarność movement and its immense impact on the state of affairs in the country. Based on the idea of solidarity between different layers of society, the move­ment pointed out that, contrary to declara­tions, the communist government did not rep­resent workers’ interests. Suppressed sixteen months later by state authorities, Solidarność was later active as an underground organiza­tion. In 1988, the movement resumed strikes and protests on a massive scale, which re­sulted in talks with the heads of the state and partly free elections. In September 1989, two months before the fall of the Berlin Wall, a gov­ernment was formed with a representative of Solidarność as the prime minister.

Those political developments unfolded against the background of an economic crisis. International financial institutions convinced the new government to abandon the idea of solidarity in favour of economic liberalism, which was supposed to trigger fast­paced development. The country began to suffer from unemployment, a phenomenon non­ex­istent under the previous regime. A factor that aggravated the employment situation was the closing of a large portion of industrial plants within reforms pursued in collaboration with international financial institutions. Some plants closed down according to preordained governmental plans, others were dismantled by foreign competitors who had purchased them. Some companies went bankrupt due to the forced opening of the Polish mar­ket, coupled with measures that protected Western markets against the competition of Polish goods. After 1991, the unemployment rate has fallen below the level of ten per cent only three times, each time for several months (1998, 2008, and currently since August 2015).

The most recent occurrences resulted not only from the improvement of the economic situation, but also from the large number of people who left the country in search of jobs. At its peak, a month before Polish accession to the European Union in 2004, the unemploy­ment rate reached 20.6 per cent. The same period revealed a number of corruption scan­dals among state authorities. The mood that prevailed in Poland at the time was best exem­plified by the slogan sprayed on many walls: ‘A better tomorrow was yesterday’. Following EU accession, the opening of job markets in Ireland, Sweden, and Great Britain, as well

as the abolishment of export barriers from Poland to all member states, combined with an influx of investors, including speculators who purchased apartments as capital invest­ments, became factors that led to a relative improvement of the situation. Architects and professionals across the entire construction industry, who had suffered major difficulties between 2001 and 2003, could enjoy a period of easy access to work. Many more construc­tion projects were launched, while many oth­er professionals active in the field remained abroad. At the beginning of 2008, there were around 400 architects from Poland in Dublin alone. With the advent of the global econom­ic crisis, Poland profited from postponing the procedure of joining the Eurozone. The de­parture of speculating investors dealt a heavy blow to the Polish currency, which meant extreme support for the competitiveness of Polish export. In the field of construction and architecture, the loss of commercial projects was offset by a rise in public investment, large­ly co­financed by the European Union. The im­plementation of such projects was intended as a way to catch up with Western European nations. However, the acquisition of funds required as its own financial contributions to those projects escalates the debt of the Polish state and local authorities. Maintenance costs are also becoming a challenge.

Following the political transition, the state has largely abandoned the sphere of social housing. Multi­family housing became dom­inated by developers. Despite consistently high demand, the number of new apartments has significantly decreased in comparison with the communist period. Currently, an average apartment is bigger, but this change results mainly from a rise in the number of large apartments. Notably, the largest group comprises single­family housing. Such dwell­ings are cheaper because the owners inde­pendently manage their construction, but they also generate problematic urban sprawl.

The situation of Polish architecture is the same as the nation’s general situation: rife with problems that have the potential to became starting points for very positive phenome­na and, at the same time, full of remarkable signs of development, which could mean a real problem in the future.

Stanisław Niemczyk began his professional activity in the 1960s, in a large, state-owned architectural design office, a path followed by nearly all Polish architects of the time. From the outset, he was not an enthusiast of mass-scale and typified con-struction. Niemczyk remained vigilant for potential applications of bespoke solutions developed for a project’s site and goal. The architect’s later works bear reference mainly to the traditional understand-ing of architecture and shaping space. Niemczyk is known primarily as an architect of churches; he profits from the fact that the communities that pursue the construction of such edifices are able to invest more time and effort than money. The ar-chitect makes use of local, often less expensive, or even waste materials, and relies on manual process-ing. He avoids predetermining every detail so that changes introduced with the hands of the builders can enrich the work. Niemczyk arranges the details at the construction site, and creates a community with the builders. Some say that his approach can

work only in the sphere of church construction pro-jects, since it would be anachronous in other fields of architecture. Yet, more than others, Niemczyk is responsive to the special situation of Polish econ-omy. There are also other projects which demon-strate that the architect’s approach can be success-ful, not only with regard to churches, for instance, his residential estate in Mikołów (1983 – 1986), a school in Katowice-Giszowiec (construction and extension 1990 – 2002), and the Cooperative Bank in Czechowice-Dziedzice (1999 – 2003). A great number of architects who operate in different styles of architecture consider Niemczyk as the best Polish architect. But very few try to follow in his footsteps.

As part of the recent burst of interest in post-war modern architecture in Poland, the legacy of Oskar Hansen (1922 – 2005), an architect, artist, and the-orist affiliated with Team 10, has experienced its renaissance. A student of Pierre Jeanneret and Fernand Léger, he became known for his theory of Open Form that formed a conceptual basis for all areas of his professional activity. Announced at the 1959 CIAM congress in Otterlo, the theory promoted the understanding of architecture as a ‘passe-partout’, exposing every-day events, open to the participation of its users in the process of de-sign, and easily adaptable to their changing needs. Hansen applied it to different scales of design – from the micro-scale of exhibitions and individual hous-es (e.g., his summer house in Szumin, 1969 – 1970), through mid-scale of housing estates (such as Juliusz Słowacki Housing Estate in Lublin, designed togeth-er with his wife, Zofia, in 1961 – 1963), to the mac-ro-scale of the Linear Continuous System, a concept of linear settlements stretching throughout Poland. Thanks to his teaching at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and continuation of his pedagogical meth-ods at the Bergen School of Architecture, his theory

served as an inspiring point of reference for Polish visual artists and Norwegian architecture students, but only recently gained rightful recognition among wider audience. With an exhibition that is touring between Barcelona, Porto, and New Haven, several publications, and the opening of the Hansens’ house to visitors, the theory has gained new life and vitality, offering fresh insight into the legacy of an architect whose concepts could not be fully realized.

Few would ever question that Poland’s resourcefulness and determination have contributed to opening up Europe in the most fundamental way. Since 2000, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute has made the most of those very same qualities, not only to intro-duce an international audience to contemporary Poland, but to do so in a manner that revolutionizes the stiff principles of cultural institutions of old – through the presentation of high-quality initiatives and events in fields such as design, music, theatre, visual arts, and, most recently, archi-tecture, as well as fruitful cooperation with renowned partners both in Poland and abroad. As such, we con-sider our role as guest editors of this instalment of Eurovision as a great opportunity to present the latest de-velopments in Polish architecture.

In its fifteen years of existence, the Institute has implemented an arm’s- length approach, interacting with both artists and audiences on equal footing. It has supported and orga-nized numerous exhibitions, artists’ residencies, study visits, and confer-ences all over the globe – so far, in total, over 5000 cultural events in 67 countries, for nearly 50 million peo-ple on five continents. The Institute’s activities, now presented under the flagship brand Culture.pl, are met with an enthusiasm that has resulted in Polish culture being celebrated in cities large and small, near and far, and everywhere in between.

Info Culture.pl

Since Poland entered the European Union in 2004, the nation has seen continuous growth, both economically and culturally. In this instalment, Hubert Trammer with Ewa Borysiewicz and Anna Szylar of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, and photographer Jakub Certowicz, together apprise the current circumstances of Polish architecture.

An ambiguous Polish realityTEXT: HUBERT TRAMMER, PHOTOGRAPHY: JAKUB CERTOWICZ

↑ Szczecin Philharmonic (Barozzi/Veiga)

↑ Cultural-Educational Centre, Bytom (Medusa Group)

The Adam Mickiewicz InstitutePAWEŁ POTOROCZYN, DIRECTOR OF

THE ADAM MICKIEWICZ INSTITUTE

Tradition and localityTEXT: HUBERT TRAMMER, PHOTOGRAPHY: JAKUB CERTOWICZ

Searching for new architectureTEXT: ALEKSANDRA KĘDZIOREK

↑ Oskar Hansen House, Szumin

↓ Cooperative Bank, Czechowice­Dziedzice

↑ Church and Franciscan monastery, Tychy

↑ Church of Christ the Redeemer, Czechowice­Dziedzice

↑ Nad Jamną Estate, Mikołów

↑ Juliusz Słowacki Housing Estate, Lublin

←Conceptual diagram for the spati­al develop­ment of Poland within the Linear Continuous System (Oskar Hansen, 1972)

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42 A10 #67 A10 #67 43EUROVISION: POLAND EUROVISION: POLAND

Symbols of transformation and successTEXT: MACIEJ CZARNECKI, PHOTOGRAPHY: JAKUB CERTOWICZ

New construction projects from the last decade in Poland mark a change in terms of the quality of its architecture. The political and economic trans-formation of the country ushered in an era of high standards in a wide array of fields. The image of Polish architecture has witnessed radical change. One reason, beyond a doubt, is the attention that Poles paid to good models from abroad, which had previously seemed unattainable. A positive role was also played by the level of architectural edu-cation pursued by architecture faculties and the professional press. The differences in perception of Western European buildings and local projects, so immense until recently, gradually started to disappear. Credit goes partly to foreign architec-tural offices that have been active on the Polish market for some time, but also to local architects who demonstrate ever more courage as they continue to operate in the sphere of new ideas.

The support that Poland received from the European Union has contributed to a significant increase in funding for architectural projects in the fields of culture and art. It is a major signal, especially in the context of the strident demonstrations of Euroscepticism that occasionally take place in the nation. Polish culture has become a great beneficia-ry of European support. The full extent of this phe-nomenon can be seen only now, in recent months, as new buildings open their doors to users. Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004 did not change reality overnight. However, joining has generated favour-able conditions for comprehensive growth and con-tributed to the country’s modernization.

The 2012 UEFA European Championship con-tributed to an exponential growth in terms of newly built sports facilities, transport infrastructure, and accommodations in Poland and Ukraine. The chance to promote Poland as a country that had achieved a higher level of modernization was used well. Many railway buildings, bus terminals, and airports under-

went updates. The Second Passenger Terminal of the Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (Gdańsk, 2007 – 2012, JSK Architekci) is an extension of the existing airport. In turn, the Lublin Airport (Świdnik, 2008 – 2012, ARE Grzegorz Stiasny, Jakub Wacławek) is a new project that opens a development perspec-tive for the region. The sports infrastructure that served the UEFA in 2012 now hosts various events – not just sporting tournaments. High maintenance costs pose a problem, however, as leasing revenues do not cover the expenses of many stadiums.

Facilitated integration with foreign enterprises, new contacts, and models derived from abroad also had a positive impact on changing the image of commercial buildings. Foreign companies start-ed to open offices in the country, which stimulated

the market and allowed architects to lend their designs a greater mo-mentum than before. The effects can be seen in retail commercial build-ings. Wolf Bracka Department Store (Warsaw, 2003 – 2011, Kuryłowicz & Associates; see A10 #44) bears a strong testimony to the willingness

to show off prestige and luxury to the outside world. Criticized for disrupting the historical line of streets and its location directly opposite the windows of a residential block, the building is characterized by high-quality design solutions. A good example of a

new head office of a large corporation is the Orange Office Building (Warsaw, 2013, Fiszer Atelier 41), which is ‘tailor-made’ for the needs of the client and

attracts attention with its individualized details, or even ‘modern ornament’. Alongside workspaces, the building also provides recreation and leisure facilities.

Investments in culture have brought numerous and spectacular effects. ICHOT Gate of Poznań – Interactive Centre of Ostrów Tumski History

(Poznań, 2010 – 2014, Ad Artis Architects) was cre-ated to showcase one of the oldest urban complexes in Poland, which dates back to the earliest days of the state. The modern exhibition building, which re-tains a minimal style, lends a modern background to historic buildings of immense value.

The Scientific Information Centre and Academic Library (Katowice, 2002 – 2011, HS99; see A10 #4

and #44) is a gem-like statement of modernity in a city known primarily as the capital of the larg-est industrial-mining ag-glomeration, and which

has suffered the loss of many factories over the past 25 years. The city of Katowice is gradually rebuilding its image through investments in cul-

ture and art. Recently completed projects include the Silesian Museum (2007 – 2015, Riegler Riewe Architekten; see A10 #17), a building situated partly underground on the site of a former mine, and the seat of the of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, located near-by the museum and com-plete with a concert hall of 1800 seats (2008 – 2014, Konior Studio), plus the 38,000 m2 International Congress Centre (2008 – 2015, JEMS Architekci). The construction of these edifices was accompanied by landscaping schemes applied to their surround-ings. The total cost of the three projects amounted to roughly €200 million. With their momentum and high quality of architecture, the buildings serve as a showpiece of the new, better times. Still, this isolat-ed cluster of three cultural centres that could each inspire growth in a separate area is a wasted chance to stimulate development across different parts of the agglomeration.

High quality architectural solutions characterize buildings that evoke symbolic associations and bear reference to history. The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Warsaw, 2005 – 2013, Lahdelma & Mahlamäki; see A10 #45 and #52) is one such edifice that addresses reflection. The architects of the museum tapped into metaphorical language and designed a modern building with a cut that refers to the biblical parting of the Red Sea. The

form of the hall and the main entrance symbol-izes passage, also in the context of the centuries during which Jews were sheltered in Poland from

persecutions in other regions. In turn, Cricoteka (Cracow, 2006 – 2014, IQ2 Konsorcjum; see A10 #61) – a museum devoted to Tadeusz Kantor and the seat of the Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor – showcases the creative work of the eminent Cracow artist, performer, and interna-tionally known theatre reformer.

A distinctive feature of the Szczecin Philhar monic (2007 – 2014, Estudio Barozzi Veiga; see A10 #17 and #64) is the ephemeral and elusive form of a compact edifice that has become a showpiece of the city. The success of the new philharmonic, honoured with the Mies van der Rohe Award 2015, countered the unfair image of Szczecin as an underachiever in terms of development. A different kind of relation with the

context is established by the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre (Gdańsk, 2008 – 2014, Renato Rizzi, A.T.I.; see A10 #63). The building abounds in references to

Gothic churches and walls of Gdańsk with a complex comprising a range of courtyards, alleys, and pas-sages on different levels, which turn it into an exten-sion and enrichment of the urban space. Alongside the roof that opens and the lack of continuity of many walls, these characteristics contribute to why the theatre building redefines architecture and can be regarded as the best piece of architecture built in Poland for decades.

The high-profile architectural projects of the last ten years feature a range of diverse solutions. They also stand as clear symbols of the transformation, success, and positive metamorphosis of society during the 25 years since democracy was restored in Poland.

LocalPr

estig

e The local reality of Poland is particu­larly complex. It is also a sphere that clearly shows an improvement in the quality of architecture in recent years. Projects that degrade exist­ing space and buildings occasionally continue to be implemented, but the scale of the problem is decreasing. We have witnessed a leap in terms of quality in comparison with the 1990s – the realm of that era is well­ illustrated by the commonplace adjustments made to the size of win­dow apertures in renovated houses to match the dimensions of old windows imported from Germany. Many villages and small towns in Poland are becoming depopulated as young people emigrate to larger centres and abroad in search of jobs. At the same time, smaller munici­palities located near the largest cit­ies, within the urban sprawl, are growing in population. Yet, the pro­cess often entails chaotic growth and dispersed development.

In many local communities, material deficiencies are offset by the volun-tary work of the community, including participation in the construction of schools, churches, sports grounds, lo-cal roads, and other objects of common infrastructure. Neighbours help each other in building houses. Restored after the collapse of the communist regime, democratic elections of proactive local authorities has offered the possibility, in many cases, to combine local initi-atives of the dwellers with local deci-sion-making in terms of funding.

Many new sports facilities have been built since the 1990s. Especially in recent years, such buildings have brought interesting architecture, also to smaller towns – for instance, the Family Sports and Recreation Centre Fala Park (PL Architekci, 2009 – 2012) in the town of Wolsztyn (pop. 13,500), whose lightweight architecture repre-sents the contemporary version of the International Style, but at the same time, it is carefully embedded in its surroundings. The borough of Panki (pop. 4000) built a sports hall, a build-ing whose facades feature wooden elements used in a way that remote-ly references rural traditions and, at the same time, current global trends (ISBA_Grupa Projektowa, 2009 – 2011). An example of architecture situated both in the context of a little village and international tendencies is the li-brary in Szynwałd (pop. 3000), which also functions as a local community centre (Kucia Tyczyński Pracownia Architektoniczna, 2011 – 2014).

In recent years, a characteristic fea-ture are projects that raise the quality of public spaces in many smaller or larger towns. Some of these construction pro-jects were preceded by architectural competitions, as was the case with the revitalization of the oldest part of the

city of Gorlice (pop. 30,000 ). Others came into being because architects were able to convince their initiators to profit from renovations in order to substantially improve the quality of a place. Such were the origins of the

redevelopment of the shore of Lake Paprocany in Tychy (RS+ Robert Skitek, 2012 – 2014). Many cities invest in im-proving their connection with rivers. An example of such initiatives is the marina in Włocławek, complete with viewing terraces and a café (Modern

Construction Systems, 2012 – 2014), which forms part of a scheme imple-mented on the banks of the largest Polish river, the Vistula.

Many smaller towns witness the implementation of projects that are

geared to attract visitors, even from far away. The Nature Zoom Park in Janów Lubelski (pop. 12,000) combines a rec-reational function with the potential to discover natural phenomena. Because it comprises outdoor spaces with small pavilions and other structures, the

park was much cheaper to build than the exploratoriums found in large cit-ies (A10 #47).

The high quality of architecture in small population centres sometimes results from the imprint of dramatic history that such places carry. Poland has a tradition of high-class memorial architecture and sculpture. One re-cent example is a monumental mov-ing memorial complex with a museum in Bełżec (sculptors Andrzej Sołyga, Zdzisław Pidek, Marcin Roszczyk; ar-chitect DDJM Biuro Architektoniczne, 1997 – 2004). It is located in the area of a former death camp that operated in 1941 – 1942, a place where Germans an-nihilated an estimated 500,000 Jews.

Projects in local space are also creat-ed upon initiatives that are independent of local authorities. After the Hyacinth of Poland parish in Bytom reclaimed an area that surrounds the church and functions as an urban green, the place remained freely accessible and witnessed improvements in its quality. Currently, it serves as a Rosary Garden, which houses the Cultural-Educational Centre by Medusa Group (2011 – 2014), which is partly embedded in the ground and caters to the local community. The chapel in the village of Tarnów nad Wisłą was built upon the initiative of a single private initiator, owing to his money as well as his efforts and in-volvement with the local community (see A10 #30).

Composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who has lived for 40 years in Lusławice, a village of several hundred inhabitants, successfully pursued efforts to estab-lish the European Centre for Music in that location, a national institution that operates master courses for instrumen-talists, vocalists, and conductors from across the globe, which also hosts a musical festival each year. The centre’s monumental yet modest programme cost roughly €15 million and houses a concert hall with seats for 650 guests.

Yet, it is sometimes necessary to make a choice. Problems are posed by the frequent Polish tendency to invest in new buildings instead of maintain-ing old ones. It can be the case that a local library finds it more difficult to acquire the modest funds for the pur-chase of books than to obtain greater funds for redevelopment. Dramatic situations occur when many, especial-ly rural schools close down because of financial downscaling – many of them were built years ago owing to volun-tary engagement of the local inhabit-ants. What is more, the problems and their solutions are situated mainly in the political sphere. Projects that em-brace public spaces, which are mostly less expensive than raising new build-ings and generate lower maintenance costs, clearly encourage people to spend time in such spaces, a fact that favours the development of towns and local communities.

Good space and architecture (also in small localities)TEXT: MACIEJ CZARNECKI AND HUBERT TRAMMER, PHOTOGRAPHY: JAKUB CERTOWICZ

↑ Sports hall, Panki

↑ Lake Paprocany redevelopment

↑ Cultural­Educational Centre, Bytom

↑ Fala Park, Wolsztyn

↑ Library, Szynwałd

↑ Chapel interior, Tarnów nad Wisłą

↑ Memorial, Bełżec

↑ Nature Zoom Park, Janów Lubelski

↑ City centre revitalization, Gorlice

↑ European Centre for Music, Lusławice

↑ Marina, Włocławek

↑ Rosary Garden, Bytom

↑ Silesian Museum (right), Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (left), International Congress Centre (left distance)

PolandPola

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44 A10 #67 A10 #67 45EUROVISION: POLAND EUROVISION: POLAND

Poland’s accession to the European Union signifi-cantly stimulated the nation’s modernization. New projects included preservation-based renovations of the broadly understood Polish national herit-age, which adapted historic buildings to the needs of tourist traffic or new functions. Such projects were mostly launched by public cultural institu-tions, whose exhaustive use of available funds set exemplary high standards. The flagship undertak-ings in this field embraced adaptations of post-in-dustrial buildings, such as power plants or former factory halls, for the needs of museums, theatres, and other cultural centres. One of the most famous examples is the Silesian Museum in Katowice (first

stage 2011 – 2015, Riegler Riewe Architekten; see A10 #17), a project implemented in phases on the site of a former coal mine. Although the winding tower of the mine shaft and successively renovated historic buildings have been highlighted, their role is auxil-iary and complementary (restaurant, experimental spaces) to the new edifice built underground – its presence indicated only by several glass cuboid structures aboveground.

Interesting and successful adaptations of histor-ic buildings do not necessarily require long-term, costly projects. The conversion of an air raid shelter from World War II into the temporary seat of the Wrocław Contemporary Museum was carried out according to a design-build procedure (2011, CH+ Architekci and VROA Architekci; see A10 #43). Adapting the building for exhibition purposes re-quired spectacular interventions in the reinforced concrete structure. With very limited funds at their disposal, the architects did not attempt to raise the standard of the space by means of high-profile ma-terials, choosing instead to highlight the atmosphere of the venue, as well as the makeshift status of the intervention, by relying on simple, almost primitive finishing solutions.

Such ambitious approaches to the question of renovation and adaptation of quality architecture are rare in the field of privately funded projects. Major difficulties are especially posed by the heritage of the post-war years; Socialist Realist and late-postmod-ern architecture is seldom protected by preservation officers, falling prey to subjective judgements, and regarded mostly through the prism of political con-notations. Yet even the ideological underpinning of such buildings offers certain potentials, as we can

see with the example of a Warsaw building from the 1950s designed to house the seat of the Presidium of the communist government. The architects proved their sensitivity in preserving the Soc-luxury appeal of the building’s furnishings and its elitist charac-ter upon converting it into a high-class modern of-fice building, Ufficio Primo (Warsaw, 2010 – 2012, B’art Atelier).

Projects by developers that embrace post-war buildings of particularly high value spark relative-ly broad interest, and sometimes heated debates. Efforts aimed at preserving the architectural quali-ties of such buildings often enjoy considerable pub-licity and a warm welcome in public opinion. This was the case with a building nicknamed okrąglak (in reference to its round shape), built between 1948 and 1954 – a distinctive element in the panorama of Poznań. The department store was transformed

into an A-class building housing offices and services (2011 – 2012, RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky). Unfortunately, the same developer did not live up to the positive tendency (and publicity) when the

company demolished Warsaw’s iconic department store Smyk in 2015, with the preservation officer’s consent. The controversy over this decision has not faded, despite the developer’s reassuring claims that the building will be reconstructed in its historical form. This mistrust is not ungrounded: similar dec-larations accompanied, for instance, the redevel-opment of the brutalist railway station in Katowice, whose unique structure was torn down and recre-ated merely as a marginal component of a shopping mall (2010 – 2013).

A glimpse at other projects related to railway buildings reveals how many public utility buildings, which remain outside the scope of interest of the monument preservation administration, are renovat-ed under tender-based procedures with the purpose of introducing a commercial function or demolition. The largest of these buildings are transformed, in

collaboration with developers, into shopping malls, with their transport function reduced to a minimum. The architectural potential of such buildings is sel-dom tapped into. Projects that are positively distin-guished from such practices are the comprehensive renovation of the Warszawa Wschodnia railway sta-tion (2011 – 2012, Biuro Projektów Architektonicznych i Budowlanych AiB sp z o.o.) and the modernization of smaller train stations like Warszawa Stadion (2011–2012, PPMB – Pracownia Projektowa Michał Błaszczyk), Warszawa Powiśle (2007–2008, lower pavilion; Centrala designers’ task force, upper pa-vilion; MAAS Projekt), and Warszawa Ochota (2008, MAAS Projekt). Nevertheless, experiences gained thus far have shown that the problem of developing a

policy with regard to the architectural heritage is be-coming urgent, especially in the face of large-scale governmental and local urban revitalization projects currently underway in Poland.

ReusedH

ousi

ngThe structure of home ownership in Poland resembles other former Soviet Bloc countries: privately owned apart-ments in multi-family buildings and pri-vate homes predominate the housing stock. These two typologies also con-stitute the majority of new residential architecture, designed and built during the past 26 years of market economy. Here, the growing demand for quali-ty, especially in larger cities, offers increased opportunities for architec-tural expression among ambitious de-signers. Yet the rise of private develop-ers and single-family self-build homes has coexisted with the steady decline of public sector housing. New public housing projects are scarce, barely meeting the ever growing demand. A poorly regulated rental market and insufficient supply of housing reduces mobility and domestic migration for

work. As a result, Poland still strug-gles with the unresolved problems of diminishing affordability and a mis-match between demand and supply.

The rapid privatization of housing has resulted from years of housing shortage and the fast economic growth of large cities. The private housing market was virtually created two and a half decades ago with the development of mortgag-es and the emergence of domestic development companies. The existing communal stock was also transferred into the hands of the tenants, often at substantial discounts. Poland’s acces-sion to the EU accelerated the market, resulting in a steady rise of housing prices. Even the 2008 crisis did not stop private companies from building. As a result, Polish residential architecture comprises a diverse and often socially contrasting tapestry of housing. They range from cheaply built ‘shoebox’ apartments in anonymous blocks, of-ten erected at city outskirts and aimed at poorer residents, to architecturally

sophisticated condominiums for the wealthier and increasingly demanding middle class. The latter has emerged as a response to a fashionable concept of the ‘return to the city’, embodied in ambitious designs of the projects, such as Rebel One in Soho Factory, Warsaw. The once popular gated communities, a sign of distinction and luxurious living a few years ago, are being re-placed by open designs of the entirely mixed-use inner-city urban districts, like Miasteczko Wilanów in Warsaw or Gdańsk Garnizon. These districts are designed by various architects un-der joint masterplans. The increasing number of projects, including the ex-amples of Garnizon and Soho Factory, are developed on the inner-city brownfield sites.

Fads in Polish housing happen to come only to pass sooner than it takes

to finalize the construction of the building. Financial failures of some of the large-scale loft developments have proven that the Polish residen-tial market may not yet be ready for above-standard housing types. Despite difficulties, some of these proj-ects became successful, like the Lofts in Gliwice. A few luxurious housing towers have been built in the last few years, however, including Złota 44 by Daniel Libeskind and Cosmopolitan by Helmut Jahn in Warsaw, Sky Tower in Wroclaw by studio Fold s.c., and Sea Towers in Gdynia, by Andrzej Kapuścik.

Former public housing projects – large, post-war prefab block estates – still dominate the urban landscape of many cities. Contrary to their Western counterparts, these are still a popular place to live due to their attractive locations, good services, open green areas, and access to public transport. They have not lost most much in prop-erty value and are appreciated by both old and new dwellers. Technically, the

blocks are often in better condition than run-down inner-city tenement hous-ing, which they were, in fact, meant to replace. Nowadays, they often un-dergo physical modernization and soft regeneration projects, usually reduced to small, bottom-up improvements, like those conducted by Warsaw NGO ODBLOKUJ (‘Unblock’). Decorative work – from infantile colouring to more creative murals of higher artistic value – is introduced to soften the harsh char-acter of the grey precast facades.

Roughly half of the homes in Poland are self-built, suburban detached hous-es, a sought after symbol of middle-class success and a mark of personal indepen-dence. Escape to the suburb is in equal measure motivated by the lifestyle as by the affordability. For many prospec-tive builders they are more available financially than buying an apartment

from a housing development company. Ready-to-build designs are published in a number of catalogues, sold even at newsagents, and can be obtained for a fraction of a cost of an individu-al, custom made project. Architects are hardly involved in the design pro-cess, apart from positioning a house on site and making minor adjustments requested by clients. Inefficient plan-ning system has resulted in seemingly unstoppable growth of these generic suburbs. Located at former rural lands, these new ‘sleeper-towns’ barely have the benefit of efficient public transport or quality infrastructure, condemning their residents to lengthy commutes by private car. Individually designed villas for wealthy clients, built on larger sites, stand out from the masses of dull sub-urban homes. Despite being a hot topic among the aspiring architects, they are an exception in the housing market.

Poland does not have its own pro-gressive experiments in new social housing. Despite extensive dialogues

and a number of attempts, there have been extremely few recent examples of alternative construction strategies like housing cooperatives. One of the more successful architectural solu-tions to the housing challenge includes the state-sponsored TBS (Society of Social Construction) projects that were built by local governments as inexpensive yet decent quality afford-able housing for middle-income ten-ants, of which there are a number of positive examples. Only some munici-palities, like Szczecin, took full advan-tage of this form of support to expand its public housing stock. They worked with projects selected in architectural competitions, also by refurbishing ex-isting inner-city tenement houses. The Dziennikarska and Koszarowa Street development in Szczecin by BAMS Biuro Architektoniczne Makowski

Sołdek is an example of such well-de-signed public estate. After state fund-ing ceased in 2009, TBS turned into commercial development projects with limited public support. Moreover, the regulations have since been re-vised, and despite initially renting out all units exclusively, they can now be owned by the tenants. New possibilities could be created through the upcom-ing governmental projects as part of an initiative to support the rental market, yet such programmes are still aimed at middle-income tenants. Another initiative, a partial refund of the mort-gage – ‘Mieszkanie dla Młodych’ (An Apartment for the Young) has been criticized for supporting the develop-ers but not easing the issue of housing supply. Public housing still largely falls under the responsibility of underfund-ed local governments. Shifting focus from meeting the demand to prototyp-ing affordable, sustainable homes will be the true and pressing challenge of progressive Polish architects.

‘There and Back Again’ – In search of affordable livingTEXT: MONIKA ARCZYŃSKA AND ŁUKASZ PANCEWICZ, PHOTOGRAPHY: JAKUB CERTOWICZ

Struggles with heritageTEXT: ALICJA GZOWSKA, PHOTOGRAPHY: JAKUB CERTOWICZ

↑ Cosmopolitan, Warsaw ↑ Living Garden House, Katowice (KWK Promes, Robert Konieczny, 2014) ↑ TBS housing, Szczecin (BAMS Biuro Architektoniczne Makowski Sołdek, 2007)

↑ Rebel One, Soho Factory, Warsaw (WWAA & Konkret Architekci, 2013) ↑ Gdańsk Garnizon (various architects, ongoing) ↑ Lofts, Gliwice (Medusa Group, 2009)

↑ Silesian Museum (first phase), Katowice

↑ Wrocław Contemporary Museum

↑ Ufficio Primo offices reconstruction, Warsaw

↑ Okraglak offices reconstruction, Poznań

↑ Railway station and mall, Katowice

↑ Warsaw Stadium station renovation

↑ Warsaw Powiśle train station renovation

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Architects of social changeTEXT: PAWEŁ JAWORSKI

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t2010 met with resistance from the community. The controversial plan catalysed a range of advisory activities pursued or initiated by a local association. One of these was an attempt to create a public space that would encourage integration among neighbours and become a symbol of the struggle for the preservation of both the houses and the character of the community. The two architects joined a group of leaders and activists in order to draw up an official local initiative concerning the establishment of such a place. In pursuing their idea, the group could tap into a mechanism of direct democracy that combines financial or in-kind involvement of the local government with volun-tary work of the inhabitants, which counts as their own contribution.

Nowadays, the aforementioned strategy is developing a mature form through various tech-niques of participatory planning. Such tools are created on various scales, primarily by the ODBLOKUJ (Association for Improving Residential Environment) and the Napraw Sobie Miasto (Fix Your City DIY) Foundation. In partnership with the local government of Warsaw and local organi-zations from the fields of social care and design activities, ODBLOKUJ carried out pioneering inter-ventions in the backyards of the derelict district

of Praga in Warsaw. Not all processes generated a lasting social and spatial value, yet they were significant as attempts to systemically include architects in the revitalization of run-down areas. The path carved by Warsaw is now followed by individuals engaged in the transformations of the centre of Łódź within a pilot area revitalization process implemented in that part of the city.

New groups of young architects have gone a step further and begun to generate ideas for changes in the urban space in collaboration with sociologists, designers, artists, etc. Apart from ODBLOKUJ, there is the Na Miejscu (‘On Site’) Foundation, founded in 2012, which collaborates with the Project for Public Spaces organization in the transfer of experiences in place-making into the Polish context.

An equally significant centre where similar strategies are born is Upper Silesia. In 2010, informal group Fix Your City DIY inaugurated its activities in Katowice, becoming a foundation two years later. The efforts of the team were launched with an action that comprised cleaning up one of the railway stations. That gesture was supposed to draw the attention of the public to the responsibility of managers of public spaces for their present state. Later, the group was active in

popularizing and protecting brutalist architecture, as well as educational projects. Currently, Fix Your City DIY is developing methods of participatory urban management and engages city dwellers in the improvement of municipal policies, which would not be possible if the affiliated architects did not go beyond professional divisions.

Another reason why groups of architects- activists have emerged as game changers in the institutional landscape of Poland’s architectural profession is because the frames of traditional organizations became too tight. They joined city movements or started building their own initia-tives, which evolved into professional NGOs. After a period spent developing alternatives, their leaders have entered the structures of professional associations, paving the way for their reform. For this reason, questions such as participatory design or the civic responsibility of the architect now appear at the heart of the debate. A symbol of these changes is the appointment of the head of the frequently mentioned ODBLOKUJ asso ciation, Marlena Happach, as the head of the Warsaw branch of the Association of Polish Architects. The move signals the beginning of a reform that will help preserve the achievements of these protagonists.

The collapse of the mechanisms of shaping urban space was one of the most significant urban planning problems of the democratic transition in Poland. A review of opinions by architects active at that time reveals that some believed in the positive effect of an immediate introduction of free market solutions. Others accepted the implementation of such changes on a temporary basis, because they believed that the modern­ization and growth of infrastructure would be achieved by projects with private funding, which could not be restrained from the outset. The latter group feared that deregulation posed a threat, because it would ultimately lead to chaos. Neither side got it entirely right.

Architects tried to respond to the new challenges they faced. They made attempts to change building and urban planning regulations in order to strengthen the existing or create new tools, as well as to embed the profession in an institutional frame work. However, the last ten years have brought a feeling that their efforts were not sufficient, or were poorly allocated. The most visible symptoms of this situation surfaced when works on an essen-tial amendment to the spatial planning act were abandoned and the professional chamber of urban

planners was dissolved in 2015. But cities also suffered actual functional problems.

The degradation of the urban environment triggered a sharp reaction in city dwellers. Various informal groups and organizations started to emerge across Poland, gathering people who were fighting for their inalienable ‘right to the city’. Architects and urban planners did not have an overwhelming presence in those bodies, because they were unprepared for a dialogue with new actors behind the changes in the city. Represen ta-tives of the profession were still mainly active in the As so ciation of Polish Architects (SARP) and the Society of Polish Town Planners (TUP), which pursued professional debates as well as advisory and training activities; they were, however, unable to build a broad coalition. In 2001, two other professional chambers were established – mem-bership was compulsory for anyone interested in dealing with a major part of professional design activities. Those bodies had a largely adminis-trative character, and therefore did not become partners in the urban movements.

Confronted with this situation, young architects started to look for their own place. One of the first locations where civic activity aimed at enhancing urban space began on a broad scale was Łódź.

In 2006, the inhabitants of the city stood together in defence of a student from the United States, who had been detained for taking photographs of an industrial plant. That case unleashed a series of events that led to the formation of a Group of Certain People (GPO), which was active for several years in confronting the problems of pollution and devaluation of public space, the degradation of cultural heritage, and the lack of green areas. Their efforts found an architectural continuation when Małgorzata Hanzl and her students from the Łódź University of Technology became involved in a pro-cess that embraced Lipowa Street, in the degraded district of Polesie. They came up with more than a dozen of concepts for the arrangement of a square in an attempt to restore its neighbourhood scale and value, as well as to profit from the occasion and develop a strategy of ‘activism through projects’, which supports the efforts of those working towards the revitalization of the area.

Ewa Rudnicka and Katarzyna Pieńkowska fol-lowed a similar path, being two architects who supported the inhabitants of Jazdów, a centrally located neighbourhood of Warsaw that is home to a colony of prefabricated wooden houses, pro-duced in Finland and built shortly after World War II. The decision to demolish the buildings in

↑ ‘Buy the calyx for yourself’ action by Napraw Sobie Miasto (Fix Your City DIY), whereby structural elements of the brutalist train station in Katowice were symbolically sold to famous architects before demolition, to bring attention to the building’s value.

→Woonerf at

Sierpnia Street in Łódź, created

by citizens in a participatory

budgeting procedure.

→Working on a local initiative

formulated by Ewa Rudnicka together with Warsaw

activists and the inhabitants of the Jazdów neighbourhood.

←‘Wash the station DIY’ action organized by Napraw Sobie Miasto (Fix Your City DIY) at the Katowice Ligota station, signalling responsibility for the quality of public space.

←Interventions by ODBLOKUJ in a backyard of the derelict Warsaw district of Praga, in collaboration with the area’s inhabitants.

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How can we convince the public?TEXT: PAWEŁ JAWORSKI, INDIRA VAN ‘T KLOOSTER, HUBERT TRAMMER

RebrandingRe

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Rooted firmly in the legacy of Oskar Hansen, young Polish architects have a tradition of not specializing. Their scope ranges from micro to macro, and successfully so. They also focus on collaboration with other architectural firms. This is not necessarily by choice. Generally, architects and other professionals in the con­struction industry cannot complain about a lack of work, but fees are lower than they were between 2006 and 2008. To make matters worse, increasingly fewer are employed on a permanent basis. Such a situation translates into a lack of financial credit, and thus also impacts one’s chances to get an apartment, as market prices for leases are higher than both credit instalments and many individuals’ salaries. ‘Being an archi­tect in Poland means an everyday fight with clients, constructors, and competition briefs.’

Access to the architectal profession is limited in Poland. In order to obtain permission to build, it is necessary to submit a design created by an architect member of the Chamber of Architects, a status that

requires several years of experience and successfully passing examination. As a macro-economy, Poland is growing fast, and has one of the largest construc-tion economies in Europe, but on a micro-level it deals with very low salaries. The difficulties in finding fixed employment encourage many people to set up their own activity. Seen thus, it is perhaps not better paid, but certainly more rewarding to start your own practice. The general rise in the number of students and people with higher education also reflects a rise in the number of architects.

Some architects with a critical approach turned away from large-scale schemes in favour of inter-ventions akin to acupuncture. They entered the public sphere to create experiments and temporary installations, as well as design social processes, sometimes based on conflict and resistance. The transgression of the existing professional frames entailed three changes – new tools, extended defi-nition of the profession based on responsibility for the created space, democratization of urban life and empowerment of city dwellers – as well as an ex-tensive network of informal groups and institutions.

In an old school in Warsaw we meet as many as seven young practices. Maciej Siuda and BudCud (Mateusz Adamczyk) work mostly in research and local experiments. Both have just opened a wide-ly discussed exhibition design. The interview takes place in Siuda’s project, an abandoned school that is now the venue for an expo about the development of Warsaw. For this, he used only building materials (floors, cupboards, boards, chairs) that came from the school itself. He is one half of an international collaboration, the other half being in Madrid, and as such a good example of how contemporary ar-chitecture operates in Europe. When work was slow in Poland (which had its economic crisis in the early 2000s), he went to Spain, where things were still booming. Now that the situation has reversed, his work is evenly spread over Haiti, Spain, Poland, and Indonesia. BudCud, on the other hand, is becom-ing an office to watch in the future. Having been awarded in both Europan 9 and 11, it does interior and temporary projects, plus exhibition design.

2pm (Piotr Musiałowski) and PORT (Józef Franczok, Marcin Kolanus) work on all scales. 2pm

has just delivered a very poetic Polish Pavilion in Milan, inspired by stacked wooden boxes that usual-ly hold apples. PORT combines aesthetics with func-tionalism, for example, in a small business centre that places voids and meeting spaces within an elevated floor plan, and also does landscape design. Krzysztof Syruć is one of Poland’s most talented young street artists, whose spatial structures inspired by fractals and algorithms grace both post-war housing blocks (with 750 m2 hand-painted murals) and museums like MACBA in Serralves.

A few months ago, Marlena Happach (Happach Architects) took over the presidency of SARP Warsaw from Marcin Mostafa of WWAA, the first of the younger generation to hold the position). ‘The role of the architect is changing. The older genera-tion thinks of an architect as being an artist and the one that solves all problems. Today, we have to find a new role that includes civilians, stakeholders, and entrepreneurs. To fulfil that new roll, it is very import-ant for young architects to form new networks and to claim positions.’ Together with Marek Happach, they are the driving force behind ODBLOKUJ (see p. 47).

Menthol Architects (Liliana Krzycka and Rafał Pieszko) offer a wide range of architectural ap-proaches, with birdhouses and passive houses being two of them. ‘Being an architect in Poland means an everyday fight with clients, constructors, and competition briefs,’ states Krzycka matter-of-fact-ly, without a hint of being dramatic. ‘We work with very small budgets,’ adds Adamczyk (BudCud), ‘and we usually have to find our own sponsors to get our projects realized.’ Without being bitter about it, they have come to view their country as a place where little knowledge between universities and industries is shared. ‘But we shouldn’t be too pessimistic about it,’ says Siuda. ‘We have come a long way since the past ten years, with more transparency and more competitions, but it has to be said: most clients don’t like innovation in Poland.’ Despite, or may-be because of the wide range in which they work, all of them agree on one thing: ‘As architects, we have to rebrand ourselves,’ states Adamcyk. ‘People don’t trust architects. We have to regain their trust and promote good examples that definitely exist. If we don’t, we will collectively go bankrupt as a

profession. Franczok (PORT) chimes in: ‘We are a country of cheap construction products, but we have to convince the public that cheap products don’t necessary result in cheap buildings. And also that cheap buildings are not necessarily a good thing. How can we compete in an industry where a plan for a single-family catalogue house costs no more than 800 euros?’

Having said all that, they also agree that it’s a good thing for young architects to collaborate with more experienced colleagues. ‘We are small and we like to collaborate,’ says Kolanus (PORT). ‘There is usually a wide choice in professionals, especially in the bigger cities.’ Young professionals in the field can also tap into opportunities to compete in a relatively high number of competitions. The frequent situation where the client seeks to save on design costs, even though generally bad for the profession, becomes a factor that facilitates the start of professional prac-tice for young architects. Franczok sums it up, say-ing, ‘Even with limited budgets, we can make good work, and meanwhile provide the good examples, don’t we?’

↑ On the Polish architecture scene with BudCud, Happach Architects, PORT, Menthol Architects, Krzysztof Syruć, 2pm, and Maciej Siuda ↓ Business centre, Opole (PORT, 2015)

↓ FKZ Quarter, Kraków (BudCud, 2015)

↓ ‘Sky Garden’ passive house (Menthol Architects, 2013)

↓ M4 pavilion, Warsaw (Happach Architects, 2012)

↓ Polish Pavilion, Expo Milano 2015 (2pm)

↓ Exhibition design, Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw (M. Siuda)

↓ ‘Transition’ mural, Lodz (Krzysztof Syruć, aka Proembrion, 2014)

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