The final gala of the competition Architectural Award of the Mayor of Warsaw is behind us, during which the winners of individual categories, the public’s choice and the most important award, the Grand Prix, were announced. This year, the latter went to the authors of the Museum of Modern Art project, which also won in the public architecture category. The new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Vistula, a school in Białołęka and a student residence at Warsaw University were also recognised. The audience award went to the Wedel Chocolate Museum.
This is the 11th edition of our award. I am proud to say that the competition jury has a lot of work every year. Thanks to excellent designers and enterprising investors, Warsaw is changing like no other city in Europe. Not only is it more beautiful, but it is also an increasingly comfortable city to live in, ” emphasised Rafał Trzaskowski.
As many as 150 entries were submitted to the competition. We analysed them very carefully, and visited the most interesting ones to talk to architects and see if the investments work well. After the site visits, we awarded 17 nominations in six categories. We worked with experts who carried out environmental and accessibility audits. The quality of architecture, climate sensitivity and social sensitivity is increasing every year. This is very gratifying! – adds Renata Kaznowska, Deputy Mayor of the City of Warsaw and chairwoman of the 10-member jury.
The main Grand Prix award went to the Museum of Modern Art (authors: Thomas Phifer and Partners in collaboration with APA Wojciechowski Architekci, investor: Museum of Modern Art). In his presentation of the award, architectural historian Grzegorz Piątek justified the jury’s decision as follows: “ We award the Museum of Modern Art for creating beautiful and well-thought-out architecture in which contemporary art is presented. The modest and minimalist volume has become a spatial mark of the centre of Warsaw. The interiors of the museum offer friendly spaces for communing with art, and the building itself has filled a gap in the urban planning of the city centre.
Not only the grand prix
All the special awards this year went to buildings nominated in the public utility category. The Museum of Modern Art triumphed.
The Museum of Modern Art marks the beginning of the transformation of the surroundings of the Palace of Culture and Science and the largest investment in art in Poland in recent years. I am very pleased that the institution has a new seat. It is a minimalist icon that has become the setting for the modern art collection in a unique and thoughtful way,’ said the Mayor of Warsaw.
The most environmentally friendly establishment turned out to be Primary School No. 406 at Świderska Street in Białołęka. The Bujnowski Architekci studio took care of the relationship with the surrounding nature. The school has intimate spaces with access to gardens and a ‘green classroom’ where children learn outdoors. Much of the valuable green space surrounding the school has been preserved through an unusual solution – placing the school playground on the roof of the building.
A special prize was also awarded to the Centre for Intergenerational Activity in Ochota. The CAM is a multi-purpose facility, with a well-arranged surrounding space, open to the residents of the nearby housing estate. The building was designed with particular attention to the needs of its diverse users and for this it was recognised by the jury with an accessibility award.
Best public space
This is an investment that needs no introduction to anyone. Residents are very keen to use this bridge for walks across the Vistula, which is why they cast their votes in such large numbers. The pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Vistula competed with, among others, the modernisation of Chmielna and Bracka streets, which have undergone a green revolution and delight people living in and visiting Warsaw. We wrote more about the transformation of these streets consecutively HERE and HERE.
This is the only crossing for pedestrians and cyclists only, a new connection that encourages people to be active, to walk, to enjoy the beautiful views of the city. It is also another and long-awaited boost to the city’s return to the river and the “stitching together” of both banks of the Vistula. Thanks to this crossing, it will be even easier to reach Praga,” added Bartosz Rozbiewski, acting Director of the Bureau of Architecture and Spatial Planning.
A dormitory with a climate
Student House No. 7 is the first new dormitory at the University of Warsaw in nearly 60 years. Users of the building can rejoice in the award for best residential architecture. During the site visit, students shared their impressions of living in the dormitory with the competition jury. They most appreciated the friendly rooms, the communal areas and the form of the building, which creates small clusters of rooms rather than long corridors.
Chocolate factory and tram depot
The creators of the Wedel Chocolate Museum have reason to be pleased as they won the award in the commercial architecture category, as well as the audience award. The judges appreciated the combination of the existing production function with the museum and the way in which this new place influences the neighbourhood. Residents who voted for the site in the competition emphasised that a visit to the chocolate factory was a unique and extremely positive experience.
For the first time, the award (ex-aequo) in the commercial architecture category was won by an infrastructural investment – the Tram Depot in Annopol – functional, aesthetically pleasing, designed with thought, attention to technical solutions, but also ecological. Vertical vegetation was used on the facades of the halls. There are heat pumps, photovoltaic panels and rainwater tanks. This is one of the largest investments of its kind in Europe, with a capacity of 152 trams.
Modernist Cepelia Pavilion
The winner in the New Life of Buildings category was the Cepelia Pavilion, which has regained its former glory after many years of renovation. It is an exemplary example of the modernisation of post-war modernism. The Cepelia Pavilion in the centre of Warsaw is an iconic building that combines respect for history with meeting contemporary needs.
The best architectural event, on the other hand, was the ‘Warsaw for Beginners’ lecture series. Organised by the Architecture Centre Foundation, the meetings drew crowds to Warsaw’s Zodiak Architecture Pavilion.
Finalists and winners. Architecture Award of the Mayor of Warsaw
A 10-member competition jury headed by Renata Kaznowska, Deputy Mayor of the City of Warsaw, worked to select the best projects. After site visits, the experts selected a total of 17 best investments and events from more than 150 entries. Nominations were awarded in six categories, and winners were selected in each of them. The list of the 17 best investments and events was published HERE.
source: press materials
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