The competition to find out what the University of Warsaw sports centre in Ochota will look like has ended. The competition was won by the concept of the studio Bureau Babyn Michałowski and Biuro Projektów Lewicki Łatak.
The Warsaw University Sports and Leisure Centre is to provide the best conditions for sports and events. Students will be able to use a swimming pool with an auditorium and a multi-purpose sports hall here. The infrastructure will allow competitions to be organised at university level. There are also plans to build a climbing wall and a room for combat sports.
A total of 17 proposals were submitted for the competition. The jury paid attention to original form, functionality, and environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solutions.
We chose the most functional solution that meets our needs. Our goal is to build a Sports and Leisure Centre that will serve the entire university community,” said Professor Ewa Krogulec, UW Vice-Chancellor for Development, during the announcement of the competition results.
The modern facility will be built at 2a Banacha Street in Warsaw. Construction is expected to begin in 2025. The designed building is 25 metres high and heavily glazed. It will take the place of the existing UW Sports and Recreation Centre building, which was built just 17 years ago. The original plan was to extend the 2007 edifice, but studies commissioned by the university revealed structural flaws that would make it impossible to enlarge the building. Hence the idea to erect a completely new building.
The competition was co-organised with the Association of Polish Architects. A justification from the jury has been published on the SARP website:
‘First Prize was awarded for the urban planning solution creating the functioning of the Sports Centre building within the Ochota Campus as well as the design decisions adopted by the author(s) of the building itself. The Jury appreciated the articulated in the work relation of the new building with the building of the Faculty of Geology, proper distance from it and creating in this way a public space, being a gateway to the campus from the south. The functional solutions resulting in an optimum layout of the rooms within the space indicated in the competition regulations were appreciated. The competition jury appreciated the economical means of expression adopted in the design, which are the proper language for the creation of a facility with a sports function. The Competition Jury also edited post-competition recommendations for the awarded work, aimed at providing the Employer with a facility that meets all its requirements.
The second prize went to the concept by M.O.C. Architects, and the third prize went to the proposal by architects Bartłomiej Nawrocki and Marcin Jojko. The competition also awarded an honourable mention to Consultor and another to 22ARCHITEKCI.
The architects whose concept was judged best will be invited to negotiations to develop the design in detail.
source: University of Warsaw
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