"Forge of Creation". The 16th edition of the International Architecture Biennale in Krakow is underway

Ola Kloc

26 of October '21

In the foyer, where the workshops are held, you can see a mock-up of Wesola

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Today, October 26, marked the launch of the next, sixteenth edition of the International Architecture Biennial in Krakow, which has been organized since 1985. This year's event, for which more than 1,500 people have registered so far, as Marek Kaszynski, president of the Cracow Branch of SARP, stressed, is unprecedented - as it is the first time it is held hybrid - in the ICE Congress Center building and online.

more about MBA Kraków 2021

coverage of the second day of the biennale (27.X) information and program MBA Kraków 2021

wydarzenie first time ever held hybrid

The event is being held hybrid for the first time in history

photo: Dobrawa Bies

RE-USE

This year's Biennale is being held under the theme of RE-USE. Re-use, as Marek Kaszynski emphasized at the opening ceremony, refers to the changing functions of spaces and objects and the actively transforming city of Krakow, which is traditionally the focus of the MBA. Particularly important this year are its three areas - Nowa Huta, Aleje Trzech Wieszczów and Wesoła - areas seeking new functions and meanings today. The second important aspect is the common voice of the entire architectural community in caring for the space around us - the Chamber of Architects, the SARP association, universities and the media, which is why the Cracow branch of SARP invited the Malopolska District Chamber of Architects, the Faculty of Architecture at the Cracow University of Technology and the editors of the Architektura & Biznes monthly to co-create this edition.

Jerzy Muzyk

Jerzy Muzyk, 2nd Deputy Mayor of the City of Krakow for Sustainable Development

photo: Dobrawa Bies

Jerzy Muzyk, II Deputy Mayor of the City of Cracow for Sustainable Development, during the opening of the Biennale, stressed the strategic importance of the event in Cracow, calling it a "forge of creation" providing many valuable clues for the development of the city. Marek Tarko, Chairman of the Council of the Małopolska Regional Chamber of Architects of Poland, noted that the topic of the quality and future of space is important not only for the architectural community, but also for society as a whole. It is man who shapes space, and space shapes us, this should be kept in mind when designing it - for its impact on users is much deeper than we might think. Magdalena Kozień-Woźniak, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Cracow University of Technology, referred to the Biennale's slogan during the opening of the MBA. She stressed that the strategy of sustainable development is no longer enough, the attempt to build a balance by reconciling economic growth with concern for the environment is not enough. What is needed is respect, caution and care for what we already have, addressing the places that exist and that we can transform for our well-being.

zapraszamy to A&B booth

welcome to the A&B booth

photo: Lubomir Nikolov

urban planning
not only for professionals

The first panel was co-organized by the Małopolska Regional Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland (the panel was curated by Piotr Chuchacz, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Małopolska Regional Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland), which created a series of short films - statements by specialists from various fields on the issues raised in thethis part of the Biennale, i.e., among other things, how to plan for changes to make the city a good place to live, what tools (including legal and administrative) are available to us in the urban planning process, and what residents understand by a friendly city and good space. All the videos can be seen here. They resounded with the words of Professor Zbigniew Necki, a social psychologist, who called for interdisciplinary discussions. And so was this panel - among the guests were not only architects, but also a lawyer (Anna Kornecka, Deputy Minister for Construction and Spatial Development and Housing, Undersecretary of State at theMinistry of Development, Labor and Technology in 2020-2021) city councilman (Lukasz Maślona) and journalists (Dawid Serafin and Pawel Soltysik).

Życie objects

Life of objects, neighborhoods, cities; panel co-organized by Małopolska Regional Chamber of Architects of the Republic of Poland}

Photo: Dobrawa Bies

Aleje Trzech Wieszczów - what next?

After discussions on the role of urban planning and available tools, it was time to address specific urban topics. The first of these was Krakow's Aleje Trzech Wieszczów, and the panel was co-organized by the Faculty of Architecture at the Krakow University of Technology (the moderator and curator of the panel was Marta A. Urbańska, professor at the Krakow University of Technology). Surrounding the center of Krakow, the three avenues laid out on the site of the former embankment of the ring railroad are today an exceptionally difficult part of the city. The avenues, which are part of Krakow's 2nd ring road, are today avenues in name only - their representative character appears only in a few places, the presence of services is vestigial, and what dominates is onerous transportation, as noted by the Vice-Rector of the Krakow University of Technology, Dr. Marek Bauer of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Krakow University of Technology. The idea to calm traffic and create a more friendly space is to run a streetcar line along the avenues. However, is this enough? Professor Andrzej Szarata, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Cracow University of Technology, presented three variants of possible changes (or lack thereof) and how they would affect the capacity of the Avenue and the decrease in traffic in the center. The company Sweco Poland, selected in a tender, is currently working on the design of the streetcar line, but we still have to wait for the results of its work.

Aleje Trzech Wieszczów: Yesterday

Aleje Trzech Wieszczów: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow; panel co-organized by the Faculty of Architecture, Krakow University of Technology

photo: Lubomir Nikolov

Tomorrow's program also promises to be very interesting, with a discussion of the industrial heritage of Nowa Huta planned, as well as a presentation of the conclusions of the workshop on Wesoła, which has been running since Monday. The event can be followed on site or virtually - free registration is still active. Detailed material on the Biennale will also appear in the special December issue of A&B .

makieta of Wesola area