In the next installment of our series of conversations with new presidents and presidents of the Association of Polish Architects, we talk about the activities of the Szczecin branch of SARP with its president, Karol Nieradka.
SARP Szczecin Branch
Karol Nieradka
President of the SARP Branch in Szczecin
© SARP Szczecin Branch
A&B: What program of activities of the SARP branch do you envision for the near future? Are there any changes planned?
Karol Nieradka: In a nutshell, SARP's mission is to take care of the high quality of architecture, space and environment in every field - legislative, educational, social, etc. My personal mission, as the new president of SARP Szczecin, is to professionalize the association's activities and develop it into an important think tank in the city. I would like to properly balance the elitism and egalitarianism of SARP, which is embedded in its 140-yearhistory. In Szczecin, that's 70 years of history.
A very important aspect of our activity is the promotion of the idea of architectural competitions as the best method of project selection in public procurement. Unfortunately, tenders are the rule and competitions are the exception. Our goal is to introduce the principle of selecting a project through architectural competitions in all public procurements. In Szczecin, the Szczecin Philharmonic Hall, the Floating Arena Olympic swimming pool, the Breakthroughs Dialogue Center, Aviators Square, several TBShousing estates, and soon the Local Activity Center in Podjuchy and the public library on the Słoneczne estate will be ready. These examples show how good buildings and spaces are received by the ordering party, and thus by all of us, when architects race for quality and idea, rather than money and deadlines.
Our immediate plans are to select the winners of the competition for the design of a clinical, teaching and research building for the Pomeranian Medical University (an investment of more than half a billion zlotys) and to organize a large competition in cooperation with the University of Szczecin. This is an extremely important new space in the center of Szczecin. We have also set as our goal the professionalization of an important festival for the environment called Westival - Art of Architecture. It is a whole series of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, films, lectures and discussions about the built-up space around us. Also its history and future. This is one of the most important events of its kind in Poland, so we intend to raise it to an even higher level in terms of content.
A&B: How many members are there in the branch and how much are the dues?
Karol Nieradka: Currently the branch has 144 members. The dues are 20 PLN, which includes a voluntary subscription fee for the bimonthly magazine ARCH, which, with the help of our sponsors, we deliver to our members along with the president's letter.
A&B: Why is it important to be a member of SARP?
Karol Nieradka: Because you will find people for whom architecture is important. I have learned a lot from them. On the one hand, almost any architect can become our member, on the other hand, we care about the best ones, those most committed to promoting good architecture and increasing the quality of built space. We are pleased to invite both winners of architectural competitions and ambitious young designers to join our ranks.
For more information, please visit SARP Oddział Szczecin on our website.
