Results of the Best Diploma Architecture 2023 competition!

Ola Kloc

12 of February '24

First Prize; Residential house with social functions in Warsaw's Praga district

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We have completed the twelfth edition of the "Best Diploma - Architecture" competition . The competition included engineering and master's theses defended in 2021-2023. In this edition, we invited the Ultra Architects studio, where the winner of the competition will have the opportunity to complete a month-long internship. The first prize, out of thirty-two projects qualified for the finals, was won by Zuzanna Rogowska, second ex aequo by Laura Korach and Karol Pieter, and third by Michal Ruman. The public vote also ended on January 28, with Marta Rybicka winning the largest number of votes.

First Prize; A residential house with social functions in Warsaw's Praga district.

The choice of the work that was to win and, at the same time, its Author or Author, as part of the prize, to undergo an internship in our office, aroused very lively discussions. First of all, we are an office working on residential projects and we design them mainly in the urban fabric, so almost everyone paid attention to this type of project. And so two projects appeared, perhaps small and modest, without extensive research work, but very refined, in a unique and interesting way that fits into the fabric of the city," explain architects from Ultra Architects.

modesty and precision

The first prize - 4 thousand zlotys and a month's internship at the Ultra Architects studio in Poznań - was awarded by the jury to Zuzanna Rogowska 's engineering thesis, "A residential house with social functions in Warsaw's Praga district, " prepared under the supervision of Dr. Anita Orchowska and defended in 2022 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology[SEE FULL PROJECT PRESENTATION]. The building proposed by the author is to provide comfortable habitation, foster the creation of a homely atmosphere, allow the experience of community and the pleasure of meeting other people.

First Prize; A residential house with social functions in Warsaw's Praga district.

This is a very quiet house that fits in well with its surroundings. Modest and refined in massing and function. We like the application very much, based mainly on the mock-up, which shows how the Author precisely designed the functions of the individual apartments. On this mock-up, or rather, it seems to be several mock-ups at different scales, it is easy to see how the elevations are thoughtfully composed, working well with the plans of the apartments. This project could be realized and would be a great contemporary townhouse," explained the jury's decision to the architects from the Poznan office.

First Prize; Residential house with social functions in Warsaw's Praga district - first floor plan and interior.

sensitive connections

The second prize for the work "Urban Plomba at Zbawiciela Square in Warsaw" was won by Laura Korach[SEE FULL PROJECT PRESENTATION]. Her engineering thesis, defended in 2022 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology and prepared under the supervision of Paweł Grodzicki, deals with the subject of filling cavities in the urban tissue. Through her project, the author seeks to show the potential hidden in unused plots of land, and her proposal is meant to be a kind of spatial sculpture that, when viewed from different perspectives, will generate a different visual experience.

Second Prize; City Plot at Zbawiciela Square in Warsaw - elevation from Zbawiciela Square.

This project is a sophisticated form, inscribed in a seemingly unusable space. We know of several such spaces in Poznan, and we are sure that every Polish city has quite a few of them. This project, contrasts strongly with the surrounding architectural fabric. But it has a right to do so, because it is a kind of well-chosen contemporary jewelry for it, and jewelry often works on contrasts and dissonances, and mostly shines, strikes the eye. And all this combines well with the selected function. This is to be the headquarters of social initiatives, a space for conversation, dialogue between different social groups, in a place where these groups often clash, and which all of us in the country are familiar with from media reports," the architects justify the choice.

Second Prize; Urban Plomba at Zbawiciela Square in Warsaw - view from Zbawiciela Square and from the inner courtyard.

The second prize ex aequo was awarded to Karol Pieter for his master's thesis "Familok XXI Century - revitalization of the historic Werdon patronage estate in Ruda Śląska"[SEE FULL PROJECT PRESENTATION]. The promoter of the diploma defended in 2022 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology was Dr. Jan Kubec.

Second Prize; Familok of the 21st century - revitalization of the historic Werdon patronage estate in Ruda Śląska.

The author seeks to create a model solution for restoring the value of the degraded tissue, and at the same time take care to strengthen social ties. The proposal calls for expansion using modular wood technology and restoring the primacy of communal zones. The jury awarded the work for its sensitive combination of architectural and spatial heritage with the new tissue, as well as the systemic and phased solutions included in the project. The project was also recognized for its densification of the existing urban fabric and use of frame construction.

Second Prize; Familok of the 21st century - revitalization of the historic Werdon patronage estate in Ruda Śląska - axonometry.

experiencing space

The third prize for a comprehensive, well thought-out urban design with diverse functions, based on the knowledge of the actual experience of space and architecture, was won by Michal Ruman, author of the project "Sensory Impact of the Urban Fabric. Redefinition of the spatial dominant in the urban structure on the example of the project of a multifunctional urban establishment in Warsaw"[SEE FULL PROJECT PRESENTATION].

Third Prize; Sensory Impact of the Urban Fabric. Redefinition of the spatial dominant in the urban structure on the example of the project of a multifunctional urban establishment in Warsaw.

His master's thesis, defended in 2022 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology and developed under the supervision of Dr. Agnieszka Wośko-Czeranowska, takes up the subject of sensory interactions in urban space and aspects of the influence of elements of urban composition on the quality of human life in the city. The author seeks to outline a new development direction for the spatial dominant that most strongly affects the user, creating the author's urban composition element, the centroid dominant.

Third Prize; Sensory Impact of the Urban Fabric. Redefinition of the spatial dominant in the urban structure on the example of the project of a multifunctional urban establishment in Warsaw.

Audience Award

The largest number of votes (1143) and thus the Audience Award in the voting of Internet users, which lasted from December 27, 2023 to January 28 on the A&B portal, was won by Marta Rybicka for her master's thesis defended in 2023, "Tourism in naturally valuable areas. Design of a base camp with a system of observation posts in the Biebrza National Park," prepared at the Faculty of Architecture of the Gdansk University of Technology under the supervision of Dr. Małgorzata Skrzypek-Lachińska[SEE FULL PROJECT PRESENTATION]. The author created a base camp for researchers and tourists, inspired by the buildings of Podlasie, as well as a comprehensive system of bird and animal observation points, which will allow park visitors to observe the unique scenery from a close distance in a way that is protective.

Audience Award; Design of an outing base with a system of observation posts in the Biebrza National Park.

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The projects awarded in the twelfth edition of the "Best Diploma - Architecture" competition raise issues of relations - of neighborhood, of community, of existing fabric with the new, of man with urban space, with the other man and, finally, with nature. They approach the existing situation with great sensitivity and seek thoughtful solutions through in-depth analysis.

We would like to congratulate all the finalists and finalists of the competition, whose works we have published in the past year in the pages of A&B. The winners of the competition will receive commemorative diplomas and a subscription to A&B monthly, while the winner of the 1st prize will receive 4 thousand zlotys and a month's internship at Ultra Architects. The thirteenth edition of the competition has already started - all architecture students and graduates from 2022-2024 are invited to participate, and this time, in addition to the financial prize, the winner or winner of the 1st place will have the opportunity to complete a month-long internship at the Franta Group studio in Chorzow. We would also like to remind you about the second category of the competition, for which you can submit interior architecture projects.