We have completed the thirteenth edition of the "Best Diploma - Architecture" competition . The competition included engineering and master's theses defended in 2022-2024. In this edition we invited the Franta Group studio, where the winner of the competition will have the opportunity to complete a month-long internship. Thirty-one projects qualified for the finals. The first prize went to Piotr Stanislaw Gontowski, the second prize to Michal Wachura, and the third prize to Oliwia Jagla. A special mention went to Inez Wawszczyk. On February 9, the public vote also ended, with Michal Swaryczewski winning the largest number of votes.
We awarded first and second place to projects that address important contemporary urban issues. Both projects are good examples of the maturity and sensitivity of their authors, they also provoke reflection and further research in the context of thinking about space and shaping contemporary development
-explain the architects of the FRANTA GROUP Architekt Maciej Franta studio.
sense of community
The first prize - 4 thousand zlotys and a month's internship at the Franta Group studio in Chorzow - was awarded by the jury to Piotr Stanislaw Gontowski 's engineering thesis "Living inside an urban courtyard. A residential house on Zbierska Street in Warsaw's Sielce district," prepared under the supervision of Dr. Maciej Miłobędzki and defended in 2023 at the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology [see A&B 10/2024]. The author of the project was inspired by issues related to urban overdensity, the idea of a compact city. He created a building somewhat hidden inside an existing block of buildings, in a degraded courtyard, the prominent element of which is a large, sloping roof, under which neighborhood life would take place.
First Prize - "Dwelling inside an urban courtyard. A residential house on Zbierska Street in Warsaw's Sielce district".
© Piotr Stanislaw Gontowski
The author takes up the topic of urban overcrowding in an interesting way, proposing a solution that not only reflects on difficult spaces, but also creates a socially inclusive place. The transformation of the courtyard from an enclosed space into a communal place, devoid of communication and visual barriers, is an example of architecture that solves a spatial problem and strengthens the sense of community
-explain the decision of the jury architects from the Silesian office.
First Prize - "Habitation inside an urban courtyard. Residential house on Zbierska Street in Warsaw's Sielce district".
© Piotr Stanisław Gontowski
non-places
The second prize for the work "Veloraum - a concept for the development of a road junction zone on the example of the Sybiraków traffic circle in Zabrze" was won by Michal Wachura [see A&B e-publication 6/2024]. His master's thesis, defended in 2022 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology, whose supervisor was Dr. Damian Radwanski, is an attempt to draw attention to the potential of spaces that in cities are often unnoticed or not treated as places of potential use and development.
Second Prize - "Veloraum - a concept for the development of a road junction zone on the example of the Sybiraków traffic circle in Zabrze".
© Michal Wachura
The project raises important issues of urban space, focusing on "non-places," that is, unnoticed spaces such as highway exits and traffic circles. This is an important topic, not only in Poland, but also in Europe and the World
-justify the choice of the architects.
The project was recognized for its accurate localization of the urban problem and innovative approach to transforming a neglected urban space into a multifunctional facility serving the residents. The in-depth analysis and presentation of the enormity of the problem on the example of multiple locations was, in the opinion of the jury, a good solution, but doubts were raised about the selection of functions that do not necessarily fit such a busy place as a traffic junction (especially the hostel on level 6).
Second Prize - "Veloraum - concept of development of the traffic junction area on the example of the Sybiraków traffic circle in Zabrze".
© Michal Wachura
neighborhood ties
The third prize went to Oliwia Jagła, author of the project "9-square grid. Model social building of residential development in Piekary Slaskie" [see A&B 12/2024]. Her diploma engineering thesis, defended in 2022 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology and developed under the supervision of Dr. Jan Kubec, attempts to create new possibilities in terms of solutions for social housing development. The concept of modular building proposed by the author is to allow the construction of apartments in which open spaces, gardens become a natural extension of the interior.
Third Prize - "9-square grid. Model social building of residential development in Piekary Slaskie".
© Oliwia Jagła
The proposed housing complex responds to several important challenges of today: the poor availability of social housing, the need for overbuilding, and the search for material alternatives to the use of concrete structures. An additional advantage of the proposed complex is the fostering of neighborhood ties, which have lost their importance in today's times - a growing short- and medium-term rental market and general alienation
-justifies the jury's choice.
They appreciated the company's attempt to tackle timber-frame construction (especially in the design of a rather large-scale building) and to propose as many as six different types of apartments, responding to different needs and scenarios. Although the proposed modularity of the premise can affect both flexibility in arrangement and optimization of construction and maintenance costs, it still seems an expensive solution, which raised doubts among the jury.
Third Prize - "9-square grid. Model social building of residential development in Piekary Slaskie".
© Oliwia Jagła
off the scale
A special honorable mention for tackling a difficult urban planning topic was awarded to Inez Wawszczyk for her master's thesis "Redefining the way modernist cities of the Polish People's Republic function - the example of Tychy" [see A&B 11/2024]. The supervisors of the thesis, defended in 2023 at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, were Michał Pruski and Prof. Luka Skansi of Politecnico di Milano. Drawing from Kazimierz Wejchert 's and Hanna Adamczewska-Wejchert 's master plan for Tychy, the author proposed measures to support the city 's macro and micro development. Among other things, she proposes densifying the Green Axis and creating a cultural and commercial center, as well as integrating scattered green areas into one coherent system.
honorable mention - "Redefining the way modernist cities of the Polish People's Republic function - the example of Tychy".
© Inez Wawszczyk
The author chose as the topic of her diploma an issue of exceptional complexity, but also of great importance - she took the perspective not of a single building or even a quarter, but of a large fragment of an urban establishment. What's more, her work was based on an already existing, living, and historical tissue. An in-depth analysis of Tychy's modernist urban layout, enriched by a diagnosis of the most important problems that have emerged in the city with the passage of years and the change of the system, allowed her to create a set of guidelines for the direction of development of Tychy's spatial layout. The author herself also lends her voice to the matter, designing a multifunctional space in the heart of the city - the Meadow, located at the intersection of the Railway Axis and the Green Axis, responds to many of the problems signaled in the analytical part, complementing the design of Kazimierz Wejchert and Hanna Adamczewska-Wejchert with solutions that are answers to contemporary challenges
-reads the jury's justification.
honorable mention - "Redefining the way modernist cities of the Polish People's Republic function - the example of Tychy".
© Inez Wawszczyk
Exceeding in its scale, the urban design project is not easy to compare to strictly architectural solutions, which makes it all the more pleasing when young architects and architects take on such extensive issues, giving hope for the improvement of spatial order in our country.
Audience Award
The largest number of votes and thus the Audience Award in the Internet voting, which lasted from January 13 to February 9 on the A&B portal(architekturaibiznes.pl/37586.html), was won by Michal Swaryczewski for his master's thesis defended in 2022, "Conceptual design of the Digital Archive of the Achievement of Civilization in Katowice (Civilization Ark)," prepared at the Faculty of Architecture, Construction and Applied Arts of the Silesian Academy in Katowice under the supervision of Dr. Kinga Palus [see A&B e-publication 12/2024]. This futuristic project is a concept of a modern underground archive designed to protect all achievements of civilization from anthropogenic and natural threats. Its idea is to create a "black box" of humanity, capable of surviving global cataclysms and enabling the reconstruction of civilization after a possible disaster.
Audience Award - "Conceptual design of the Digital Archive of the Achievements of Civilization in Katowice (Civilization Ark)".
© Michal Swaryczewski
***
The projects awarded in the thirteenth edition of the "Best Diploma - Architecture" competition address the issues of relationships - neighborhood, community, existing fabric with the new, 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 subscriptions to A&B monthly, and the winner of the 1st prize will receive 4 thousand zlotys and a month's internship at the Franta Group studio. The fourteenth edition of the competition has already started - all architecture students and graduates from 2023-2025 are invited to participate, and this time, in addition to the financial prize, the winner or winner of the 1st place will receive a one-month internship at the Medusa Group studio in Bytom. We would also like to remind you about the second category of the competition, for which you can submit interior architecture projects.
elaboration: Ola Kloc
The jury consisted of Maciej Franta and architects from the Franta Group studio, as well as A&B editors Przemysław Ciępka, Marta Kulawik, Aleksandra Skorupa.
