Eight years after the competition was announced, the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center was officially opened in Bielsko-Biała on May 25. The institution is an extension of the Bielsko-Biala-based Studio of Cartoon Films, responsible for characters familiar to many generations raised in Poland - it was SFR that introduced us to Rex, Bolek and Lolek or Baltazar Gąbka. Today, thanks to the cooperation of the Studio and the architectural office responsible for the project, Nizio Design International, we can learn about the history and specifics of animation in a new, impressive building.
A short story about the Drawing Film Studio
The exhibition devoted to the activities of the Drawing Film Studio was originally presented on one of the floors of the 19th-century Roth Villa. In addition to the neo-style building, the plot at the time also included two small pavilions, already built in the 1960s and 1970s - both intended for the studio's operations. The lack of space and the desire to further promote the activities of the Bielsko-based animation studio became the reason for the Katowice branch of SARP to announce a competition for the design of the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center. The competition in 2017 was won by the concept of the Nizio Design International design studio, which, with minor modifications, lived to see implementation and a grand opening in May 2024.
OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center in Bielsko-Biała
Photo: Marcin Czechowicz
architectural challenge
The task tackled by those responsible for the project was twofold - on the one hand, it involved the revitalization of the already mentioned 19th-century Roth Villa, whose architectural qualities and historical form could not be overshadowed by the building being erected next door. On the other hand, the urgent need for additional volume and the location of a new institution in it required far-reaching architectural interference in the existing way of composing the plot's space. This resulted in the erection of a modern, geometrized and minimalist block of the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center, which was connected to the Roth Villa by a glass corridor, suspended at the height of the second floor. It must be admitted that the visual aspects of the juxtaposition of the two buildings are exceptionally successful - despite the obscuring of the Roth Villa's southeastern elevation, its mass was not overwhelmed by the much larger, newly built part of the complex. What's more, the appropriately chosen concrete facade covering and the Center's elegant silhouette resulted in a subtle dialogue between the two buildings. Careful in expression, however, the body of the Fairy Tale and Animation Center has not been deprived of its own character and symbolic dimension - the triangular projection is reminiscent of therays coming out of a cinema projector, while the rhythmic indentations of the west side of the facade were inspired by the perforations of a film tape.
The OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center in Bielsko-Biała
Photo: Marcin Czechowicz
fairy tale exhibition
Nizio Design International is an office known for its comprehensive approach to the designed institutions - on more than one occasion it has been responsible not only for the architectural dimension of the headquarters, but also for the arrangements of the exhibitions inside them. It was no different in the case of the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center, where visitors can learn about the history of the Cartoon Film Studio and the specifics of its activities. As with the architectural concept, the highly multimedia exhibition combines history with modernity - exhibits "from the era" are accompanied by interactive elements, including a game that allows you to create your own animation. There's no denying that the fairy-tale atmosphere is built largely thanks to the impressive arrangement of the exhibition, full of objects and characters taken from the rich output of the Drawn Film Studio. An important element of the new facility, inherent in the Center's activities, is the "Kreska" studio cinema, providing seating for nearly 120 people. In addition to the cinema, the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center is equipped with an archive of digital materials, a conference room and a room dedicated to animation purposes.
OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center in Bielsko-Biala
Photo: Marcin Czechowicz
fairy tale backyard
Another aspect of the project is the intimate space created thanks to the "backdrop" provided by the blocks of the Roth Villa and the OKO Interactive Fairy Tale and Animation Center. The area located at the rear of both buildings has the character of an embankment, rising towards the opposite end of the plot. This made it possible to create a kind of "basin", arranged in the form of a small rectangular square adjacent to the FSR and OKO Center buildings. The surrounding embankment was seeded with grass and planted with small trees. Admittedly, compared to the more tree-lined, diverse and less geometrized concept that was presented in the 2016 competition, the final implementation of the square may raise some questions. The coming summer months will show whether the use of the uncovered, shade-free space will prove comfortable for visitors, or whether the square will suffer from excessive overheating. Currently, among other things, it is used as a garden of a café operating in the Center, with places - not otherwise - obscured by umbrellas set up there. In view of the rest of the realization's qualities, it remains to be hoped that the fears appear exaggerated, and that the square at the back of the OKO Fairy Tale and Animation Center will become a lively place and a stage on which numerous events and activities will take place throughout the year.
