On November 29, the Saski Palace company signed an agreement with the Association of Polish Architects, on the basis of which SARP will organize a competition for the reconstruction of the Saski Palace in Warsaw.
After President Andrzej Duda signed the law on the preparation and implementation of the reconstruction project of the Saski Palace, Brühl Palace and the tenements on Królewska Street in Warsaw in 2021, the Association of Polish Architects sent an official letter to theauthorities recommending the holding of an architectural competition that would allow other solutions for the development of Warsaw's square than solely the reconstruction of the historic buildings as they stood in August 1939.
In the autumn of 2022, the vision of reconstruction became more tangible with the announcement by the Saski Palace Company of a tender for the preparation and execution of a two-stage architectural and urban planning competition for an investment involving the reconstruction of the Saski Palace, the Brühl Palace and the townhouses on Królewska Street in Warsaw, together with the development of the area. However, the proceeding was cancelled because no bid was submitted by the deadline.
In the end, however, it was SARP that was entrusted with the task of conducting the competition, although the task facing the architects will still be reconstruction.
Cooperation with the Association of Polish Architects SARP is an ideal solution for us. I am convinced that it is this entity - with its vast experience and professional team, as well as a group of potential judges with experience in large, international competitions - that is able to efficiently organize and conduct the competition for the architectural concept of the reconstructed western frontage of Pilsudski Square," explains the decision to cooperate with SARP, Jan Edmund Kowalski, president of Saski Palace.
Signing of documents by SARP president Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys and Saski Palace company president Jan Edmund Kowalski.
photo: M. Skwara
According to the company, a detailed schedule for the competition will be presented early next year. The competition jury will include four judges from SARP, including those serving as chairman and secretary.
The competition should select a studio whose competence and human resources will allow it to best cope with the difficult task of preparing a project for the reconstruction of not only the Saxon Palace, but also the Brühl Palace and three townhouses on Królewska Street. It can be expected that such a challenge will be, among other things, the question of adapting buildings with facades from 1939 to modern technological requirements and safety considerations. Besides - adapting them to the tasks included in the so-called functional-utility guidelines, which the future users of these edifices will set. Work on the guidelines will be completed at the turn of the year. Designers will also have to solve the issue of technical and logistical facilities, ensuring the smooth functioning of these facilities in the future. Finally - last but not least - they will have to take into account that the investment will be carried out in an area where there are objects under conservation protection. This is not only about the underground relics of former buildings, but also about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which must remain in its current form, and at the same time must be integrated into the body of the new building. I am convinced that the preparation of such a project is a task for the best - and this is the kind of designer we want to choose in the competition, which will be operated by SARP," adds Jan Edmund Kowalski, when asked about his expectations from the competition.
