Warsaw's Skra sports complex had been falling increasingly into disrepair for years. Remaining in private hands, it was not performing its original sporting function. It's been more than two years since an architectural competition was announced, which was won by the Aleksander Wadas Studio, but "Skra" has only been officially in the hands of the city for a few weeks. What is the future of the complex?
years of war over the stadium
To understand why the sports complex, located in such a great place, has become a ruin, we need to go back to 1974. It was then that "Skra" was given to the RKS Skra Association for perpetual usufruct for a period of 40 years. After that period, the court decided not to renew the contract. Even then, the stadium was in bad shape, but the City, instead of supporting the Club financially, took away the facility. The Sports Club did not give up. Eventually, however, in 2017 the City called the Club to a settlement attempt, which did not happen, resulting in a lawsuit against RKS Skra for the property. After several appeals, it wasn't until January 28, 2021. The Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, which ordered the city to release the property.
Skra Stadium | photo: City Hall of Warsaw
After a long battle, there has been a grand finale to the city's fight to reclaim Skra's land and facilities. As a result of years of neglect by the RKS Skra club, the sports infrastructure had fallen into disrepair, and no competitions had been held at the site for a long time. We have been doing everything possible to get the site and sports infrastructure back as soon as possible - now we have succeeded. At last we will be able to proceed with restoring it to its former glory," says Renata Kaznowska, deputy mayor of Warsaw.
The questions arise, why did the Club fight so many years for the stadium? For both sides of the conflict, the aforementioned former luster is something else. The representative function is important, but will the city take into account the original function and continuation of the Club?
Skra Stadium | photo: UM Miasta Warszawa
The assumption of the City of Warsaw was to take over the property in a way that would have the least possible negative impact on the sports activities of the organizations operating at Skra. During this process, the club's representatives were informed of a number of possibilities and options that would enable the city to take over the "Skra" grounds (including assuming responsibility for its condition) - along with leaving the club and its players to use the sports facilities and equipment. While the first stage of this process justified holding such talks with the club (among other things, the city's proposals were analyzed; counter-proposals were presented, etc.), at a later stage - due to the passive attitude of RKS SKRA, which was unjustified from our point of view - we were forced to abandon these talks and proceed to recover the property through the courts. - explain the city authorities in an official ruling.
At the same time, the city announces that after repairs and reconstruction are completed, the plan is to systematically restore parts of the facility to use and make them available to all residents, including sports clubs. Talks are underway with the designers and architects, who were selected in a competition in 2018, and soon, through a tender process, a contractor is to be selected....
competition settled
The architectural and urban planning competition for the concept of modernizing the sports complex was already settled in October 2018.
The scope of the concept includes the construction of a training stadium with facilities (in accordance with the requirements for an IAAF category II main stadium), a recreational and sports zone connecting Pole Mokotowskie with Skra, and general development of the entire property preparing it for safe and compatible use and for further investment works. The second stage of the project involves the construction of a second stadium.
visualization | Aleksander Wadas Studio
We, too, are ready to begin as soon as possible to clean up the area, bring it up to scratch and the possibility of introducing, after drawing the side stadium, a contractor selected, of course, in a tender. Skra's modernization will be divided into two parts. In the first part, which we would like to make available to the residents of the capital as soon as possible, that is, this side stadium, which would already be designed and integrated, I hope, and open to Pole Mokotowskie, because from the very beginning there was such a concept. This side stadium is supposed to be a back-up for the main stadium," explained Janusz Samel, director of the Sports and Recreation Office of the Warsaw City Hall, in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza.
visualization | Aleksander Wadas Studio
design for a complex, or functional solutions
The competition selected the design by Danzig-based architect Aleksander Wadas (the author's team included Weronika Marek, Anna Odulinskaya, Aleksander Wadas). The justification of the verdict reads, among other things:
The jury decided to award the main prize to the authors of the project, which in a very successful way combined respect for heritage, functional solutions for professional athletes, rugby players and other sportsmen using the facility, as well as amateurs practicing sports, and an ingenious recreational program, while incorporating the sports complex into the whole open park program of Pole Mokotowskie. In the presented concept, all valuable elements of the establishment have been preserved and new additions have been designed based on the original compositional axes. The landscape solutions used - the hills of the area and the water reservoir - not only emphasize the scenic connection between the stadium and the park, but also provide the basis for a recreational program, attractive to professionals and amateurs, including a running track with varied topography and surface, route sections for interval training or outdoor water gyms.
visualization | Aleksander Wadas Studio
After the renovation, not only professional athletes will benefit. Here, in addition to the revitalization of the so-called side stadium, i.e. the athletics launch pad, the athletics field and the rugby field, i.e. such infrastructure intended for athletes, we have proposed the creation of a series of amateur volleyball and basketball fields, a multipurpose field, as well as a skatepark," announces architect Aleksander Wadas of the winning studio in an interview with the RDC radio station.
sports hopes
We are looking forward to the development of the project, and the winning process and the finished development project give hope for the future, not only of Polish athletics, weekend athletes, but also of the city's new architectural and urban showcase. Happy ending. Maybe Gwardia Hall can be saved too, despite the lost Stadium?
