The {tag:pracownie} won as many as two awards at the LEONARDO 2021 International Biennial of Young Architects in Minsk. The jurors awarded the Grand Prix in the Projects section to the Museum of the Greater Poland Uprising 1918-1919 in Poznan and the First Prize in the Public, Industrial and Office Buildings category to the Popowice Port in Wroclaw.
The LEONARDO International Biennale of Young Architects in Minsk is held as part of the National Architecture Festival. It was first held in 2005, and already 4 years later it was held under the authority of the International Union of Architects.
Grand Prix for the design of the Wielkopolska Uprising Museum
The project for the future headquarters of the Wielkopolska Uprising Museum in Poznań by the WXCA team consisting of: Szczepan Wroński, Piotr Łosek, Małgorzata Dembowska, Krzysztof Moskała, Aleksandra Adamczyk, Adam Mierzwa, Agnieszka Radziszewska, Elżbieta Leoniewska, Angelika Drozd convinced the biennale's jury, which awarded it the Grand Prix. The jury, consisting of Thomas Vonier (president of the International Union of Architects), Istelianna Atanassova (Arch Design Centre ltd. Sofia), Mark Khidekel (Lazar Khidekel Society), Vladimir Plotkin (professor at the International Academy of Architecture, member of the board of directors of MOSA), Alyaksei Andreyuk, paid attention to the idea for thespace of the square created by the masses of small-scale buildings, which harmonize with the challenging historical and green surroundings.
visualization of the museum square
© WXCA
The building of the museum and the space around it is intended to meet the need for contact with each other and joint action, those values, among others, which determined the success of the establishment itself. Therefore, the central place of the entire establishment will become a circular square, around which the intimate museum buildings will be gathered, which will be connected in the underground floors. It is the space between the buildings that is to be the symbol of victory. The open form of the square is intended to encourage interaction, provide a natural place for the exchange of ideas, debate, dialogue, joint celebration, building deeper social relations.
By proposing such an arrangement, we are also recalling the beginnings of our state, the strongholds and settlements where the first communities were formed precisely in Greater Poland," explains the project's co-author, Malgorzata Dembowska of WXCA.
Museum of Wielkopolska Uprising, view of Prince Joseph Street
© WXCA
The museum project is awaiting a building permit. According to the schedule, full construction documentation should be completed by the end of 2021. The planned opening of the new museum should take place in late 2025.
The architects have perfectly captured in the architectural idea the spirit of the people of Greater Poland - modest, unobtrusive, but actually strong, united around the important goal of freedom and independence. This is probably the most awaited museum in Poznan and Greater Poland, I firmly believe that the people of Poznan and the entire region will find in it a piece of themselves and the joy of victory, which is finally honored with a national holiday in the form of the National Day of the Victorious Wielkopolska Uprising," concludes Przemyslaw Terlecki, director of the Greater Poland Museum of Independence in Poznan.
The project of the Wroclaw office building received and award in the category of public, industrial and buildings
© WXCA
brocław office buildings with first prize
The project of office buildings in Wroclaw won first prize at the Belarusian biennial in the category of Public, Industrial Objects and Buildings.
Port Popowice, with a history of more than a century, where the office buildings designed by WXCA will be built, is one of the largest investment areas in Wroclaw, covering as much as 14 hectares. Designed by a team consisting of: Szczepan Wroński, Jan Kucza-Kuczynski, Paulina Kucharska, Leszek Czaja, Adam Mierzwa, the office buildings fit into the urban layout of the Popowice Port, harmonize with the other designed buildings, while also acting as a buffer between them and the nearby traffic route.
The razor blades on the facade create an alternating rhythm
© WXCA
According to the intentions of the designers and investors (Vantage Development S.A. and Rank Progress S.A.), the seven-story office buildings are to be distinguished from the outside by their modern design and glazed facade, with an arrangement of vertical and horizontal obscurations. The razor blades on the facade, create a regular, alternating architectural rhythm and their rust color scheme alludes to the steel installations of the former port.
When designing the office buildings, we thought about the people who will spend a lot of time there. We wanted to create a friendly place to work and at the same time introduce modern, sustainable solutions that will benefit the environment," says project co-author Adam Mierzwa of WXCA.
The architects wanted to create a friendly workplace, full of sustainable solutions
© WXCA
Among other things, the architects envisioned that the buildings would use intelligent management of heating, cooling and ventilation systems allowing automatic implementation of procedures to save energy such as "free cooling." Flexible office space arrangement has also been taken into account, with mobile workspaces(hot desks), communal tables, meeting places in a home-like atmosphere(soft seatings) or quiet rooms(silent rooms).
The Wroclaw office building received pre-certification of the international LEED GOLD system, which evaluates the environmental impact of buildings, already at the design stage.
