Emotions after the outcome of the competition for the design of the reconstruction and expansion of the Museum of Architecture in Wroclaw have not yet subsided. Although the first post-competition meeting is behind us, and the exhibition presenting all 36 submitted works is also coming to an end, the results of the most important architectural competition of last year keep coming back in industry (and other) conversations. The awarded and distinguished projects could be seen in many publications, today we will go a little further and take a look at the competition proposal of the UGO Architecture team from Poznan.
a breath of fresh air
Although not on the podium, the work of Hugon Kowalski and Zuzanna Durak, which the duo consulted with Tomasz Piwiński, drew the attention of those commenting on the results. Among other things, they appreciated the reference to the historical body of the MA and the inclusion in the extremely difficult urban context.
This was also the goal of the authors - to harmoniously inscribe the new block in the historic buildings of Wroclaw, while introducing contemporary accents, characteristic of the studio. From the side of Bernardyńska Street, the block is to emphasize the frontage character of the street through two almost twin elevations - brick gable walls topped with gabled roofs reminiscent of the existing museum entrance building.
site development plan
© UGO Architecture
The form of the new part of the building is reminiscent of the monastery buildings - the sloping roofs, expressive gable walls and brick facades reflect the historic simplicity and harmony, but in a refreshed and modern way. The doubling of the roofs and their rhythm is a subtle reference to the multiplicity of forms of the historic monastery complex, allowing for architectural continuity while introducing new spatial qualities, the architects of UGO Architecture explain the idea.
The lump on the trapezoid-shaped plan narrows towards Juliusz Słowacki Park. Both on the facade from Bernardyńska Street and from the park, the architects planned large glazing - showcases that invite passers-by and nature to (physically and symbolically) enter the museum.
axonometry
© UGO Architecture
The facades of the new building, like those of the existing monastery part, are to be overgrown with native ivy - this solution is to serve not only an aesthetic function, but also to improve the microclimate around the building, to act as a natural insulating layer and assist in the air purification process.
View from Bernardyńska Street towards Slowackiego Avenue
© UGO Architecture
entrance through the secret garden
The new main entrance to the museum is planned opposite the development on Bernardyńska Street designed by Maćków Pracownia Projektowa. The pavilion, set back from the street line, leading to the main building, according to the authors' assumptions, would be a green showpiece of the facility - an elevated "pot" with plants over three meters high.
A skylight in the roof allows visitors to look at the dominant tower of the church, which builds a greater relationship between inside and outside. In the summer, the pavilion's glazed facade can be completely opened up, allowing the lobby space to seamlessly merge with the garden, creating one cohesive zone, the architects explain. - On the roof of the pavilion, an overflow (rainwater drainage) system has been designed in the form of a cascade, which manages excess rainwater in an efficient and visually appealing way. This water is collected in a rain garden, located in the entrance area of the "Secret Garden," creating a natural and sustainable water system, they add.
entrance pavilion
© UGO Architecture
Water, moreover, is one of the key elements of the project, with the architects celebrating its presence by creating an artistic framework for it in the form of custom-designed drainpipes in the new warehouse building or the puke in the entrance pavilion.
drawing on the past
On the opposite side of the cloister of the former Pernardine monastery is the modernist section of the museum corresponding to the entrance pavilion (the new cafeteria), where the architects planned to replace two panels with a movable guillotine façade. This treatment allows the establishment to open seasonally to the nearby park.
View from Juliusz Słowacki Park
© UGO Architecture
In selecting materials, the architects were inspired by the traditional buildings of Wroclaw(brick), the historic museum building(sandstone) and what is gaining in value in architecture today - the reuse of materials.
The light gray terrazzo floors were made from recycled aggregate - dismantled elements of the historic structure, the architects explain. - Such a choice not only reduces the carbon footprint, but also carries symbolic value, emphasizing continuity and respect for the past.
Visualizations of the modernized interior of the Museum of Architecture in Wroclaw.
© UGO Architecture
