Beauty for export

"The new embassy building will reflect the strength, dignity and competence of the Polish state, it will be our showpiece in the capital city of one of the most important countries in the European Union," declared Jerzy Pomianowski, the undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he announced the winner of the design competition for the Polish embassy in Berlin in November 2012. The winner was the renowned Warsaw-based architectural studio JEMS Architekci, which was awarded PLN 150,000 for its design. In addition to the award, the studio will also be given a contract for the design work. The total costs of the construction of the project are estimated at EUR 40 mln. The second prize and PLN 100,000 went to the Wolski Architekci studio. The general contractor is to be chosen at the end of 2013. If everything goes well, Berliners will be able to admire the artistry of Polish architects in 2016. This provides a great opportunity to appear in esteemed company. After all, Berlin features buildings by the most outstanding contemporary architects, such as Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid, Sir Norman Foster, Helmut Jahn, Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry, to name but a few. These are world-class architects whose projects can be admired in the largest and the most important metropolises across the globe.
But is Polish contemporary architecture recognised and appreciated around the world? Can Polish designers even aspire to compete with the so-called 'starchitects'? Such questions are extremely hard to answer. How could this be measured? By the number of publications in the international media devoted to architecture? If so, things actually don't look so bad. Polish architects have been noticed and are esteemed across the world. One such is Robert Konieczny, whose designs are all the rage in industry magazines abroad. The latest example of this is Konieczny's design of a house which features on the cover of the latest issue of the highly regarded architecture magazine 'Mark', in an issue largely devoted to Poland and Polish architecture. But if we wanted to take a look at something that has been actualised, i.e. designs that have seen the light of day abroad, things are somewhat worse. There are simply very few such projects.

Tempting Moscow
Only a few years ago the Russian market was the most tempting foreign field for Polish designers. "But now we also have China, Dubai and the Middle East. Urbanisation is still progressing fiercely in these places, and consequently there a growing need for designers. However, these markets have so far been dominated by British and American companies," says Mariusz Ścisło of the Association of Polish Architects (SARP) and the co-owner of the FS&P Arcus architectural studio. Indeed, when you look at the attempts of Polish studios, it is clear that most designs are commissioned by investors and developers operating in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East. The Polish studios that have tried their hands at projects in these markets include Arch Magic, APA Wojciechowski Architekci, Bose International Planning and Architecture and FS&P Arcus. Architects from the Czech Republic have had a similar experience of working in Russia. Vincent Marani, a partner and architect in the Cigler Marani Architects studio, admits that - just as it is for Polish architects - the Russian market is very tempting. "In Moscow there is always space for development, just as there is in New York, London or Hong Kong. There are 14 mln people living in the city and the country is rich in coal and gas. This is why regardless of the condition of the global economy there will always be something to do there," believes Vincent Marani.

The question is, how large is the scale of this specific type of 'export'? According to Polish architects, the foreign operations of domestic architectural studios are a marginal phenomenon - particularly if we compare them to the leaders of the field. Mariusz Ścisło estimates that 60-70 pct of the operations of architects in Great Britain are exported. In Germany it is about 40 pct. And in Poland? "There is nothing to boast about. Accordingmto my estimates it could be less than one per cent," claims Mariusz Ścisło.

On their own
What does this stem from? It could be down to the changes that took place on the construction market over the last few years. Basically, since the privatisation of the huge construction corporations, Polish architects have been deprived of their foreign strongholds. These large constructors often operated on foreign markets and formed consortiums with architectural studios from their homelands. But what has now happened is that the most important Polish construction companies have in fact become branches of international conglomerates after being privatised. "It is unfortunate that it has happened in this way because Polish architectural studios used to have very good reputations abroad," says Mariusz Ścisło. "These relationships are indeed significant. Today virtually all of the Polish companies that would take Polish architects abroad have gone," adds Olgierd Jagiełło, an architect with Warsaw-based studio JEMS Architekci.

However, this does not mean that the route to foreign markets is completely closed. After all, it is possible to cooperate with foreign developers that have entered the Polish market. Thanks to its partnership with developer AIG/Lincoln, APA Wojciechowski Architekci has managed to enter the Moscow market. AIG/Lincoln is an American developer that has successfully carried out a few projects in Poland, including the Grzybowska Park, Riverside and Saski Crescent office buildings in Warsaw - all designed by APA Wojciechowski Architekci. When the Americans were entering the Russian market, they invited the Polish studio to work with them on their projects - and this is what happened in the case of one of the best office complexes in Moscow: White Square Office Center. "We have managed to create a complex of buildings that is also surrounded by high quality public space. Furthermore, the project has turned out to be a commercial success as well," boasts Szymon Wojciechowski of APA Wojciechowski Architekci. A Czech architectural studio has also made a name for itself on the Moscow market thanks to a partnership with a developer from its own country. "In Russia we work with Czech investor PPF Real Estate. And this is how we have won contracts there. The design we are working on is Telecom City, in the south-eastern part of Moscow. It will be an office park with an area of 400,000 sqm," says Vincent Marani. However, Polish architects admit that entering foreign markets is by no means easy. The expansion of an architectural studio outside its homeland is limited by financial barriers, unfamiliarity with the regulations, and the local specificity. APA Wojciechowski works with Russian studio ABD Architects. "They were responsible for securing all the permits. Thanks to this we do not have to worry about the red tape for Moscow office projects," says Szymon Wojciechowski. "In Moscow we initially worked with a local architectural studio. Later we obtained registration in the Russian Federation, which we were granted by an industry organisation for architectural studios. In our experience the Russians are more likely to accept licences from countries other than EU member states," adds Vincent Marani. Mariusz Ścisło also admits that he has worked with local studios for foreign projects. "This, however, did not release us from having to get to know the local norms, the regulations and learning the local customs and procedures. Every time it was an interesting and - at the same time - exotic adventure. Importantly, financial security was supposed to be provided through our cooperation with Polish construction companies. That was the idea, but in practice it was different," explains Mariusz Ścisło. This is how a shopping centre in Novosibirsk was built. It was designed in cooperation with Mostostal Export, but constructed without any participation from Polish companies. The FS&P Arcus studio has also worked (together with Budimex) on a BMW office and service centre in Minsk, Belarus, as well as a hotel and bank centre in Kazakhstan, and (together with Polnord) on the development of a 120 ha site in Moscow earmarked for a huge residential estate. However, the projects did not get off the ground. What lures architects abroad? Higher earnings? Not necessarily. Most admit that the payments are similar. The impulse is more to do with extending their client bases. Perhaps this is also a reason why architects from Poland are not so keen to conquer foreign markets. As Marcin Sadowski of JEMS Architekci points out: "There is no shortage of contracts in Poland, so there is not much point in looking for them abroad." Architects from the Czech Republic have a different view. "Architectural studios have to look for foreign contracts because the number of projects being developed at home has shrunk since the crisis began," argues Vincent Marani. But is it more profitable to do so? "I wouldn't say that projects in Russia are more lucrative in terms of their prices. Their scale is often larger, though. So we use the same rates as in Prague - but in Russia we are able to carry out as much work in one year as in the Czech Republic over ten years," claims Vincent Marani.

Success is solidity
Architectural studios that have managed to successfully complete projects abroad can show them - and these showpieces make it easier to win more contracts. This was the case with APA Wojciechowski. "Thanks to White Square in Moscow we now have an established brand. We are currently working on the next stage of the project, also with AIG/Lincoln, which is the White Gardens Office Center complex. The success of the project in Moscow also made it easier for us to win contracts in Kyiv. We are now working there with a local developer, UDP, on a large high-standard office project - the Arsenalnya Office Center," reveals Szymon Wojciechowski. Mariusz Ścisło emphasises that Polish architectural studios are appreciated for their knowledge and skills. "The source of our success? It is the same every time - our solid approach to projects," he claims.

Vincent Marani makes similar observations. "We have opened a studio in Russia, so we hope that other developers active on this market have noticed that we are doing a good job here. Our presence in Russia was not planned. In a way it just happened - we were invited to participate in a large project and this allowed us to spread our wings. If it had not been for that first contract, we would not have taken the risk of opening a studio over there," explains the Czech architect.

Problems and hopes
How will the foreign adventures of Polish architectural studios unfold? The interested parties themselves are approaching it differently. For Szymon Wojciechowski the future is bright. "We owe 15-20 pct of our studio's turnover to foreign contracts," he says. Is he planning to open a studio abroad? "I do not see such a need at this time. You usually work on projects with a local studio. At certain stages you have to be there, even travel every week, but there is no point in putting up the funds to open a studio," he adds. Marcin Sadowski of JEMS Architekci, however, sees a much gloomier picture. "Architecture does not exist as far as our domestic and local authorities are concerned. Just look at what surrounds us. It is all dominated by mediocrity. Western countries know that it is necessary to promote architecture, that it can put a country on the map and be a developing sector of the economy at the same time. This is why foreign markets are conquered by large architectural studios with famous names behind them. Do Polish companies stand a chance of entering this world-class league? I doubt it," he says. The president of the Association of Polish Architects speaks in a similar vein. "The lack of support from the government is most visible in Russia. Our chambers of commerce do not promote Polish architects as, for example, German organisations do for their studios. Another issue, of course, involves the limited capital for such ventures. In order to seriously start operations in another country you need to have the necessary funds. Unfortunately a lot of Polish architectural studios cannot afford such an investment," explains Mariusz Ścisło. "Architectural competitions are frequently held in the West. If you want to be present in this part of the world, you need to take part in them. But then you need ask yourself a question: can we afford to participate in such a competition, do our finances allow us to do so, and finally, can we afford to expend our intellectual resources on this?" asks Marcin Sadowski. However, despite such obstacles there is still hope. Thanks to the embassy in Berlin, the JEMS Architekci studio will have a much bigger profile on the German market. Will this lead to more contracts? "It's hard to say. After all, there is a lot of competition there. It would be nice to be in such prestigious company. Will it mean more contracts? We hope so," concludes Marcin Sadowski.

Important declaration
Polish architects often complain that governmental authorities are unwilling to promote their activities. This has been changing. Recently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed letters of intent with the Academy of Fine Arts and the faculty of architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology to establish cooperation aimed at promoting Polish art and architecture abroad. "The signing of the letters of intent marks a return to the tradition of close contacts between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the lecturers and graduates of both universities in the 1930s, during the Polish Second Republic," declares Krzysztof Augustin, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the interior aesthetics of buildings. The Ministry admits that the initiative is still very much a pilot programme, but it is likely to be extended to other Polish universities with a similar profile over the next
few years.

Radosław Górecki
Additional material by Nathan North