Glittering façades

Focus on courage

The jury comprised eight experts: Katarzyna Baranowska from the Fundacja Twórców Architektury foundation, Maciej Hawrylak of the Wrocław branch of the Association of Polish Architects, Jacek Kościuk from the Institute of the History of Architecture, Art and Technology at the Wrocław University of Technology, Andrzej Poniewierka of the Lower Silesia Chamber of Architects, Stefan Ciecholewski of the Association of Polish Architects, Józef Adamowski of the Building Institute at Wrocław University of Technology, Jacek Czyżewicz of Baumit and Irena Walczak, who represented publishing company Murator. In evaluating the entries the jurors paid particular attention to the colours and structures used for the façades and how creatively they had been combined. As the organiser explains, the projects recognised were those that best emphasise the character of the building and bring out its essential elegance, while those scoring highest were those that also integrate perfectly with their surroundings without disrupting the naturally harmony of the area they are located in. “For the first time the winning projects from Poland will take part in the international version of the competition – Life Challenge 66. A total of 237 projects from across Europe will be entered, including twenty from Poland. The ‘Top 30’ projects include two designs – the winner of the ‘New Building’ category, a multi-family development at ul. Inflancka 20 in Poznań, and a detached residential building in Jastrzębie – the winning project in the ‘New Building’ category of the previous year’s competition,” explains Aleksandra Gilewska, the marketing manager of Baumit, which was holding the competition for the seventh time. This year saw a record number of entries (211). ‘New Building’, the first category to be announced, was fought out between 89 designs, 44 were in the running for ‘Reconstructed and Adapted Building’, while there were 46 entries for ‘Large Panel Building’ and 32 designs to choose from for ‘Renovated Building’.

Magnificent four

A project entered by Przedsiębiorstwo ARI was judged to be the new building with the best façade. The residential building – situated at ul. Inflancka 20 in Poznań – was the undisputed winner in this category. The author of the design was Eugeniusz Skrzypczak and his team consisting of Krzysztof Sikorski, Maciej Armanowski, Jacek Gilewicz and Tomasz Kusznierów. UWI Inwestycje is the investor behind the project, while the contractor is Pil Building. The winner in the second category, ‘Reconstructed and Adapted Building’, was the building of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, which was entered by Cezary Witek on behalf of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. The design was created by Biuro Inżynieryjno-Wdrożeniowe Intelligent Systems under the management of Stanisław Fijałkowski, while the contractor was Przedsiębiorstwo Budowlano-Handlowe Remar Rafał Makowski. The winner in the third category, ‘Large Panel Building’, was a multi-family block of flats at ul. Platynowa 10 in Warsaw. Dariusz Filak, the designer of the building, entered it into the competition. Przedsiębiorstwo Budowlane Krystosiak i Syn was the general contractor, while the investor was a housing association. A tenement building in Poznań was the winner in the fourth category, ‘Renovated Building’. The investor for the project at ul. Kościuszki 80 was Zarząd Zasobów Lokalowych Poznań, while the architectural design was prepared by Piotr Bukowy. The renovation of the tenement was carried out by Przedsiębiorstwo Remontowo-Budowlane Agad.