Sinfonia Varsovia

Distinction in the international 2-stage competition.

The Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra was a two-stage architectural competition for a
conceptual design of the main municipal concert hall for 1800 seats as well as
the adaptation of the ex-Veterinary Institute's historical buildings located at
Grochowska Street in Warsaw
-EQUAL RANK DISTINCTIONS

More information at www.sinfoniavarsovia.org/konkurs

emblem: GSK683

The designed complex with the inner garden is meant to be an ‘oasis’ in the increasingly dense city, offering an opportunity to surround oneself with art, also in open spaces. The new layout relates to the character of the existing complex and is inspired with the form of receiving music outside the concert hall.
The complex is to be an outstanding, yet integrated fragment of the district. Introducing galleries will connect the revitalized buildings and accentuate the ‘Sinfonia Varsovia House’ placed in the center of the courtyard. The openwork structure of the galleries will enable free access to the garden around its perimeter.
The roof of the new building forms a ‘floating horizon’ – a garden space reserved for Sinfonia Varsovia. Merging the concert halls into the roof will adjust their scale to the surroundings.

The project aims at demarcating the area of the quarter containing the former complex of the Veterinary Institute, in relation to the tradition of the block city structure in the old Grochów district.

The complex of the former Veterinary Institute currently consists of freestanding buildings creating a symmetrical composition. Building A with its front driveway and inner courtyard forms its core. The main goal of the project is to unite buildings B, C, D, and E through the introduction of galleries and by creating a perimetric structure accentuating building A (‘Sinfonia Varsovia House’) located in the center. The composition is closed by the new building with the concert hall, adding a new scale to the whole project. The entire courtyard becomes an extensive front garden and the ‘Sinfonia Varsovia House’ (with the restored historical decoration) turns into its ‘ornament’. The new, main function in the form of Concert Hall will affect the perception of the complex, in which Concert Hall and the entrance to the foyer will become the predominant element.

Project type: Professional - competition
Year: 2010

Authors:
Krzysztof Banaszewski, Centrala
Małgorzata Kuciewicz, Centrala
Simone De Iacobis, Centrala

Landscape architecture authors:
Monika Kuczewska, landscape architect
Zofia Pieniążek, landscape architect

Technical co-operation:
Wojciech Kaczura, architect - investment organisation
Eng. Walter Koller, AAB Stryjenski & Monti SA, Geneva – acoustics

Cooperation:
Jakub Szczęsny, Centrala, architect
Zygmunt Fit, Centrala, architect
Tomasz Gancarczyk, Centrala, architect
Anna Kotowska, Centrala, architect
Peter Zbierajewski, Centrala, architect

Supervisions:
Tadeusz Strugała, conductor, Kraków Philharmonic - Philharmonic and symphony directorate
Grzegorz Michalski, musicologist - organization of concerts and musical events

Visualisations:
Michał Gołębiewski

Piotr Zbierajewski

Physical model:
Jakub Morkowski
Adam Perka

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SITE

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INSPIRATIONS

The concept of the Concert Hall refers to the idea of the Polish pavilion at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Industry in Paris in 1925. The Pavilion, by Jozef Czajkowski, was a white building of a simple form, crowned with a 23-meter glass tower illuminated at night. The masonery part made an impression of a paper sculpture – rhythmic detail, faceted, resembling traditional ornamentation from Zakopane, used the play of light and shadow. The tower was light, delicate, ‘crystalline’.

Pearl-white facets will be modeled in daytime with natural light and with artificial illumination, creating a rich, dramatic effect at night. ‘Crystalline’ structure of the building will contribute to a mild, subtle atmosphere of the interior at daytime, while after dusk the light emanating from the interior of the building will form a beacon, pointing the way to the new Sinfonia Varsovia headquarters.