Maciej Rydz & Łukasz Stępnik of JEMS Architects: Designing Planet Lem
The designers of Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre in Kraków discuss perforated concrete, periscopes, people of letters lounging on Persian carpets – and why their building doesn’t look like a spaceship.
Anna Cymer (AC): This is going to be Poland’s first cultural facility of this kind – there’s been no such literary centre so far. How did this concept emerge?
Maciek Rydz (MR): The literary people from Kraków had noticed that there are an average of two literary events organised in the city on a daily basis. Despite their impressive number and the fact that they often attract large audiences, they take place in libraries, bookstores, cafés, sometimes in completely random places. Kraków also hosts numerous renowned international literary festivals, such as the Conrad Festival – after all, it’s the UNESCO City of Literature. Because of all that, local people of letters came to the conclusion that a city so saturated with literature could use one spot in which at least some of these events would be concentrated – a place which would serve as a space for writers, researchers and literature enthusiasts. Hence the idea to create a space fully devoted to literature in Kraków. The building, called Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, is operated by the Kraków Festival Office – an institution created by the Mayor of Kraków Jacek Majchrowski, which has been responsible for many Kraków’s cultural events, year-round programmes and the city’s new cultural politics, Kraków Culture, for years.
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Łukasz Stępnik & Maciek Rydz of JEMS Architects, photo: courtesy of JEMS Architects
Łukasz Stępnik (LS): The Salt Store, a historic municipal building in Zabłocie, was selected to be the location of the new facility. It was once meant to become the residence of the central city library, but it turned out to be too small. Nevertheless, it’s been a significant spot on the city’s cultural map for years – it often hosts art studios, galleries, various cultural initiatives and events. It’s an overall well-liked place, and our project is, in a way, an extension of the Salt Store’s existing popularity amongst artistic circles.
MR: The choice of location for the new venue seems to be a really good one, because it’s going to be beaded on a well thought-out and consistently created cultural tourist trail in Kraków. It leads from Kazimierz over a catwalk to the other side of the River Wisła, where the Cricoteka Centre for Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor was established several years ago; the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art and Schindler’s Factory stand nearby. The Salt Store constitutes one more point on this trail, between the museum and the Cricoteka.
MR: The idea to somehow allude to Stanisław Lem in the project had to do with our desire to honour the writer, who seems not to have been properly celebrated in the city where he spent most of his life. Besides, there’s no doubt that on top of being an author of worldwide renown, Lem is a perfect patron for a language centre.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
AC: The next stage of the project was the tender that you won, which involved adapting the Salt Store to its new functions and extending it with an entirely new building in the back of the block.
MR: When the group of initiators of the literature centre began their attempts at adapting the Salt Store, they decided that this 18th-century building was too small for their needs after all. The new venue would be used not only for cosy gatherings but also for large events, such as the Conrad Festival, which requires much more space. Hence the decision to extend the building.
ŁS: What needs to be emphasised is that the tender co-organised by the Association of Polish Architects represented a very high organisational standard – and as far as I know, it became a model for future tenders. The international jury included a dozen or so members, amongst whom were representatives of the world of culture, Lem’s successors, as well as numerous architects. The competition had two stages. In the first one, design studios or teams who expressed their interest were meant to advance their general concepts for the building, rather than detailed projects. The jury chose the most interesting proposals, whose authors were then supposed to prepare more specific designs. It’s a very good method that allows for picking interesting concepts that are further polished later anyway – without forcing all the participating architects to create detailed projects, most of which will, after all, end up in the trash.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
AC: What were the functional expectations? What kind of building did the client want?
MR: The starting point for all the participants was the exhibitions meant to be presented in the building, devoted to Stanisław Lem and language. The vision for these exhibits was authored by Jacek Dukaj, who was also part of the jury on the tender. His description of the exhibition, one of the competition guidelines, was conveyed in a literary, almost poetic form, which is why each participant interpreted it differently. Seeing how the architects understood the description and translated it into their projects was a very unique experience. I can also tell you that when we met with Dukaj after winning the tender, it turned out that what we got out of it was very different from what he had in mind. But what came out of it in the end was a sort of a creative ferment that the project benefitted from, I believe.
AC: What other circumstances need to be considered when designing such venues?
MR: What was also important was the fact that the Salt Store is a heritage building, so all our undertakings needed to be planned in agreement with the heritage conservator. The cooperation wasn’t always easy, but it turned out to be very constructive and contributed a lot to the final shape of the building.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
ŁS: What also needs to be established for this area is the local zoning plan, which consists of regulations that determine the scale, the type of buildings, the building container for the new objects, green spaces, etc. The zoning plan for this particular plot was very restrictive, which made it difficult to plan a compact structure there. But just like many other architects, we believe that limitations only reinforce creativity. For instance, the seemingly problematic necessity of making incisions in the building to make place for the existing green spaces was something that we were happy to take advantage of. That’s how we arrived at our strategy of designing a building that consists of a system of modules rather than any particular shape, with an irregular plan of smaller elements composed in a certain way.
MR: Another creative challenge was the necessity to adjust our project so that it fits the larger context. The surroundings of the Salt Store are quite chaotic and diverse. We consider it an advantage – it’s a place yet to be defined, and it’s fun to partake in its development, to have an impact. Besides, even though it’s very close to the city centre, the area is slightly off the beaten track, sort of raw – near the River Wisła but not directly on the bank, close to the district of Podgórze, which is abounding with townhouses, but not quite next to it. The building of the Salt Store itself is also non-obvious, historically significant yet not exactly spectacular from the architectural point of view. A bit like the presence of Stanisław Lem, who, despite living in the city, remained as if slightly outside the main current of city life. We found all of that very inspiring.
ŁS: We really didn’t want to design a spectacular object in the style of architecture superstars from the late 1990s. It would have been impossible to do that there anyway, as the building of the Salt Store would remain in the front, and we needed to adjust our plans so that they suited it well. It would be an absurd idea to glue some sort of a glamorous architectural ‘sculpture’ to its simple form. Our concept was for the new building to discreetly poke out from behind the Salt Store, thereby signalling that there are new elements hiding behind the heritage building structure. That’s the purpose of the five towers looming over the front building – they’re a sort of a sign. Kraków’s important buildings have got towers, so alluding to this tradition, we decided to inscribe one more such form into the city’s landscape. Each tower will be 18.5 metres tall and characterised by deliberately unconventional dimensions: they’re too thick to be chimneys and too thin for houses; it will be clear, then, that you cannot go inside, but at the same time, they won’t be associated with the industrial aesthetics.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
MR: This idea also helped us solve a dilemma related to the building’s spatial layout – how to combine the space needed for a permanent exhibition with the open, multifunctional space of the literature centre. We decided to place the exhibition underground and to make the ground floor as open as possible so that its all-purpose interior can host festivals and meetings, as well as serve any other functions that the client requires. The towers also act as antennae, ensuring a connection between the underground area and the area above. They’re characteristic landmarks as well as skylights that let the sunlight underground, chimneys that provide ventilation, as well as periscopes from which one will be able to see the city. Each of them will contain a mirror system reflecting chosen buildings of Kraków when looked at from below, while a viewer standing outside will be able to peep through them at the exhibition. Hence their all-but-accidental place within the structure, chosen with the use of detailed and complex calculations. The goal was to direct each tower at Kraków’s important spots; one of the periscope-towers will be directed at the Wisła, another at the Cricoteka, yet another will allow the visitors to view St Mary’s Basilica when the weather permits. The towers also serve a visual markers of the main exhibition’s five sections, each of them belonging to one part of the underground installation.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
AC: How will the building itself look?
ŁS: The towers will grow out of the building which, like in Minecraft, constitutes a composition of simple blocks. Such a layout allowed us to easily fill the irregular space provided by the zoning plan while simultaneously making use of the necessary incisions and cavities which naturally turned into green, public patios.
Our concept for the new building consisted in multiplying the structure of the existing building. The layout of the Salt Store consists of repetitive sequences propped up by pillars. We extended these sequences into the new part, replicating them as if into infinity, creating structures that allow for the interior to be divided into smaller and larger segments and utilised in a variety of ways. It’s also a way of anticipating the future – after all, we don’t know if the building will still be a cultural venue in 50 years, and such a structure may help adapt it to other uses when necessary.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
MR: Someone has compared our idea to a school of fish, which doesn’t stop existing even if a part of it gets caught in a fisherman’s net; here, we’ve got a school of rooms that won’t change a bit, even if a part of it becomes closed or disconnected from the rest. Such a layout provides a variety of views, as well as the possibility of… making a mess. After all, we’re assuming that the space won’t be empty but rather filled with objects, furniture, books, posters, a variety of knick-knacks related to the life and functioning of the place. They will be in perfect harmony with this raw, simple module frame, they’ll fill and complement it. We really didn’t want to create a sterile space fully designed from the beginning, one in which each new element would result in an aesthetic itch. The venue is supposed to look as if slightly unfinished and to be easily altered. What testifies to the success of our conception is the fact that during our consultations with Jacek Dukaj and the building’s future users, we introduced some changes to the project, yet none of them caused our conception of the building to change in any significant way. It was already at the design stage that the building turned out to be flexible and easily alterable.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
AC: What will the building’s surroundings look like?
MR: There will be three garden squares, and some sort of outside rooms, each in a different style – they will constitute integral elements of the venue. One of them will be slightly mysterious and serve as an exhibition spot; another one will be used for larger, open-air events, while the one in the front will be an entrance garden. We want the entire place to have an unconventional look, to be slightly undulate, a bit lunar – providing visitors with a place to sit down, lie down and shelter themselves from the city noise.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
ŁS: These three squares will be available to everyone, not just the visitors of Planet Lem – they’re meant as green spaces for all the inhabitants of Kraków. While working on our design, we’re also trying to tidy up the municipal area nearby. Although it’s not part of our project, we’re searching for a way to turn it into a public space as well. We’re designing the green areas in cooperation with the very talented landscape architect Marta Tomasiak.
AC: On the outside, the building looks extremely simple, orderly and transparent. Was it your response to the chaotic nature of the whole area? How much did you take into account the vicinity of the well-known, quite striking and relatively new structures of Cricoteka and MOCAK?
MR: We’re often asked this question: why didn’t you design a rocket or a spaceship? After all, such shapes are unambiguously associated with Lem. However, we didn’t want to design a conspicuous Godzilla of a building, because such sites quickly become boring and outdated. We chose to create a building that might be slightly primitive and certainly timeless. Children like playing Minecraft, because what they have at their disposal are blocks from which they can create anything they want, including objects that aren’t necessarily realistic. We’re driven by a similar idea – we want to create a setting for various activities, a structure that doesn’t overwhelm and doesn’t constitute an artwork in and of itself. It’s a frame waiting to be filled with people of letters and their endeavours. Even if they bring in a Persian carpet, it will be easily incorporated into this versatile space.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
ŁS: What’s more, this building is partly inspired by Lem. After all, his cosmic worlds aren’t realistic either: there are neither meticulously described technologies nor winged monsters with enormous teeth. The main monster in Solaris is an ocean! The lack of literality is much more inspiring, poignant and productive than the alternative.
AC: Were you reading Lem while designing this building? To what extent did you derive inspiration from its patron?
ŁS: If the building wasn’t immersed in Lem’s world, its form wouldn’t even make sense. Our attempt to embed it in the author’s literary universe and the atmosphere of his works was what had led us towards the shape that we ended up creating.
MR: Diving into the project, we obviously wanted to refresh our knowledge of Stanisław Lem’s oeuvre. We divided the reading between the two of us, and these works turned out to be a significant and strong source of inspiration – perhaps even more important than the spatial, urban context.
The indefinite nature of this space, the impression it gives of being unfinished, seem very important to us, and they both originate from Lem’s visions. These impressions are reflected in the project’s tangible elements, for instance in the form of unconventional room sizes: the cubes that comprise the subsequent segments of the structure don’t resemble any typical space known to us. In public utility buildings, the rooms are usually much larger, whereas the interiors of residential buildings are noticeably smaller and of a significantly lower height. In Planet Lem, each cube is 5.5 by 5.5 metres and 4 metres high. Being something other than what they’re used to, it unsettles the viewers, giving them a slight impression of unreality. What’s also non-standard are the thinner-than-average walls, meant to make the hefty building look as if it was propped up on cardboard walls.
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Planet Lem Literature and Language Centre, designed by JEMS Architects, photo: JEMS Architects
ŁS: We were driven by a similar idea while choosing the building block. We wanted to pick a material that wouldn’t make it look as if we’re trying very hard to be original, so that when you look at it, it’s difficult to pinpoint what it is. Our goal was to achieve abstract, white surfaces, simple and versatile. That’s why the elevations will be made of light concrete, and the interiors will probably be simply rendered in white.
MR: Although we’ll also add some porosity to the external surfaces: there’ll be a pattern made out of small, rectangular holes in the elevations, referring a little bit to the ‘connect-the-dots’ game and a little bit to constellations. Its purpose is to suggest to the users that they’re not dealing with a basic, flat, concrete wall. The pattern will slowly reveal itself as the viewer approaches the building – it will be almost invisible from afar, and it will look different and give different impressions depending on the distance. It’s also going to change in time; it will gain a patina finish, damp patches and various marks will appear – the elevation is going to resemble a living being. We’re also going to introduce a bit of flavour, some attractions. One of them will be an elevator designed especially for this interior, in the form of a platform moving up and down, filling one entire module, its whole mechanism plainly visible. Another one is a machine designed for us by Pan Generator (Mr Generator), contained in the shape of an abstract sculpture. All Lem’s writings will be uploaded to the machine, and everyone will be able to approach it and record one word, on the basis of which the device will generate a short story using an AI algorithm.
ŁS: We were a bit afraid that our project will become something like ‘Lem’s mausoleum’, which is why we tried to avoid making the building too pompous and literal, too clunky or too serious.
Interview conducted in Polish, translated by Anna Potoczny, Sep 2021
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