Małopolska Garden of Art, designed by Ingarden & Ewý Architects. Photo: © Krzysztof Ingarden
The ergonomically designed cultural centre in central Kraków is a finalist in the Typology section of the prestigious architecture competition, and is eligible for the Popular Choice Award open to the public online. Maya's House, a backyard structure constructed for a little girl, receives a Special Mention in the Landscapes and Gardens category
The 4,300-square-metre building, designed by Ingarden & Ewý Architects in collaboration with Jacek Ewý and in cooperation with K3 Architekci, brings together two cultural institutions, the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre and the Malopolska Voivodeship Library on Karmelicka Street in the city centre. It has also been nominated for the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award this year, and it was awarded first prize in the cultural-project category by Archdaily.
According to the project description published on the Architizer website, the building's architect Krzysztof Ingarden aimed to create an interplay between mimesis and abstraction, drawing upon the environment context it is situated in. The project draws inspiration from surrounding buildings' geometry and structure and meshing with the natural landscape of the plot. As Architizer's editors predict,
In this place, the cultural life of the Kraków’s young artistic set will blossom under a shared roof. Modern ballet, contemporary theatre forms, audio and video arts, concerts, and all and any other artistic pursuits will find their home here.
The A+ Awards competition includes 50 categories divided into two sections, Typology and Plus. The Typology Category comprises buildings raised over the past three years in the core architectural categories of Residences, Commercial, Cultural and Institutional projects. The Plus Categories select both realised and unrealised projects, which place particular emphasis on the social aspect of architecture. Keret House in Warsaw is among other Polish nominees for the main award and the Popular Choice award - Jakub Szczęsny's installation designed for Israeli writer Etgar Keret, which competes in the Architecture + Living Small category.
The jury board voted on winners for this year's edition in mid February, but their decision remains under wraps until the gala ceremony in May. Additional voting for the Popular Choice winner is open to the public until the 8th of March via an online poll. During the official award ceremony on the 16th of May, the results of the Firm of the Year, Building of the Year and Client of the Year competitions are to be annouced alongside the Architizer A+ Award laureates.
Vote for the Małopolska Garden of Arts in this year's Architizer A+ Popular Choice winner
Maya's House, designed by Ultra Architects. Photo: Łukasz Zandecki / Ultra Architects
A third Polish project among the original nominees was given a Special Mention in the Landscapes and Gardens category by the jury. Maya's House, designed by Ultra Architects based in Poznań (Marcin Kościuch, Tomasz Osięgłowsk), is for a little girl named Maya. With the house for the girl's family built, floorboards were left over and the architects decided to build a smaller structure just for Maya. As the architects explain on the Architizer website,
After long discussions we decided to give her a copy of the best known contemporary house with an archetypical form, that is the Rudin House of Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron. [...] our house has not the exact, but a similar shape, similar proportions, and it is made with other materials. The most important issue we focused on while designing was the house's ventilation. The floor is open-work, the side walls can be completely opened and the chimneys are there not only for decoration, but also for ventilation.
See more on Maya's House at: www.architizer.com
Editor: Agnieszka Le Nart
Source: Architizer, Archdaily