Bulanda and Mucha also prepared projects of revitalising two objects in the district of Praga in Warsaw, namely the ‘Koneser’ Warsaw Vodka Factory and Praga Cultural Centre. The former required finding balance between the old and the new and arranging an aesthetic dialogue between the two parts. Having explored the surroundings of ‘Koneser’, consisting mostly of new and old tenement houses, the architects created a concept of a complex of residential buildings which are to encircle the post-industrial constructions of the factory. This design exhibits their sensitivity to genius loci, attempting to capture the characteristic elements of the streets of Praga and add a new element to their unobvious beauty.
The architects have also designed buildings located in the most prestigious parts of Warsaw. One of their most successful projects is the reconstruction of the Warsaw Public Library on Koszykowa Street. The architects connected several constructions, each built at a different time, into a modern reading room, joining the parts with roof-covered patios and a system of glass walkways.
In 2015 the construction of the Education-Museum Centre in Warka was finished. Two pavilions – a brick one and one covered with white plaster – were built next to the historic manor housing the Casimir Pulaski Museum. Their simple, clear forms are a contemporary interpretation of the 19th-century utility buildings.
The designs of housing estates created by Bulanda and Mucha are also characterised by their particular sensitivity to the surroundings. The project of the apartment building in the district of Saska Kępa in Warsaw, constructed in 2006, is an intriguing game with the modernist tradition which shaped the atmosphere of the neighbourhood. The building on Piękna Street in Warsaw is another example of this approach – it is a new interpretation of a traditional European model of an elegant tenement house located in the very heart of the city.
In 2015 the duo was distinguished with the SARP Honorary Award, a prize awarded by the Association of Polish Architects. As the jury wrote:
Bulanda and Mucha’s architecture is real, touchable, uses materials skillfully and exhibits great sensitivity to the context of the place.
and:
The designs of the team Bulanda-Mucha are modern and consequently immune to periodic fashions.
Bulanda and Mucha also share a passion for sports. They both ski; Bulanda also canoes and treks. Mucha is interested in cinema and motors.
Updated by AM, Dec 2016, translated by NS, June 2017.
Selected exhibitions and awards:
- 2015 – SARP Honorary Award
- 2012 – 1st prize in the competition for a mezuzah for Polin – Museum of the History of Polish Jews
- 2006 – Polska. Ikony architektury [Poland. Icons of architecture], Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland