LOCATION:Warsaw, Poland
CLIENT: Museum of Polish History in Warsaw/Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland
PROGRAM: Cultural History Museum / Site Design
AREA 10,000 SM
COST: Euro87 million (US$130 million)
STATUS: Design 2009 (Competition)
DESIGN INTENTIONS
For this project for a country and historic culture of nearly 40 million citizens, we have put forth a design solution that understands the significant role of history in the development of a country, but more importantly, recognizes the intricate and directional relationship to its future. The Museum of Polish History and its surrounding development site stands not just to signify and remember the path to the present, but also provides a literal platform for the continued progressive development of Polish culture.
Using a policy to promote cultural and educational activities, our proposal performs as an central character in the play of Polish culture, not only for the users of the facility and its surrounding park, but also for the entire culture of Poland; becoming a new Center for the discovery and empathetic learning of history.
SITE DESIGN
The site is holistically looked at as both a territory to preservations, natural management of resources, contemporary intervention, and radical cultural and commercial development. Conceptually turning the site into both a museum of landscape and artifactual history and a model of progressive cultural and environmental development simultaneously. The site is divided into sections that range from complete replacement of existing conditions to utmost preservation of its historic shape and allowing the site to exist as both park and narrator.
CIRCULATIONS MANNERS
The park site is specifically developed to maximize the excitement, energy and functionality of all forms of urban transit, including automobile, bus, truck, bicycle, and pedestrian pathways. The major construction move of separating the infrastructural travel (trucks,cars and bus) from the human scale methods of movement (pedestrian and bicycle) allows for dense transportation needs in plan to be satisfied through sectional diversity. New commercial, retail, residential and cultural facilities can be accessed and serviced without prohibiting more personal and human means of circulation. The park deck connects the entire site with a universal and level network of paths that create both pleasure and opportunity in movement. MUSEUM OF POLISH HISTORY STRUCTURE
The museum’s sculptural volume is designed along conceptual terms of fluidity, velocity and lightness in order to produce a seductive and progressive artifact within the historic context of the city. The building appears like a mystical object floating above the extensive artificial landscape strip, both spanning the Trasa Lazienkowska right up at the edge of the embankment. This seemingly defying gravity by exposing dramatic undercuts towards the surrounding entrance plazas. The building does not sit as a barrier to the site, but another viewing opportunity to the historic context and surrounding city.....visit Paul Preissner
