02|02|2012

"Urban design is one of the most complex disciplines in the architectural field. Urban designers have to answer to contemporary challenges and to the superordinated question, what will be in the future. The paradox is, even if there is no answer to what will be, an urban designer has to find one. To overcome this paradox the urban designer has to rely on his personal value system. It is this inner discourse, which makes the exhibition 2urban8 worth seeing. It is a snap shot of an exciting dialog of experienced teachers and students on the threshold to an academic degree."
prof. Christian von Oppen, Bauhaus-University Weimar

"The idea of crossing visions on different urban context is important for cities to learn from each other. In crossing of experiences, Roberto Segre also argues that comparing experiences is a tool which, while not providing systematic certainties, enriches our understanding and challenges us to carry out urban projects (...)"
prof. Pedro Ressano Garcia, Universidade Lusofona, Lisbon

The quotations of two reviews reflect the idea of the exhibition "2urban8". Urban design is one of the most complex disciplines in the architectural field. The process of coming to certain solutions requires the ability to conduct creative dialogue and cooperation. Each of the four projects was developed by a double team of students. Thus, the initial level of discussion was a cooperation of students. Second plane of the dialogue was discourse between students and their supervisors. Finally, an exhibition, organized under the direction of the supervisors, require a strong interaction between all ten participants. New boards, reviews, and catalog was prepared. On one hand, the exhibition presents the students point of view and honors their autonomy in the projects. On the other hand, in the presented works the views and aspirations of the supervisors are also visible. Two thematic cycles, entitled City2City (Klara Czyńska) and City2Water (Adam Zwolinski) appeared. Presented proposals for urban transformations of fragments of Berlin, Szczecin and Warsaw relate to current issues of the European space of city centers and waterfront.

The exhibition will be open up to 26th February. Presented works, reviews, video report from the opening and the compilation of images and other materials you can see on this website.

Paweł Rubinowicz, curator of the Gallery Form

09|01|2012

At Friday, 13th January Architect Gallery Form will have a pleasure to present an exhibition called '2urban8'. The exhibition presents four diploma projects on urban design completed at Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin under tutorship of 2 young supervisors, PhD's in Architecture: Klara Czyńska and Adam Zwoliński. The diploma project is the most important work for students, summarizing very important education period influencing and shaping unique personal creative sensitivity. For the supervisors, work with diploma students is a particular and very responsible form of teaching. It demands identification of individual abilities of students and careful guidance for their research without arbitrary imposing on personal concepts. The idea of the exhibition is to present the projects as effect of creative dialogue between young supervisors and architectural diploma candidates. The title '2urban8' ("two-urban-eight") encodes some basic data. The exhibition presents in a form of dialog 2 personalities of supervisors and four urban diploma projects designed by 8 students. The common topic and area of interest is contemporary design for urban space of city centres and waterfronts of European cities: Berlin, Szczecin and Warsaw. At the opening we are expecting Vice President of Szczecin, Bogdan Jaroszewicz and the Rector of West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, profesor Włodzimierz Kiernożycki. The reviews of the exhibition was written by two professors from foreign Universities: Pedro Ressano Garcia (Universidade Lusofona in Lisbon) and Christian von Oppen (Bauhaus University Weimar).

Klara Czyńska, architect, studied at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin. PhD at Wroclaw University of Technology in 2007. She works at the Institute of Architecture and Spatial Planning at West Pomeranian University of Technology since 2004. Author of scientific publications on issues such as urban development of cities and high building impact. Tutor of five Bachelor's and Master's diploma projects.

Adam Zwoliński, architect, studied at West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin. PhD at Wroclaw University of Technology. He works at the Institute of Spatial Planning at West Pomeranian University of Technology. Author of scientific publications on urban development, urban transformation and space-use problems. Author and co-author of around 40 architectural and urban projects, competitions, concepts and studies. Tutor of four Bachelor's and Master's diploma projects.

Paweł Rubinowicz, curator of the Gallery Form

The '2urban8' exhibition presents four diploma projects on urban design completed at Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin under tutorship of 2 young supervisors, PhD's in Architecture: Klara Czyńska and Adam Zwoliński.

The diploma project is the most important work for students, summarizing very important education period influencing and shaping unique personal creative sensitivity. For the supervisors, work with diploma students is a particular and very responsible form of teaching. It demands identification of individual abilities of students and careful guidance for their research without arbitrary imposing on personal concepts. The idea of the exhibition is to present the projects as effect of creative dialogue between young supervisors and architectural diploma candidates. The title '2urban8' ("two-urban-eight") encodes some basic data. The exhibition presents in a form of dialog 2 personalities of supervisors and four urban diploma projects designed by 8 students. The common topic and area of interest is contemporary design for urban space of city centres and waterfronts of European cities: Berlin, Szczecin and Warsaw. Architect's Gallery FORMa / Exhibition opening: 13th January 2012 at 6:00 p.m. / Free entrance - You are welcome.

Paweł Rubinowicz
curator of the exhibition


2urban8 | City2City

Contemporary urban development planning should head towards concentration of strategic functions and increasing urban density of city centre areas. Such model of centripetal development has many evident features. On the other side implementation of "compact city" idea according to different European cities is in each case an individual task. The '2urban8' exhibition presents two completely different examples of revitalization of parts of city centre areas - in two students final urban projects...

First project designed by Dagmara and David refers to urban transformation of the representative part of the capital of Germany - Luisenblock Ost quarter, located on the extension of axis of government buildings area "Band des Bundes" and at the edge of Eastern and Western Berlin. Process of transformation of the areas lasts for dozen years and is presently barely finished. The main value of the project of students from ZUT in Szczecin is skilful identification of external conditions, architectural language of the city and place, finally creative continuity of previously initiated revitalization processes. The proposal is restrained, balanced and rational.

The second project is completely different - designed by Katarzyna and Łukasz - assumes revitalization of spatially and functionally deteriorated area in the city centre of Szczecin. The old buildings was completely ruined by bombardments during the World War II. In 60s the area was reserved for construction of express road which has never been built. Despite central localization, the area is excluded from city life of Szczecin. Presently there is completely no ongoing discussion about revitalization of this area. The challenge of the project was to think out completely new vision of the place. The project creates a new street and composition axis connecting important elements of urban structure of the city.

Klara Czyńska


2urban8 | City2Water

Contemporary cities, which according to demographic data since year 2008 accommodate over half of the people on the Earth, face an enormous challenges related to particularly each field of life. In the presence of actual opinions indicating urbanization as a chance for development of cities in general, the urbanism is one of the key aspects. Cities are "alive" structures continuously evolving and adjusting to variable conditions. They continuously search for internal possibilities to face towards and improve life of its inhabitants. The cities located at the water have some unique advantage - water is life... so the need to turn towards water, domesticate it and use its natural potential in cities is very important. Exhibition will present two different interpretations of relation to water in two students final urban projects...

Kasia and Ksawery in their project design within regulations and guidelines of urban competition for deteriorated riverside part of Warsaw, located around Czerniakowski cape and the ending of Stanisławowska axis. However they create vision of system of unique and differentiated spaces at the edge of water and city, in natural green landscape. Urban layout is based on gradation of functions of the area from urbanized commercial and housing part located at the edge with the city, to areas of recreation and culture at the edge of the Vistula river, around port harbour and greenery... everything at the water and for the purpose of restoring the area for the capital city and re-inviting inhabitants of Warsaw.

Karolina and Paweł in their diploma use very modern and brilliant interpretation of Local Land Arrangement Plan for the area of Kępa Parnicka and Zielona islands in Szczecin, to create at the edge of two islands located in geometrical middle of the city attractive urban waterfront space. They create precise urban layout reflecting all the notions of modernity in urban design and architecture... but their sensitivity for post-industrial context of the place with its strong cultural and landscape features let them 're-animate' a spirit of the place using carefully artefacts of the past. Courageous, sensitive and balanced design...

Adam Zwoliński

Urban design is one of the most complex disciplines in the architectural field. And at the same time the simplest. Its creative challenge is free of any temporary design trends. Many projects are scheduled for more than 30 years. Therefore the ideas of the civic designers must be in a way timeless. If a project gets realized, its structure could last more than 2000 years. Sites and streets are the most robust cultural memory. Urban designers have to answer to contemporary challenges and to the superordinated question, what will be in the future. The paradox is, even if there is no answer to what will be, an urban designer has to find one. To overcome this paradox the urban designer has to rely on his personal value system. It is this inner discourse, which makes the exhibition 2urban8 worth seeing. It is a snap shot of an exciting dialog of experienced teachers and students on the threshold to an academic degree. You can tell by each project how deeply involved all partners were in the design development.

The accuracy of the analysis of the Luisen-Block project in Berlin by Dagmara Sietko-Sierkiewicz and David Weclawowicz is notable. The well-sorted plans give a quick impression of the complex situation at the site. Berlin is a truly fragmented city. Therefore it was a very canny decision to sustain the existing architectural expression of the Band des Bundes. The design convinces because of the elegance with which the additional buildings were composed into the uneasy shape of the site by keeping the important historical buildings. But also the chosen materials and the visualisations prove how professional the design process had been carried out.

Everybody who is acquainted with Szczecin knows that you need enthusiasm to find the right answers for the war-torn parts of the city. Like in the Berlin project, the authors - Katarzyna Drobny and Łukasz Rożek - strengthen their design by enforcing an existing quality, Szczecin's boulevards. It is a consequent decision to continue the historical building structure in a contemporary form. Very clever is the idea to implement a second boulevard. The intersection of these two force lines might have the power to create a gravity centre in the projected district. Whether a project like this could stop the urban sprawl is questionable. A successful re-urbanisation is based on a society's change in outlook. It is a task that cannot be solved only by urban design. Nevertheless it is one important step on the long way out of the disastrous loss of urban quality.

It is noticeable that both projects focus on a specific part of each city. The borders of the analysed area in the Berlin project are framing quite precisely the government district, a suitable perspective. The frame of the analysed area of the Szczecin project is not so easy to decode, especially because the project is based on the street grid, which links the city together. It would have been nice to get an idea which influence the design decision could have on the city as a whole. But so the discussion about urban design will be continued with enthusiasm and graveness not only at the upcoming exhibition.

Christian von Oppen
Bauhaus University Weimar

Restoring the waterfront requires a theory that will satisfy various needs. Because the theme is global, comparisons between cases should be established. In my opinion the idea of crossing visions on different urban context is important for cities to learn from each other. In crossing of experiences, Roberto Segre also argues that comparing experiences is a tool which, while not providing systematic certainties, enriches our understanding and challenges us to carry out urban projects. In recent publications on the subject, some authors involved in the contemporary debate emphasised the importance of how cities reclaim their riverfronts. The founders of the Waterfront Center in the United States of America, Breen and Rigby, for example, titled their book Waterfronts, Cities Reclaim Their Edge. When reading this book we must understand what cities are reclaiming: what is the edge or boundary, how was this edge created, since it is always a construction, always Man's mark over nature. The answer does not depend on adding new buildings, but extending infrastructures and integrating solutions in the city. As a regeneration process in motion, information regarding the area's history and geography may form a body of knowledge that will enhance discussion on the waterfront. Many port cities face similar problems. There is no "ready to use" recipe for achieving a successful solution. Certainly, the problem is so complex that each urban situation requires a different solution. Each city has different sources of potential and must rely on these to find solutions. Therefore it is necessary to have information about the origin, development and decline of the areas concerned, since many solutions come from an understanding of the evolutionary process itself in which the urban space is constantly changing.

The approach of Katarzyna Krasowska and Ksawery Czyński intends to follow a strategy that can be adopted globally. It requires a rigorous knowledge of the site, based on which, it is possible to design the strategy. Such knowledge provides information on the site's identity, so that it can be incorporated into the design, giving it a brand rooted in the culture of the city. The site's cultural significance holds a theoretical perspective that is of great value. Each case has been founded and encouraged in a different way of thinking about the waterfront. The general consensus on the value of public spaces in urban waterfront regeneration emphasizes the importance of classifying public spaces and enhancing them. The creation of public spaces takes the contours of a structuring element in the urban regeneration process, with particular attention being given to creating a set of public spaces with pedestrian access.

The project by Karolina Tarkowska and Paweł Kochański presents a clear strategy on waterfront urban design. In their proposal they join synergies to imagine a process that integrates the knowledge of local urban network. Geographical and historical conditions are taken in consideration while formulating a new vision for the necessary solution. The new public spaces facing the water suggest an important cultural factor due to their particular proximity to the city centre and the water. The offer of creative public waterfront spaces related to the memory of the place, while revealing the natural environmental qualities, is designed beautifully, in their proposal. The schemes of urban design are intelligent, as they reveal the solution with an increasing level of complexity by layers being juxtaposed over the waterfront territory. Such schemes are an engaging way to communicate ideas, they are effectively strong and necessary, when dealing with waterfront territories. Intriguing industrial artifacts and variations in the topography near the iconic building are used to value a key factor in the public inventive usage of the urban habitat, leading to the possible functions and inventions that breed social life. They highlight a sense of place. The project also deals with the question of the future role of water and the fragile balance of nature, in a subtle way. Enhancing the cultural understanding of the place, while promoting knowledge of its past purpose with ambition for the future sustainable built environment.

Pedro Ressano Garcia
Universidade Lusofona in Lisbon