Polish History Museum
2009 - Warsaw, Poland
Museum of Polish History Competition
with Touraine Richmond Architects
The name ”Museum of Polish History,” underlines the permanence and undisputable parameter of History. Poland, like many other European countries, saw its size and border expanding and compressing under fire and loss of blood from the first day of its inception. There are multiple narratives about Polish History. To embody all these words: Museum, Polish, and History into a single entity is not a realistic perspective, both because of the scale of the building in a sensitive context and because of the complexity of the topic. So, for such a complex matter, a complex, not complicated, solution is to be considered. History, with its memory, is a sensitive and variable parameter. Its translation within a Museum of Polish History will be an extremely complex work. History is in the park not only because the buildings are in the park, but also because of the way history interacts with the landscape. The paths of the Museum of Polish History and the park intertwine. Navigating through the park or inside the museum will create conditions similar to a “promenade” where one can meander within the landscape as well as within Polish history. This could happen inside and/or outside. In multiple ways, one can experience or interact with the museum, from a ‘fast track’ route to a lingering, more in-depth walk through. Both options are necessary and compatible. Paradoxically, the creation of 20,000 gross square meters for the Museum will be balanced by 7,000 square meters of new park space bridging south to north, providing this missing link. The new space will be used for the park as well as for the museum, reinforcing an intricate and intertwined relationship. This exchange farther emphasizes a reciprocal relationship with sculptures of historic value or figures displayed within the park. The “Museum of Polish History” should reach a complex balance between the history of its people and the history of its land--an equilibrium between a “Museum of the History of the Poles” and a “Museum of Poland’s History.” It will establish the symbiotic relationship between its new buildings and collections and its park and eco-system. The “Museum of Polish History” is the foundation for a harmonious future, a stable development of humanity based on an extended knowledge of our history and a profound respect and understanding of our natural environment.
Museum of Polish History Competition
with Touraine Richmond Architects
The name ”Museum of Polish History,” underlines the permanence and undisputable parameter of History. Poland, like many other European countries, saw its size and border expanding and compressing under fire and loss of blood from the first day of its inception. There are multiple narratives about Polish History. To embody all these words: Museum, Polish, and History into a single entity is not a realistic perspective, both because of the scale of the building in a sensitive context and because of the complexity of the topic. So, for such a complex matter, a complex, not complicated, solution is to be considered. History, with its memory, is a sensitive and variable parameter. Its translation within a Museum of Polish History will be an extremely complex work. History is in the park not only because the buildings are in the park, but also because of the way history interacts with the landscape. The paths of the Museum of Polish History and the park intertwine. Navigating through the park or inside the museum will create conditions similar to a “promenade” where one can meander within the landscape as well as within Polish history. This could happen inside and/or outside. In multiple ways, one can experience or interact with the museum, from a ‘fast track’ route to a lingering, more in-depth walk through. Both options are necessary and compatible. Paradoxically, the creation of 20,000 gross square meters for the Museum will be balanced by 7,000 square meters of new park space bridging south to north, providing this missing link. The new space will be used for the park as well as for the museum, reinforcing an intricate and intertwined relationship. This exchange farther emphasizes a reciprocal relationship with sculptures of historic value or figures displayed within the park. The “Museum of Polish History” should reach a complex balance between the history of its people and the history of its land--an equilibrium between a “Museum of the History of the Poles” and a “Museum of Poland’s History.” It will establish the symbiotic relationship between its new buildings and collections and its park and eco-system. The “Museum of Polish History” is the foundation for a harmonious future, a stable development of humanity based on an extended knowledge of our history and a profound respect and understanding of our natural environment.
Personal responsibilities: Project Manager, programming, schematic design, renderings, site plans, elevations