design initiatives: museum of polish history

‘museum of polish history’ by design initiatives, warsaw, poland images courtesy of design initiatives

los angeles based studio, design initiatives have proposed a new direction for the museum of polish history located in warsaw, poland. the proposed hybrid structure of the museum is a footbridge, park and building, integrated into each other and coherent with the surrounding environment. the proposal is a synergy of nature and history, adopting its form from the undulating topography of poland. by digging into the ground, the local historical values of the museum are naturally preserved while also emphasizing and preserving as much of the nearby park as possible.

the museum connects two embankments, integrating the landscape with other cultural facilities in the area while also stabilizing the warsaw escarpment it lies upon. to successfully cover the main highway, the layout of two surrounding streets are rotated nearly 90 degrees, existing lanes are widened while new ones are added. new pedestrian paths and bike routes take into account the historic layout of passages and provides new connections between the museum and neighboring facilities.

the structure leaves a minimal footprint as it is positioned over existing trenches on either sides of the highway that required additional support. special attention was also paid to the treatment of the slop and diaphragm walls that act as indirect foundation to the facility, acting as both supporting and securing functions to the hill.

a double height exhibition area is positioned above the trench while four stories beneath it are embedded into the hillside of the highway’s ditch. the exterior shell utilizes materials, devised to significantly reduce the noise levels and poor air quality in the area. sound insulating floor slabs and walls limit sound penetration from street level traffic.  

access to the museum is possible from two points of entry – one for pedestrians arriving by foot or bike and one for visitors arriving by vehicle. both entries merge into one central space on the main floor which is located six meters above the highway on the same level as the entry to the castle across the way. it contains double height exhibition galleries, audience halls and a media library along with required secondary functions. the interconnected galleries direct visitors into a complex non-linear loop running the perimeter of the museum.

site plan

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

floor plan / -1

floor plan / level -2

on the north end of the site, the museum acts as a continuation of the park’s landscape, while the other end – with a glass wall that secures views of its surroundings – faces the castle. a shared plaza sits between the two sites connecting them together. the new museum appears as though it is rising from the earth like a hill to avoid overshadowing the castle and other historic monuments in the area.

the slopping green roof acts as a panorama deck and provides additional outdoor exhibition space. the lawn aims to be a spot where both museum guests and citizens can gather to enjoy the scenery. skylights in the roof reveal what is on exhibition inside, enticing visitors to enter and examine the collections more closely.

see design initiative’s entry for living architecture’s ‘a room for london’ competition here.

north elevation

south elevation

west elevation

east elevation

longitudinal section

longitudinal section

cross section

cross section

cross section

project info:

project architect: vlado valkof designers: anne valkof, stanislav christov renderings: assen balkanski status: competition area: 43,365 sq.m. budget : € 87,000,000