Seventeen degree projects completed in the faculties training architects at the polytechnics in Kraków, Warsaw, Łódź, Lublin, Białystok, and the Warsaw School of Ecology and Management, were submitted in this year’s edition of the competition.
This year, the Jury of the competition awarded the SARP FR 2023 Award, one honorable mention and, for the first time, a very special distinction, "Prix Public", granted by all members of SARP FR.
Inż. Robert Machura received an honorable mention for his first degree thesis, which included the project The Museum of Japanese Culture in Łódź, completed under the supervision of prof. arch. Bolesław Stelmach. Furthermore, he was awarded the special 'Prix Public' award. This special distinction is the result of an online vote by the architectural community in France.
The award ceremony took place on May 12, 2023, at école nationale supérieure d’architecture de strasbourg, during the Architectural European Meetings.
The authors of the award-winning works and their supervisors were also hosted by the Ambassador at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
The Jury commended the project for original spatial design, creativity, and excellent integration of the body of the building into the surrounding urban landscape. The 'Prix Public' was awarded in recognition of an interesting architectural vision and choice of materials solutions.
The award-winning design of the building of the Museum of Japanese Culture in Łódź introduced the richness and complexity of the country's culture, while showing the influences of the cultural heritage of Japan on contemporary architecture. The solid form of the project sought connections and creatively interpreted material, symbolic and social culture, thus constructing a complex story about Japan and its aesthetics. This approach informed the design of a building firmly rooted in Japanese culture and, at the same time, tied in with the green area of Łódź boulevards. The project drew attention to the significance of cultural and historical context in the creative process, and how it can become a primary factor determining the form of the designed building.