

CENTRUM NAUKI KOPERNIK
Park of Explorers, Copernicus Science Center
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Client: City of Warsaw
Year: 2010
Service phases: Preparation and Brief, Concept Design, Developed Design (HOAI 1–4)
Area: 41.000 m²
Construction costs: 2.5 Mio. €
Architecture: Rar2 Jan Kubec, Magdalena Łukasik and Anna Małek, Michał Tomanek, Zbyszko Bujniewicz
Awards: ‘Building of the Year’ by the Ministry of Construction and Construction Supervision (2010), Вest urban project: award by Еurobuild — Construction&Property magazine (2010), Quadrans Qultury — a quarter of culture 2010 TVP INFO: Award for the Most Interesting Cultural Event of the Year (2010), RMF FM MocArt radio station award in the ‘Event of the Year’ category (2010), Architektura magazine award in the ‘Public Space’ category in public vote (2011), Most Interesting Building in the ‘Culture and Science’ category in the Polish Architecture 2050 public vote (2011), ‘Poland Becomes More Beautiful’ competition, ‘Tourist Objects’ category (2011), For the Opening: Polish Enterprise Award in the category ‘Еvent of the Year’ and ‘Вest Initiative of the Year’ (2011), Prize of Radio Tok FM: nomination (2011), Special Prize Zycie w Architekturze VII as the best cultural building in Poland 2000–2012: Prize of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (2012), Mies van der Rohe Award: Nomination (2013), ‘More Beautiful Poland’ Movement Award (2013), Best Tourism Product of the Mazovian Voivodeship Award (2013), Award from the Ministry of Development and Infrastructure as an exemplary object in the context of its surroundings (2014), Quality International QI: Nomination (2014), Certificate of Quality from the users of the TRIPADVISOR portal (2015), ‘Created in Poland’ Superbrands: title as one of the strongest ‘brands’ on the Polish market in 2013/14 (leisure category) and 2014/15, Certificate for the best tourist attraction in the ranking of the readers of the Dzieckowpodróży.pl (2020)


CATALYST OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT
As the first facility, architecture and landscape architecture take on the task of setting standards. In the exterior space, this means defining the canon of design elements (such as the edge of the river bank, the lower Vistula terrace, the Vistula slope, the Vistula promenade, the park of the upper Vistula terrace, the boulevard Wybreze Kosciuszkowskie) in such a way that it proves sustainable and developable in the future, from the citadel in the north of the city to Ujazdowski Park in the south.
STRATEGY AND CONCEPT
The importance of the site and the timing of the overall concept for the Vistula embankment require a special strategy, which consists of two core components:
(1) Adaptability
(2) The development of a facility, which on the one hand carries the ability to initially play as the sole activator at this location on the Vistula bank, but on the other hand has the integration power to later find its purpose as one of several activators on the Vistula bank.
(3) Exemplary character
(4) Located in front of the silhouette of the Old Town from the east, the building and its exterior open up a new era of urban development. This is the development of the Vistula for the city and its inhabitants.

© Marek Mazurkiewicz





© Marek Mazurkiewicz

© Mateusz Baj

© PAP/Grzegorz Jakubowski

© PAP/Grzegorz Jakubowski

© PAP/Grzegorz Jakubowski