The international lecture and discussion series WARSAW ARCHITECTURE TALKS was conceived in 2013 by COQUI MALACHOWSKA COQUI Urban Planning Landscape Architecture and organised in cooperation with the Foundation of Architecture Creators (FUNDACJA TWÓRCÓW ARCHITEKTURY) in cooperation with the GERMAN EMBASSY IN WARSAW and STOWARZYSZENIE ARCHITEKTÓW POLSKICH (SARP). The ‘Warsaw Architecture Talks’ are an application-oriented exchange of scientific knowledge and practical experience. The series, aimed at German and Polish architects, German and Polish housing associations and cooperatives, city administrations, scientists, politicians, those interested in culture, urban sociologists, German and Polish project developers, journalists and the trade press, has covered the following topics to date:
RAINWATER TOUR AT LANDSBERGER ALLEE 52
We say, following Karl Valentin: ‘I am happy when it rains, because if I am not happy, it rains anyway.’
Rain is a natural phenomenon that plays a central role in many areas of our lives. However, in view of climate change, it is no longer enough to simply appreciate it. Its targeted use is becoming an everyday necessity. What used to be an option is now becoming an obligation: consciously protecting, storing and using water.
CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE ADAPTATION
At the symposium on climate adaptation with a focus on heat and drought organised by the Potsdam district association of the AWO (Workers’ Welfare Association) on 30 September 2025, Izabela Malachowska-Coqui presented our two climate adaptation concepts for the AWO in Wittstock/Dosse and Prenzlau in a keynote speech on climate-sensitive planning for vulnerable groups.
In the second part of the symposium, which dealt with participation processes, she also conducted a workshop. In this workshop, participants worked together on the question of how problems relating to heat and heat protection in facilities can be identified and named.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION WEEK
As part of the nationwide Climate Adaptation Week and the BuGG Action Week on Green Buildings, Joerg Th. Coqui led a fully booked tour last week with 40 participants through the courtyards and along the green facades of the Institute of Physics at Humboldt University in Berlin.
The lively interest once again demonstrates the continuing relevance of this project, which was completed in 2003 and awarded the German Landscape Architecture Prize in the category ‘maturity examination’ in 2025.
PARTICIPATION IN PRENZLAU
As in Wittstock, we also held four participation days for our second climate adaptation project with the AWO in Prenzlau, during which residents and employees were able to actively contribute.
Participation was a central component of the planning process: it enabled the needs, wishes and everyday knowledge of the users to be incorporated at an early stage and measures to be developed in a realistic manner.
Together, we managed to develop 80 smaller and larger measures for climate adaptation. At the closing event, some of the measures were already marked out in the garden. We had a lot of fun and are now looking forward to further implementation!
PARTICIPATION DAYS FOR AWO IN WITTSTOCK
As part of the development of the climate adaptation concept for the AWO residential home ‘Haus unter den Linden’ in Wittstock/Dosse, we held four participation days over a period of twelve months. Residents and staff were actively involved from the outset in an open workshop format with input presentations, surveys and small group work.
The current planning status was regularly presented and further developed jointly. This allowed a wide range of perspectives to be incorporated and concrete ecological and social measures to be developed. After twelve months, the climate concept is now complete and implementation is about to begin.
BEAUTIFUL TRANSFORMATION – AESTHETICS AND DESIGN OF CLIMATE-FRIENDLY BUILDING CULTURE
On 16 May 2025, Joerg Th. Coqui gave a lecture on new aesthetics in landscape architecture at the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig.
In Forum 1, entitled ‘Beautiful Green and Blue – On the Aesthetics of Climate-Resilient Urban Landscapes,’ he spoke about the interplay between aesthetics and climate protection, using the example of our project of the Humboldt University of Berlin’s Institute of Physics, which got awarded at this year’s German Landscape Architecture Prize.
VISITING BERLIN
The delegation of the Poznan City Conservator’s Office, together with the head of the Poznan City Architectural Office, council members and employees of the Office involved in the development of the E. Szyc Stadium in Poznan as a competition jury, went on an excursion to Berlin. Various recreational and sports areas in Berlin were visited under the guidance of Izabela Malchowska-Coqui.
These included Gleisdreieck Park, the Südpark area, as well as intensive and extensive natural parks within the city. They also visited Möckernkiez, located at Gleisdreieck, with architect Christoph Roedig. This excursion gave the participants the opportunity to visit various recreational and green areas and gather inspiration for the development of the city of Poznan.
FILM ABOUT THE GERMAN-POLISH GARDENS
The film, which we co-produced, sheds light on the background and history of the German-Polish Gardens, features interviews with those involved and presents the project.
The initiative for the gardens in Skaryszewski Park in Warsaw was launched on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the German-Polish Neighbourhood Treaty.
GRAD
After more than two years of work on the development of pilot strategies for the promotion of green roofs, a summary and presentation of the project results was conducted. This project has contributed to the development of documents that combine in an innovative way the objectives of sustainable urban development with climate policy objectives, such as adaptation to climate change and climate change action. On December 11, 2020, the final conference of the GRAD project was held: Green Roofs as a Tool for Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas gathered a number of people interested in a holistic approach to the development of green roofs in cities.
GRAD
The “GRAD” project aimed to adapt the experience of the City of Hamburg in developing green roof strategies since 2014 to an exemplary strategy structure to Polish conditions. In cooperation with the City of Hamburg and eight Polish pilot cities (Bielsko-Biała, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia, Kalisz, Kraków, Lublin, Warszawa and Wrocław), the Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć “Energie Cités” implemented the project from 2018 to 2020. The conference covered topics such as water retention, green roofs, strategy and stormwater management. The aim of the project was to promote green roofs and facades as a means of climate adaptation in urban areas, using the experience of Hamburg. Individual strategies for the mentioned Polish cities were developed to support the promotion and implementation of green roof projects. The publication provides details on various aspects such as types, benefits and costs of green roofs, as well as on the development of individual targets and measures to promote and support green roof projects in Polish cities.
PRESIDENT PLANTS TREE IN GERMAN-POLISH GARDENS
During Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender’s visit to Poland, the Federal President planted a hornbeam (Carpinus betulus “Fastigiata”) in the German-Polish Gardens on Wedel Avenue as a symbolic opening of the park’s second revitalisation phase.
Photos 1–3, 5: © Adam Burakowski
Photo 4: © Natalia Kobza
GREEN CITY
As part of the Festival of Gardens, on September 10 at 3:30 p.m. we invite you to the grand opening of the plant installation “Gardens on the Steps” at the National Museum in Warsaw. Plant installations on staccato-like platforms scattered on the steps of the monumental courtyard space of the National Museum are the “Green WOW!” of the Garden Festival.
“Gardens on the steps” for a while become a place of close encounters, a “green” island of backstage conversations after visiting exhibitions or before entering the museum. Who will notice the lack of water in the pool? We will plant the garden together! The celebration will be enhanced by a violin performance by Marzena Hodyr and Szymon Telecki. During the opening, we invite you to enjoy conversation over a glass of wine, as well as a walk through the museum’s collections on the topic: “How much GREEN is in GREEN?”.
ENTENTE FLORALE
In cooperation with the local administration and the Schlossstraße management, we conducted workshops to develop the concept for the public space in the Schlossstraße neighborhood. The preparation for the participation in the federal competition “Entente Florale” included measures for environmental protection and nature conservation in populated areas, increasing the attractiveness of the residential and living environment, promoting trade and commerce through diverse and lively city centers as well as civic engagement and increasing the attractiveness for tourists.
In the period from May to September 2011, a total of 60 projects were developed, including construction measures, civic engagement, educational events and public events that created partner collaborations. The realization of these projects covered the period from March to October 2012, as well as repeatedly in future years.
II. REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE EWE
Within the framework of the II Regional Conference of EWE in the Lubusz region, which deals with “Energy Efficiency Solutions for Private Households”, our office participated in the “Workshop EWE” in October 2011. In cooperation with the client EWE energia sp. z o.o. and the Young Polish International Network (YPIN) we conducted expert presentations on “Green Architecture”. In Zielona Góra, Poland, we gave presentations on various key topics. These included the challenges of urban densification, effective stormwater management methods, and energy conservation strategies. We also shed light on the concept of the “Plus Energy House,” where buildings produce energy instead of just consuming it. During the workshop, we shared international experiences and transferred findings to the Polish context. We emphasized potentials and solutions for energy efficiency and focused on realistic approaches.
SYMPOSIUM STRATEGIES FOR A EUROPEAN CITY
In 2008, together with our office in Warsaw, we initiated an international symposium with the theme “Public Space — Barcelona, Seville, Lyon, Kraków, Warszawa — Strategies for an European City”. The main objective of the event was to discuss strategies and concepts for the design of public space in European cities. For this purpose, experiences and examples from different cities, including Barcelona, Seville, Lyon, Kraków and Warsaw, were presented and analyzed.
The symposium attracted about 150 participants and was held in cooperation with Politechnika Warszawska and IFBau Stuttgart to provide a broad perspective and interdisciplinary exchange. A field trip on “Public Space in Warsaw” was also organized as part of the symposium to provide participants with practical insights into innovative spatial design projects.The 2008 symposium created a platform for professional dialogue and knowledge exchange, providing new impetus for the further development of public space in Warsaw and other European cities.
LOBBYING FOR THE IBA PROJECT IN GUBIN
The office for landscape architecture Coqui Malachowska Coqui carried out successful lobbying for the IBA project “Park and Cultural Pavilion of the Theater Island” in Gubin/Guben from IV to IX 2004. The work included a business trip with Dr. Manfred Stolpe to acquire national funding, during which the project was presented to ministers. In addition, the office prepared an expertise on funding opportunities, including EU and national funding research as well as networking. A Marshall Conference was prepared, organized and moderated in cooperation with the city of Gubin and the mayor’s office to attract further national funding. Finally, the office represented the project at the IX International Architecture Biennale in Venice, providing content preparation, organization and project exhibition, supported by Zacheta — Narodowa Galeria Sztuki and the Gubin Mayor’s Office. Thanks to this extensive lobbying, the IBA project “Park and Cultural Pavilion of the Theater Island” in Gubin/Guben was successfully advanced and received the necessary support for realization.
X. INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF ARCHITECTURE IN VENICE
In 2004 we as an office had the honor to represent Poland at the ninth International Architecture Biennale in Venice. Our project “Park and Cultural Pavilion, Theater Island in Gubin” was presented during the event. In cooperation with Jürgen Mayer H. we created the concept for the project in the form of a film and a model. This representation embodied the connection of architecture and nature as well as the creative vision.