National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning Guidebook
The National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning has since 2018 continuously been building the public awareness of the role that architecture plays in everyday life, its meaning for culture, influence on the environment, and the social aspect of design.
During this time, we have prepared numerous exhibitions, starting with the monumental series titled Tożsamość [Identity], presented simultaneously in five Polish cities, and continued in the following years in a new formula. What followed were monographic exhibitions, among them: Ściana Wschodnia [Eastern Wall], Jan Bogusławski and Humanist Modernity, which promote the rich traditions and history of Polish architecture, while maintaining a connection with the present. Working on exhibitions and publications such as The Anthropocene dealing with the current pressing issue of architecture’s contribution to the climate crisis—we look to the future, but also search for trusted solutions from the past. With the aim of reaching the largest possible audience, we hold our events in large cities and small towns. For some citizens, NIAiU’s initiatives are the first opportunity to interact with architecture understood as a discipline of the arts and a part of cultural identity.
Popularizing knowledge about architecture and building care for our common space are long-term goals that require continuous grassroots work. We fulfil them through educational programs: by showing children and teens that it’s cool To be like an architect and lead the Laboratory of Regions for universities and local governments. Education is an important, but not only foundation of NIAiU’s operations. It is our ambition and aim to share the achievements,
knowledge and experience, as well as promote Polish architects and their projects abroad. The works of Helena and Szymon Syrkus, Stanisława and Maciej Nowicki or Krystyn Olszewski have the potential to inspire audiences not only in Poland, but also in the US, Germany and even Singapore.
We want to establish the international prestige of Polish architecture through promoting the achievements of Polish architects—both locally and abroad—but also by supporting current initiatives and experts, as well as leading cross-institutional cooperation. With this aim we developed the map titled Mozaika lokalnych tożsamości and its English counterpart—the Mapping Identities catalogue, in which we present the best Polish architectural and urban designs of the past 30 years but also give a voice to local experts. Through the Common Space Platform, we wish to establish a European network of architecture centres, which would support the exchange of information, tools and methodologies in the scope of researching and promoting knowledge about the built environment.
Our motto—Space is a common good—is universal. European values, such as human rights, faith in democracy, care for the environment and social solidarity, are important clues when designing and discussing architecture and urban space, both for us and our partners— from Sweden to Hungary and from Germany to Ukraine. These principles guide our local and global activities.
Kacper Kępiński Deputy Director of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning
Out of Clay and Wood. Natural Materials For Future Architecture
With the growing concern for the climate crisis and due to the enormous impact of the construction industry on global greenhouse gas emissions, it is becoming more and more common for architects to seek models that draw on vernacular architecture and utilise locally available resources and techniques that allow for the creation of transformable buildings. In our region, the commonly available natural building materials are primarily brick and wood.
Out of Clay and Wood is a project that examines their history and explores their potential use in contemporary design, drawing on examples of Polish regional architecture. The project was carried out with the participation of partner institutions: Institute of Design in Kielce, Museum of Architecture in Wrocław, Iceland University of the Arts, Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo. Its concept is based on a double analogy and commonalities between the participating countries. The Holy Cross Mountains are among the geologically oldest areas of Europe, while Iceland is known as the youngest formation. The Vang Church in Karpacz was built in Norway in the 12th century and later moved to Poland in the 1800s. How do time and matter, geology and nature
affect architecture and climate? The project included workshops, study tours, an exhibition and open events in collaboration with the Institute of Design in Kielce and the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław, as well as foreign partners. Together with Norwegian architects, the participants have created a concept design of a pavilion out of the remains of Poland’s youngest monument—a wooden votive chapel called Votum Aleksa, demolished in 2024.
The project was financed by the Bilateral Cooperation Fund of the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism.
Common Space Platform
The project aims to develop international collaboration between institutions operating in the domain of architecture, urban planning and promoting knowledge about architectural heritage. Its foundation lies in establishing direct contact with representatives of such institutions and creating a framework for their future cooperation. In order to systematically exchange our know-how and experiences and to work on joint projects starting from the conceptual phase, it is key to establish a means of communication that would allow us to inform one another about the current projects undertaken by other institutions in the region. These objectives were developed after many discussions with representatives of sister organisations and prove the need for regular communication between them.
NIAiU inaugurated the Common Space Platform project as part of the Inspiring Culture programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and in the context of the Polish presidency in the EU. Based on our contact network developed through our many international projects, the Common Space Platform connects regional partners from the Baltic countries and Central Europe. The first stage of the project included workshops with participants from four institutions, allowing us to exchange good practices and experiences in education, event organisation, publications, exhibitions,
promotion and audience development. A conference summarising the results and initiating further activities took place in Warsaw, with the participation of more than a dozen institutions and some parts of the programme open to the public.
Partners: Danish Architecture Center, ArkDes, Contemporary Architecture Centre KEK, Slovak Design Center, Goethe Institut, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, ČESKÉ CENTRUM VARŠAVA.
Project funded through the “Inspiring Culture” programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Stomach of the City. Architecture of the Foodscape
[Brzuch miasta. Architektura krajobrazu żywieniowego]
Food shapes our cities. What we eat and where we shop has great meaning for the health and well-being of people and the ecosystem. The food shortage and the climate crisis, uneven distribution of goods and growing inequalities should push us to seek solutions that would shorten the supply chains and provide fair access to food. Markets that offer local produce help build our cities’ resilience and give equal chances to access cheap and healthy food for all social groups, as well as strengthen neighbourly bonds and promote entrepreneurship on the micro scale. Local agriculture is a key element of the food autonomy of regions, both urban and rural. Food production (farms, greenhouses, large-scale facilities) and distribution (bazaars, marketplaces, shops) influence the structure of public spaces and landscapes.
Street vending—bazaars, flea markets, market halls—has rich, long-standing traditions in Poland, Belgium and The Netherlands. On the other hand, agriculture, both on an industrial scale and as local farms, shapes the rural landscapes across Europe, provides food and cross-border employment. The project, planned for 2025, will
consist of research, study visits, and curatorial cooperation around the topic of foodscape in an urban and landscape context. The aim of the programme is to document the transformations and innovative practices in this area by comparing examples from Poland, Belgium and The Netherlands. The project will create opportunities for collaboration between architects, artists and local communities, as well as international partner institutions.
All the activities will culminate in a public exhibition presented at local marketplaces and a publication available in English in 2026.
Partners: Nieuwe Instituut, Shadow Architecture, Polish Institute in Brussels and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Poland.
Project funded through the “Inspiring Culture” programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Mapping Identities. Contemporary Polish Architecture in Context
We believe that contemporary architecture is an important vessel for local history and a testament to Polish culture. With a foreign reader in mind, we have created a promotional folder titled Mapping Identities. Contemporary Polish Architecture in Context based on previous polish editions of the Mozaika lokalnych tożsamości [Mosaic of Local Identities] map, organised according to provinces and regions, and supplemented with statements from local experts and representatives of local institutions.
and scale of transformation that the country has gone through since the 1990s. Mozaika… is an open collection, changing with the times. Two editions of a printed map have been published so far.
The map’s digital edition (in Polish) can be downloaded for free from the Institute’s official website, while a paper edition is available at partner institutions and organisations as well as during NIAiU’s events. Based on the contents of the map, we organise architecture walks with designers to showcase selected projects and locations.
Edited by Marta Baranowska, Kacper Kępiński
Available in English Architecture walks
Map: Mozaika lokalnych tożsamości [Mosaic of local identitites]
About 100 architectural projects, 60 towns and cities and 90 Polish architecture teams and offices—Mozaika lokalnych tożsamości [Mosaic of local identities] is a handy map showing important and groundbreaking projects built across Poland after 1989. The buildings collected on the map can inspire the reader to explore the country by following the local identities and contemporary architecture. Mozaika… references a map of the same title, shown during the last edition of the Tożsamość. 100 lat polskiej architektury [Identity. 100 years of Polish architecture] exhibition in 2019. The new version contains more regions and more projects. Their selection speaks to the diversity
Since the beginning of its operations, NIAiU has organised guided walks with architects, experts and creators who both design and research contemporary spaces and cities across Poland. The aim of the guided walk series is to create space for dialogue and build consciousness regarding the qualities of contemporary regional architecture and common spaces. We visit the selected buildings and places with their creators and other invited guests.
Continuing the previous editions: Touring Contemporary Spaces With Architects and Architecture in Action, since 2024 we have organised guided tours that follow the Mozaika lokalnych tożsamości [Mosaic of local identities] map.
Humanist Modernity. Maciej and Stanisława Nowicki
[Humanistyczny modernizm. Maciej i Stanisława Nowiccy]
Stanisława Nowicka (nee Sandecka) and Maciej (Matthew) Nowicki are two prominent figures in the history of American and Polish architecture. She was a talented graphic artist and designer, and the first female professor of architecture in the history of the United States. He collaborated—despite his young age—with renowned architects on prestigious projects whose implementation was interrupted by his tragic death. Their story is a fascinating tale of creative passion, shared lives, and the possibilities and limitations of the turbulent beginning of the 20th century. Their personal experiences, the dramatic history of their homeland, but also a great hope for a better future, laid the foundation for an innovative curriculum and architectural designs that went down in the international history of architecture. The Nowickis introduced the latest structural developments with utmost respect for the local context, and used their readiness for dialogue, understanding of others and their enormous talent to imbue modern designs with a humanistic facet and open the contemporary understanding of architecture to previously unknown realms.
Although their architecture is often viewed through the lens of their most iconic project, the Dorton Arena in Raleigh, the exhibition presents the duo’s versatile approach and the extraordinary diversity of their areas of activity and designs. Today, we can draw inspiration from their body of work to promote a more responsible and sensitive approach to planning and building, conscious of the contemporary environmental and social challenges.
The exhibition premiered in 2024 in New York and was later shown in Raleigh. In 2025 its extended edition was displayed in Warsaw, and plans for 2026 include shows in the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław and the AIA New York Center for Architecture as well as a publication of an exhibition catalogue.
A House for Culture
[Dom dla kultury]
A House for Culture by Nicolas Grospierre is a photographic project comprised of an exhibition and a photobook. It presents the formal similarities between the architecture of kibbutzim in Israel and kolkhozes in the Baltic countries—regions distant not only geographically, but also culturally and politically. Despite these differences, the buildings share a common language of modern architecture, as well as purpose—as culture houses—places designed for building and developing relationships within their communities. The exhibition elaborated on Grospierre’s individual artistic style—a photographic typology based on frontal shots of repetitive architectural forms, abstracted from their function. In this way, the project presents the lesser known yet symbolic heritage of modern architecture, reminding us of the ideal accessibility of culture and its role in shaping social life.
The exhibition premiered in Warsaw in 2024, followed by another presentation in Łódź in the first half of 2025, in collaboration with the Łódź Design Festival.
Publication
A photobook of the same title, published by NIAiU in 2022 in both Polish and English, contains 139 photographs by Nicolas Grospierre, taken in Israel, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The publication is supplemented with critical essays by Yuval Yasky, Mart Kalm and Pedro Gadanho, illustrated with archival photographs and architectural drawings.
Author Nicolas Grospierre Available in English
Singapur. Krystyn Olszewski: Miasto, Urbanistyka,
Przyszłość
[Singapore. Krystyn Olszewski: city, urbanism, future]
The project involves the preparation of an exhibition and a bilingual publication on the works of Krystyn Olszewski. The architect and urban planner was selected as general designer of the master plan for the development of Singapore (1968 –1971) and later was appointed UN expert on the redevelopment of the city-state (1971–1973).
His vision involved the creation of a ring of new districts around a central green area, which served as a point of rainwater collection and retention. Each of the districts was to include a complex of housing estates, parks and schools, retail and service centres and its own light industrial zone. Transportation was provided through urban highways and a metro system known as Mass Rapid Transit. The project broke with the standard practices of other Asian mega-cities, with their chaotic growth of new development. In later years, Krystyn Olszewski designed smaller urban complexes. He devoted 15 years of his life to Singapore, aiding the modernisation of the city-state and shaping its urban fabric into what is known today.
The project launched in 2025 in collaboration with the Emigration Museum in Gdynia. Plans for 2026 include the publication of a catalogue and a follow-up presentation in the ZODIAK Warsaw Pavilion of Architecture.
HOTEL TWOICH SNÓW. Architektura
hotelowa wielkomiejskiej Polski doby
Edwarda Gierka
[HOTEL OF YOUR DREAMS
Hotel architecture of Polish cities during the Edward Gierek era]
Hotels built in Poland in the 1970s and 80s were supposed to symbolize the economic growth and luxury of the socialist state, as well as follow the skilfully aroused consumerist aspirations of the society. The authorities, with Edward Gierek at the helm, announced the construction of a “second Poland”, epitomised by Western-style modern skyscrapers. The scale, form, location and names of the Gierek-era hotels were used to craft a cosmopolitan image, however their economic potential was just as important—considered “hens that lay golden eggs,” the hotels were a means for accumulating foreign currency reserves. Hotel architecture became an area of cooperation—unprecedented in People’s Poland—between Polish and international companies and designers. New buildings were constructed in the late modernist and sometimes brutalist style. The architectural themes presented in the exhibition are complemented by the political, social, and cultural contexts. The glitz and glamour of the metropolitan “imported hotels” attracted not only the celebrities and stars of the time, but also underworld figures. For the
communist authorities, the hotels became an invaluable source of information on the residing guests. The exhibition HOTEL OF YOUR DREAMS will open in Warsaw in the autumn of 2025.
Publication
The accompanying catalogue focuses on hotel architecture of the last two decades of the People’s Republic of Poland, both in a general overview and with regard to local phenomena (Wrocław, Kraków, Łódź). It also presents the contemporary socio-political, economic and cultural themes, such as gastronomy and interior design. The hotels constituted an important contribution to the architectural heritage of Polish late modernism and brutalism, but first and foremost— tempted guests with their splendour.
Edited
by Artur Tanikowski Available in English
Retrowersje. Historyczne
wizje odbudowy Starych Miast
[Retroversions. Postmodern visions of historic reconstructions]
Retroversion is an original heritage conservation method developed by Prof. Maria Lubocka-Hoffmann. It entails restoring the lost character of a historical town—its atmosphere, spirit and identity—through a contemporary reinterpretation of patterns from the past. In Elbląg, where the concept was widely introduced in the 1980s, a lost urban layout has been recreated through the construction of new townhouses on historic foundations, in the forms of postmodern architecture.
In 2023, the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, together with the Galeria EL Art Center in Elbląg organised an exhibition titled Retrowersje: Sobie mieszkania – miastu starówkę [Retroversions: Homes for us, Old Town for the city], dedicated to the reconstruction of the Old Town in Elbląg. The exposition presented, among others, previously unpublished archival materials, photographs, plans and works by contemporary artists referencing the theme of the exhibition. The following year, an extended version of the exhibition was presented in Warsaw, titled Retrowersje: O postmodernistycznej odbudowie Elbląga [Retroversions: On the postmodern reconstruction of Elbląg]
The Retroversions series is continued in 2025, through an exhibition on the reconstruction of the Szczecin district of Podzamcze, also known as the Lower Town, which will be open at the turn of 2025 and 2026 at the TRAFO art gallery in Szczecin. The exposition presents an approach to the reconstruction of historic urban fabric that is related to, but different from the one present in Elbląg, adopted in Szczecin right after the war. Inaugurated by the construction of the controversial high-speed road Arteria Nadodrzańska and a modernist housing estate in the 1950s, it was later continued in the 1990s by the Podzamcze housing cooperative. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the TRAFO art gallery in Szczecin and will focus on the local context of the reconstruction, presenting both architectural solutions and the social significance of spatial transformation.
The series will be crowned with an exhibition at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław in 2026, summarizing the project and deepening the reflection on the phenomenon of retroversion and its influence on shaping the identity of cities of the Reclaimed Territories. Presenting more than just the architectural and urban aspects of the reconstruction process, the exhibition will also convey its more ephemeral— emotional and social facets, focusing on retroversion as a means to create a sense of belonging and build new identities of residents in spaces that—for many—were initially foreign and unfamiliar.
Laboratorium Regionów
[Laboratory of regions]
An interdisciplinary educational and research programme carried out by the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning in collaboration with Polish and international academic centres. Its primary aim is to identify and analyse the factors that shape local architectural identities and to develop tools that support the protection and promotion of architectural and urban heritage in small towns (under 35 thousand inhabitants). The project is focused on examining the narratives, processes and relationships that shape spatial culture, also called archiculture. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the concept of a “border,” understood as a dynamic, socio-spatial phenomenon. The Laboratory conducts on-site research, workshops, seminars and international summer schools, with the participation of students, researchers, local government officials, and residents. The Laboratory of Regions is a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences, promoting sustainable development based on local identity and cultural heritage. The Laboratory of Regions, together with the Poznań University of Technology, participates in the “Coloring Cities” research project lead by the Turing Institute.
Letnia Szkoła Laboratorium Regionów [Laboratory of Regions summer school]
The Summer School is a yearly event organised by the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning in collaboration with Polish and international academic centres. The aim of the Summer School is to familiarise students and academic experts with the architectural landscape of small towns from selected regions and to distinguish their local identities. The participants, under the guidance of their tutors, conduct urban, architectural and landscape surveys as well as behavioural research. Thanks to the programme, the students gain a first-hand experience in spatial analysis and learn to identify elements that constitute the architectural identity of a region.
Publication
The project results in the creation of the Narzędziownik [Toolbox]—a set of useful tools, including a map portal, and publications such as Wzornik Polski [Polish pattern book] and Notes Archikultury. Praktyki i inspiracje [Archiculture notebook. Practices and inspirations] that support local communities in shaping spatial policies and heritage protection. The first part of the Notes Archikultury series collected examples of good practices of Baukultur in two German regions: North Rhine-Westphalia and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Edited by Katarzyna Domagalska
Guides to Polish architecture
Na fali. Przewodnik po architekturze lat 1945 –1989 w województwie pomorskim
[Na Fali. Guide to the architecture of the Pomeranian Voivodeship between 1945 –1989]
The post-war architecture of the Polish Coast had to meet numerous challenges: from the momentous task of reconstruction of the destroyed historic town centres, through a search for new forms of residential architecture, to the expansion of the harbour and creating infrastructure for work, education and leisure. The buildings presented in the guide are predominantly results of big expectations and bold designs entangled in the absurdities of the system in which they were created. The publication will also introduce projects lesser known but relevant to the local communities or representing country-wide tendencies in the architecture of the People’s Poland. All these projects—some of cult status, some quite ordinary and not always appreciated—come together in a multifaceted image of the architecture of the four post-war decades in Pomerania.
Spodek w Zenicie. Przewodnik po architekturze lat 1945 –1989 w województwie śląskim [Spodek w Zenicie. Guide to the architecture of the Silesian Voivodeship between 1945 –1989]
The publication presents the phenomenon of Silesian architecture: 120 projects in 33 locations. Iconic works, socialist realist urban complexes and buildings, interesting examples of post-Thaw architecture, structural and technological experiments, large-scale housing estates, and even completely new cities. The title of the book is derived from the names of two famous buildings in Katowice: the Spodek [Saucer] Arena and the Zenit [Zenith] Department Store. Their juxtaposition points to the long-gone prime of this architecture. Three decades have passed since the political and economic transition, which allows us to look at projects built between 1945 and 1989 from a different perspective—without the negative connotations towards the era in which they came to be.
Author: Anna Syska
Ruch tektoniczny. Przewodnik po powojennej architekturze województwa świętokrzyskiego [Ruch Tektoniczny. Guide to the post-war architecture of the Holy Cross Voivodeship]
Rocks and hills, quarries and forests, steel and ceramics—the austere, yet fascinating landscape and natural resources of the Holy Cross Mountains shaped the post-war architecture in the region. The area is among the geologically oldest parts of Europe, rich in mineral deposits. The book presents the most prominent examples of local architecture: from modernist hospitals and schools, through the decorative socialist realist buildings of the 1950s, to the large-scale housing estates and expressionist structures of late modernism, but also the return to traditional architecture and historicism in the 1980s or the contemporary projects that derive their forms from the abundant nature and landscape. Kacper Kępiński’s guide is the first thorough exploration of architecture in the Holy Cross region.
Author: Kacper Kępiński
Jakby luksusowo. Przewodnik po architekturze Warszawy lat 90. [Jakby Luksusowo. Guide to Warsaw’s architecture of the 1990s]
“It’s kinda luxurious in here!”—one could call out at the sight of many of Warsaw’s buildings constructed in the first years of the political and economic transition. The double entendre of this exclamation— borrowed from Roman Załuski’s film Galimatias, czyli kogel-mogel II —perfectly summarizes the architectural reality of that era. On the one hand, the 90s were a decade of spectacle and ostentation, on the other—transience and scarcity are a part of its DNA. How do we navigate these contradictions? The guide to Warsaw’s architecture of the 1990s presents 94 buildings commissioned or designed in that era. Among them are iconic projects, such as the Warsaw University Library or the Sobieski Hotel, as well as those that are still waiting to be discovered, such as the housing complex at Konstancińska Street or the office building at Jordanowska Street.
Author: Aleksandra Stępień-Dąbrowska
The series of guides takes the reader on a tour of post-war Polish architecture, from 1945 until today. Each book presents buildings from a selected voivodeship, with some exceptions—such as the publication dedicated to Warsaw’s architecture of the 1990s. Aside from the engaging text and rich illustrated material, the publications also include maps. The series was created for everyone interested in architectural tourism.
RESEARCH
Archivals. Legacy of architects
Within the scope of our statutory activity we acquire, store, index and share materials documenting the oeuvre of the most prominent Polish architects and urbanists. The collection holds archivals, design drawings and iconographies donated to the Institute or purchased directly from the creators or their heirs. Among the collection are the works of Jan Knothe, Bolesław Malisz, Teresa Zarębska, Tadeusz Przemysław Szafer, Andrzej Kochanowski, the Bulanda&Mucha architecture studio, Wojciech Zabłocki, Krystyna Konopkowa, Grażyna and Jerzy Luba, and Olgierd Sawicki.
Oral History of Polish Architecture
The Archive of Oral History of Polish Architecture is a project carried out in collaboration with the KARTA Center Foundation and local partners. It aims to collect the memories of people working in the domain of architecture and urban planning—predominantly designers. So far, we have recorded and archived more than 180 hours of interviews, conducted in Warsaw, the Tricity and Poznań. They form a mosaic of stories about the realities of architectural practice in the People’s Republic of Poland and later, in the rapidly changing capitalist reality of the 1990s. There are anecdotes about studying under the role models of the time, the post-war reconstruction or the struggles and successes of working abroad. Among the interviewees are Bogdan Wyporek, Marcin Świetlik, Maria Sołtys, Jacek Skorupski, Grzegorz Piątek, Łucja Kołodziejska-Świątkowska, Bartłomiej Kolipiński, Stanisław Furman, Agnieszka Cieśla, Grzegorz Chodkowski, Andrzej Pawlik, Aleksander Chylak, Piotr Szaroszyk, Sławomir Gzell, Ewa Kuryłowicz, Danuta Olędzka, Marcin Gawlicki, Barbara Bańkowska, Bazyli Domsta, Jacek Krenz, Zbigniew Reszka, Marek Czuryło, Marian Fikus, Andrzej Kurzawski, Piotr Wędrychowicz.
The Archive of Oral History of Polish Architecture is constantly expanded, and fragments of the recordings are published on NIAiU’s official website.
RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS
Contemporary cultural assets
Many examples of contemporary architectural heritage are demolished or remodelled before their value and significance have an opportunity to be discussed in depth. NIAiU’s research consistently fills this gap—as part of our operations and under our patronage, articles, publications, conference presentations and analyses are produced, that shed the light on the architectural achievements of the 1980s and 90s and challenge the myths and ambiguities surrounding the legacy of these two decades. In order to lay the foundation for effective legal protection of architectural icons of the period, based on reliable assessments according to architectural, urban and scientific criteria, NIAiU’s employees participate in the creation of municipal lists of contemporary cultural assets. We also collect insights about the methodology of these processes based on our experiences from other places.
Postmodernism in architecture
In 2023, we organised an academic seminar for researchers studying the history of architecture in the 1980s and 90s. The 1980s is a period still relatively unknown within Polish architectural history. We associate it with stagnation in the construction industry, implementation problems and lagging behind international architectural trends— with postmodernism at the forefront. However, there are many more stories to tell about the last decade of the People’s Poland. Balancing between socialism and capitalism, crisis and carnival, regionality and global trends resulted in explorations of architectural alternatives. The publication aims to present the theoretical, political, economic, social, and (pop)cultural contexts, in which the architecture of the 1980s was born. Together with researchers in the fields of art history, history or sociology we will explore both popular narratives and the margins of architectural practice of the time. Since 2024 we have been working on a comprehensive publication about Polish architecture and urban planning of the 1980s, which will be launched in 2026.
Edited
by Dorota Jędruch and Aleksandra Stępień-Dąbrowska Launch: 2026
RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS
Architektura i urbanistyka w dokumentach KC PZPR [Architecture and urban planning in the documents of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party]
The protocols of the Political Bureau and the Secretariat of the Central Committee, the de facto highest instances of power in the political system of the People’s Republic of Poland, contain a lot of information about architecture and urban planning. The book is comprised of source material collected in a vast archival unit of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, presenting a selection of 142 protocols from the meetings of the Political Bureau, Organisational Bureau and the Secretariat of the Central Committee. These documents, arranged chronologically, cover a period between 1946 and 1988. During the meetings, the officials discussed issues such as the planned and fulfilled architectural and urban developments of the so-called People’s Poland but also made crucial decisions on these matters. This publication from the Teksty źródłowe [Source texts] series presents an important contribution to the architectural research of this time.
Selection and editing: Andrzej Skalimowski
Żerań. Warszawska dzielnica przemysłowo-portowa [Żerań. Warsaw’s industrial and harbour district]
Research into the architecture and urbanism of the Warsaw district of Żerań between 1930 and 1960 was based on the analysis of archival materials, urban plans, design documentation and iconographic sources, most of which were previously unpublished. The project will be summarised with an academic monograph scoping both theoretical analysis and visual documentation, expanding the knowledge on the post-war urban planning of Warsaw and the industrial architectural heritage of the People’s Republic of Poland.
Author: Andrzej Skalimowski Launch: 2026
Teksty źródłowe [Source texts]
Anthropocene. Towards Regenerative Architecture
The Anthropocene is an era of humans, an era of anthropogenic changes that result in global climate catastrophe. The construction industry and life-cycle costs generated by buildings are responsible for over ⅓ of world CO2 emissions—one of the main causes of climate change. Cities and buildings nowadays operate in a way that disturbs nature’s cycles, pollutes and devours vast areas of land. On the other hand, humans are unable to function outside of the built environment. Architecture provides proper and safe living conditions. The book elaborates on the context of the doughnut economy in reference to the realities of Polish cities, which gives it a practical dimension.
Edited
by Kacper Kępiński, Adrian Krężlik
Available in English
CIAM
Archipelago.
The Letters by Helena Syrkus
The correspondence by architects is rarely published compared to that of writers, artists, or public figures. The publication features letters exchanged between Helena Syrkus and notable figures like Walter and Ise Gropius, Cornelis van Eesteren, and Sigfried Giedion. It offers valuable insights into architecture’s history, especially the work of Helena and Szymon Syrkus, key figures in interwar Polish architecture. Additionally, it portrays a person deeply entwined in historical upheavals. The correspondence also reflects the complex political history of Poland and the world, addressing issues like 1930s antisemitism, the Second World War’s tragedy, and the advent of socialism.
Edited by Aleksadnra Kędziorek, Katarzyna Uchowicz, Maja Wirkus
Available in English
NowHere
The complicated history of London’s Heygate Estate, built in the early 1970s according to a project by Tom Tinker, inspired Krzysztof Koszewski to tell the stories of this place and its residents. The author explores the topic in a thorough and multifaceted manner, analysing the reasons for the estate’s demise, the destruction of infrastructure, the social conditions and cultural perception of this and other late-modernist housing estates. This photographic journey, enriched by text, touches on issues such as the role of architects and investors in the construction process. It is a publication important in the context of the current housing situation, especially due to the continuing deliberations on the mass housing built in the late People’s Republic of Poland, which—although somewhat rehabilitated in the recent years—are not regarded highly in the country.
Author: Krzysztof Koszewski
Revisiting
The album presents previously unpublished photographs of Paweł Pierściński—an esteemed photographer, enthusiast and champion of Polish landscape. He is known for his meticulously composed landscape photography, depicting especially the Kielce region. He established an art movement known as the Kielce School of Landscape Photography. Rhythms and geometries are prevalent in his works, as well as details serving as a synthesis of a depicted scene. Pierściński portrays natural and farming landscapes but is also interested in urban and industrial areas. He documents the country in transition—monument restoration, construction of new buildings and housing estates. The artist’s works are accompanied by essays written by Agnieszka Kowalska, Adam Robiński and Filip Springer, as well as the publication’s curators—Katarzyna Sagatowska and Monika Szewczyk-Wittek.
Concept: Katarzyna Sagatowska, Monika Szewczyk-Wittek
Available in English
PUBLICATIONS
Halina Skibniewska. Łapcie przestrzeń w okna [Halina Skibniewska. Grasp the space within the windowframes]
The first book about the life and work of Halina Skibniewska, one of the most original Polish architects of the 20th century. Her oeuvre, which the author presents through various lenses, stood out within the architecture of the Polish Thaw. Skibniewska approached design integrally with other sciences, such as sociology—and her interdisciplinary methodology can serve as an inspiration for contemporary Polish architects. She believed that architecture has the power to change the world for the better. The publication, based on the author’s interviews with the architect, her students and collaborators, will also contain photographs, most of which have never been published before.
Author: Tomasz Fudala Launch: 2026
Mario Botta. Nikt nie rodzi się architektem [Mario Botta. No one is born an architect]
Mario Botta is a keen observer of the surrounding world, and his projects are often regarded as poetic architecture. The monograph’s author reaches to the origins of the oeuvre of this eminent Swiss architect. He deliberates on Botta’s body of work and delves into his intellectual discourse, presents the ideals that guided his work and projects whose meaning is created through the relation to their surroundings, escaping superficiality. We meet a man who stands in opposition to contemporary trends, striving for a return to timeless values and perennial order.
Author: Marek Pabich
The Monografie [Monographs] series presents the profiles and works of famous architects. The books are richly illustrated and promotional in nature, although the authors base their writings on their own research, archival queries, and interviews with the architects and their professional collaborators.
Merleau-Ponty dla architektów [Merleau-Ponty for architects]
The fourth publication in the series is dedicated to Maurice MerleauPonty. His philosophy has made an influence on the design portfolios of many architects, from Steven Holl to Peter Zumthor, as well as the teaching of architectural theory around the world. The author of the Phenomenology of perception has pointed out that observing the surrounding environment starts with a process of physical engagement—it is a “primary language” that users of space still experience unconsciously, and which is a backdrop for their day-to-day activities. The constant tension between perception and action influences the ways in which we think about space in architecture today. The book summarizes everything that Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy can offer to architects.
Author: Jonathan Hale
Derrida dla architektów [Derrida for architects]
In his concise study, Richard Coyne contemplates the influence of Jacques Derrida’s philosophy on architectural practice. He places particular emphasis on teaching and professional work. The author poses questions on the usefulness of philosophy in the context of everyday practice: from design through documentation, construction, consideration, evaluation, interpretation, critique and defence, to narrating architecture at schools and universities. The author aims to reinvigorate the interest in Derrida’s philosophy among architects.
Author: Richard Coyne
Lefebvre dla architektów [Lefebvre for architects]
The author presents the meaning of Henri Lefebvre’s writings for the theory and practice of architecture, as well as city planning and urban design. Although Lefebvre’s works are commonly read and discussed in architecture schools, his message for practitioners remains hard to grasp. Nathaniel Coleman’s book meets this need: it is a great publication for both students and practitioners interested in discovering the full design possibilities based on the philosophy of Henri Lefebvre.
Author: Nathaniel Coleman Heidegger dla architektów [Heidegger for architects]
The series begins with an analysis of the selected works of Martin Heidegger—written for the first time by an architect and for architects. The book received an honorable mention in the category Academic and Popular Science Literature of the competition Najpiękniejsze Polskie Książki [Most beautiful Polish books] 2023 organised by the Polish Association of Book Publishers.
Author: Adam Sharr
The Myśliciele dla Architektów series, based on the original Thinkers for Architects books published by Routledge fills a gap in the Polish publishing market. It offers a concise introduction to the pivotal theories of philosophers who wrote about architecture. It places architectural thinking in their oeuvre, presents key books and essays, helps decipher specific terms and invites the reader to continue their study.
ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
Być jak architekt/ka
[To be like an
architect]
The To be like an architect programme is a NIAiU initiative that enables primary- and secondary school students to directly engage with architectural practice. The participants visit architecture studios, take part in workshops and meetings with architects, and gain insight in the design practice and day-to-day reality of working in architecture. The programme aims to inspire young people to develop a deep understanding of space and pursue a career in architecture. Thanks to the first-hand experiences, the participants get a unique perspective on the architect’s contribution in the creation of their surroundings. The 6th edition of the programme took place in spring 2025, with the participation of architecture studios from Kraków, Sopot, Warsaw and Wrocław.
School programmes
Architectural education is one of the foundations of NIAiU’s activities. Exhibitions and other projects of the Institute are accompanied by educational programmes aimed at school children and university students. They are prepared in collaboration with experienced educators working in the field of architecture and related disciplines, as well as representatives of our local partner institutions. In 2025 we developed educational programmes for the exhibitions: Humanist Modernity. Maciej and Stanisława Nowicki and HOTEL OF YOUR DREAMS.
Archi:kultura w działaniu [Archi:culture in action]
Archi:culture in action is an educational programme directed at secondary school students, carried out by the Education Department. The programme includes regular meetings and architectural workshops, visits to exhibitions and related events, research walks and study trips to various Polish cities. It aims to develop a sensitivity to space, as well as shape the ability to analyse and interpret the surroundings, with particular focus on the challenges related to the future of urbanised areas, such as the effects of climate change. Schools interested in participation are encouraged to apply.
ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
Parliamentary Group for Universal Architectural Education
The Parliamentary Group for Universal Architectural Education was established by NIAiU in 2019. It comprises an interdisciplinary team of specialists, practitioners and institutional representatives from across Poland, working in the field of architectural education. The aim of the Parliamentary group is to develop systemic educational standards regarding the quality of the urbanised spaces. The group works on educational strategies, promotes architectural knowledge and initiates projects aimed at raising the public awareness of issues related to the condition of the built environment.
Course
for local authtorities: Lider przestrzeni publicznej [Public space leader]
The Public space leader course is a training programme carried out by NIAiU as a part of the Laboratory of Regions initiative. It is directed at members of local government units and aims to educate future leaders in planning high quality public spaces. Participants gain knowledge and skills necessary for a conscious shaping of urban spaces, with respect to the needs of local communities and principles of sustainable development. The programme serves to raise the architectural and planning competencies of decisionmakers, thus supporting local governments in creating friendly, functional and aesthetic public spaces.
Archi:culture. Architectural educator is an intercollegiate, interdisciplinary post-graduate programme created by NIAiU, aimed at training educators and mediators specialised in the built environment. The programme merges pedagogical, design and architectural studies, preparing the participants to carry out educational activities, courses and events related to building culture. The studies, as an important tool in shaping a conscious civil society in Poland, respond to the need for universal architectural education.
ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION
Architektura dla Edukacji [Architecture for education, ADE]
ADE is a countrywide educational platform created by NIAiU to support the development of architectural education in Poland. The platform offers a wide variety of resources, such as workshop scenarios, videos, podcasts, worksheets and the interactive Archipedia—an architectural dictionary. The contents are tailored to different target groups, divided into three subjects: City (for employees of the public sector and local leaders), School (for teachers and educators) and Home (for parents and children). ADE also serves as a networking platform, facilitating collaboration between educators and institutions through an interactive map of architectural education. ADE has helped make architectural education widely available and engaging for a variety of participants.
ade.niaiu.pl
Architectural Education Forum
Architectural Education Forum is a cyclical event organised by the Education Department in collaboration with foreign institutions, such as the Institut Français in Poland or the Romanian Institute of Culture. The Forum helps specialists share their experiences in the field of universal architectural education. It gives architects, teachers, educators, and education experts the opportunity to talk about their work and inspire other participants through the various presentations, workshops, and debates. The Forum is a platform for prototyping educational activities and tools, which helps shape new ideas and develop a community of educators promoting the knowledge on architecture and space.
The next edition of the Forum, prepared in collaboration with the Romanian Institute of Culture in Poland will take place in Kazimierz Dolny in 2026.
COMPETITIONS
NIAiU Award
A competition for graduates of various fields of study for the best master’s thesis. The aim of the competition is to promote theses that present outstanding academic qualities and motivate students to address the topic of common and public spaces or buildings for their final theses. The award is granted in two categories: Design and Theory. Theses in fields such as architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning, spatial planning, industrial design, graphic design, heritage conservation and other related disciplines are evaluated in the Design category. The Theory category evaluates works in art history, architecture history, architectural theory, demographic processes, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, economy, cultural studies, environmental protection, protection of cultural assets, law, administration and others, dealing with the topic of shaping and operation of public buildings and common spaces.
The 8th edition of the NIAiU Award launched in 2025. The award ceremony and accompanying events are planned for late Autumn 2025.
Golden Cubes Awards
NIAiU participates in international initiatives that promote an innovative approach to architectural education around the world, such as the Golden Cubes Awards. This competition, organised under the auspices of the International Union of Architects (UIA), aims to recognise the best educational projects dedicated to architecture and spatial design. Through our participation in Golden Cubes Awards, NIAiU actively contributes to shaping an informed society that understands and appreciates the importance of architecture and the quality of public spaces.
The 3rd edition of Golden Cubes Poland will launch in Autumn 2025.
RESOURCES
Architectural Model Collection
The projects and exhibitions carried out since 2018 have laid the foundation for the establishment and development of our collection of architectural models and artistic objects. The NIAiU collection consists of over 40 objects which we lend to third parties, including for temporary exhibitions. In 2025 we have conducted a thorough survey of the collection, with the aim of creating an archiving system, database and standardised procedures for handling the various objects. We plan to introduce an electronic resource management system and conduct further surveys and documentation.
Soon the model database will be published on the Institute’s website.
Photography Collection
The NIAiU Photography Collection comprises works that present the most notable tendencies in post-war photography—from documentation, through artistic explorations, to critical reflection on the phenomena and social processes and their results. It contains works of artists who, through an architectural or urban lens, observe, explore and comment on the human condition. So far, we have collected works from authors such as: Wojciech Wilczyk, Andrzej Tobis, Michał Szlaga, Szymon Rogiński, Konrad Pustoła, Błażej Pindor, Nicolas Grospierre and Marek M. Berezowski.
Curators: Karolina Andrzejewska-Batko and Tomasz Kubaczyk.
The collection is available on the NIAiU website. The photographs are available for rent.
Online exhibition guides
We have launched an online platform on which we present selected exhibitions, local initiatives, as well as research and educational activities. The online guides promote the materials prepared for NIAiU’s various projects. So far, we have published Polish guides to the exhibitions: Tożsamość. 100 lat polskiej architektury, Ściana Wschodnia. Architektura Zbigniewa Karpińskiego, Golden Cubes Awards 2017/2020, Golden Cubes Awards 2020/2023, Powiaty 2020, Jan Bogusławski (1910 –1982) Według reguł sztuki i własnego upodobania and Humanistyczny modernizm. Maciej i Stanisława Nowiccy.
The English guides available online include: Golden Cubes Awards, Golden Cubes Awards 2020/2023, Polyperiphery. Public spaces after ’89 and ’22, as well as Humanist Modernity. Stanisława and Maciej Nowicki. przewodniki.niaiu.pl
NIAiU Podcast
The podcast of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning is a platform for discussions about everything that surrounds us: architecture, urbanism, public spaces and the people who create them. We prepare podcast series on selected topics as well as on NIAiU’s current projects. We discuss ongoing issues, people and phenomena with guests such as curators, researchers and other creatives.
You can watch and listen to our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud and Youtube.
RESOURCES
Rzeczpospolita modernistyczna [Republic of modernity]
Republic of Modernity consists of 12 documentaries showcasing the phenomenon of Polish modern architecture of the 1920s and 30s. Due to their monumental scale, fast pace of construction and high quality of craftsmanship, those projects are highly regarded in the history of Polish architecture.
Wielka Księga Powiatów [Great book of districts]
Architektura: ćwiczenia z myślenia [Architecture: thought excercises]
Architecture: thought excercises is a series of 3 educational films for children, presenting basic concepts related to space. Each of the episodes consists of two parts—an introductory and workshop part. Architectural educators serve as guides to the world of architecture, inviting children to participate.
The Youtube channel of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning also contains recordings of meetings, debates and other open events.
The publication chronicles the local initiatives on the topic of the establishment of the modern Second Republic of Poland, undertaken between 2019 and 2021 in 21 historical provinces. It was in the interwar period when the large-scale infrastructural investments were laid down: from the water and sewage systems, gas systems and power plants, through street paving and illumination, to the construction of kindergartens, schools, healthcare facilities, marketplaces, places of worship and seats of cultural institutions, without which we cannot imagine our everyday lives. Local curators have been selected through an open call. Under the guidance of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, they have organised small exhibitions and architecture walks, prepared workshops or publications aimed at both the local communities and tourists.
Selected educational and promotional materials created during the Powiaty project can be found on the Institute’s Youtube channel and Issuu profile.
COLLABORATION
Academic conferences
We deepen our collaboration with universities that host architecture and urban planning faculties across Poland. Together with the academic centres in Kraków and Warsaw we support and co-organise important academic conferences, including the international conferences Defining architectural space and Architecture of challenges, as well as the conferences Challenges to a sustainable architecture of the housing environment and Between orthodoxy and creation—a conservatioral-architectural dialogue.
Festivals and architectural workshops
Since 2018, the Institute has collaborated with third parties, especially in supporting local initiatives that promote architecture and urban planning.
Among them are the MIASTOmovie Festival—the largest Polish festival showcasing films about cities and architecture, organised by the Wrocław Film Foundation; and the OSSA workshops, organised by the Polish Association of Architecture Students. Since 2019 the Institute has been the co-organiser of the Gdynia Architecture Weekend.
Collaboration with the community of architects and urban planners
Our collaboration with architects and urban planners is focused especially on the issues of architectural education and the improvement of the regulatory environment that has a profound impact on the quality of the Polish built environment and landscape. The Institute participates in workshops, meetings, and conventions organised by the Polish Architects’ Association and its local branches, the Association of Polish Urban Planners, the National Chamber of Polish Architects and its Regional Chambers, as well as the proceedings of the Polish Architecture Council regarding the preparation of the new edition of the Polish Architectural Policy and the Congress of Polish Architecture. The Institute also collaborates with the Centre for Polish Sculpture in Orońsko.
Translations: Natalia Raczkowska
Content and graphics: Communications Department
Newsletter in Polish: Stay up to date with our activities niaiu.pl
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SPACE IS A COMMON GOOD
National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning
