Heinle, Wischer and Partner win with green roof concept

In August 2017, the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region announced a two-stage design competition for a new science centre in Krakow, a multi-functional space hosting exhibitions, conferences and workshops. Now, the judging process has concluded, with the firm Heinle, Wischer and Partner chosen as the winner from 45 international submissions. 

The centre will be situated in a lively cultural district that has recently sprung up around Krakow's Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport, one of the world's oldest airfields. The location is bordered by the Polish Museum of Aviation, and is notable for its spacious, park-like character and the listed runway of the former airport. The winning concept takes advantage of these features, with a triangular building partially buried in the ground to merge with the landscape, while the walkable green roof with a meadow area will serve as a grandstand for flight demonstrations and other events on the nearby runway. 

The building contains four clearly separated functional areas for the entrance, conference facilities, exhibition space and ancillary rooms, all clad with a translucent metallic shade to give the design a technological aspect matching the building’s function. LED screens on the façade will be used for presentations and to illuminate the surrounding area.

Sustainable design elements include a heating and cooling system using geothermal energy and geothermal probes, while the green roof will limit the occurrence of heat islands, indirectly lessen the cooling energy requirement and improve the microclimate near the building.

A construction timeline for the Centre has not yet been announced. 

Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Research Specialist & Editor

This competition was first published by TenderStream on 30.08.2017. See the original brief here

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