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kwk promes Architects

Contemporary Polish Architecture Practice based in Katowice, Poland, Europe

post updated 8 December 2021

KWK PROMES Architects News

8 Dec 2021
Contemporary Art Gallery PLATO, Ostrava, Czech Republic

visualization : Luxigon
Contemporary Art Gallery PLATO
The walls of the slaughterhouse were dilapidated and patchy with random giant holes in many places. The brickwork, almost black from dirt and soot, testified to the industrial history of the town.

5 November 2021

Moving Architecture exhibition in Galerie d’Architecture, Paris, France

from 4 November 2021 to 15 January 2022

Galerie d’Architecture is a place which has already exhibited the work of the most significant contemporary architects such as Shigeru Ban, Rem Koolhaas, Renzo Piano, Bernard Tschumi and many others. KWK Promes is the first studio from East-Central Europe invited to present its work there.

The exhibition will stay in France until the 15th of January 2022 and will be officially ended by a finissage.

Inauguration evening – Tuesday, the 9th of November 2021

Moving Architecture exhibition in Galerie d’Architecture, Paris

Click on the image to see the rabbit!

KWK PROMES News

13 Sep 2019

Robert Konieczny admitted to French Academy of Architecture

Last night in Paris a ceremony took place of admitting the Polish architect Robert Konieczny to the group of foreign members of the Academy of Architecture.

Photos from the ceremony:

The ceremony was preceded by a lecture in which he talked about the most important projects of KWK Promes (architectural studio founded by Robert Konieczny), placing them in the context of Polish and world architecture. The architect began the lecture with the following words:

“When I was at the beginning of my adventure with architecture and KWK Promes, I was aware that the eyes of the architectural world are not focused on Poland. However, I decided that I want to race with the whole world even if this world does not know about it, because if I want to achieve something I have to face the best. Today it is a great joy and honor for me to be able to join the group of architects whom I once learned and looked at their designs with admiration.”

About bold implementations of Konieczny is loud around the world – KWK Promes designs are published in the most-valued magazines and architectural portals. The architect is also a laureate of numerous awards. Wallpaper Magazine chose his home in Brenna, i.e. Konieczny’s Ark, the best house in the world in 2017. Dialogue Centre Przełomy won the title of World Building of the Year 2016. While the latest implementation – Quadrant House has been rewarded by two Architizer A + Awards.

Established in 1840, the French Academy of Architecture (Académie d’architecture) is one of the most important institutions in Europe, which care for promotion of good architecture. Under its auspices, books on urban planning and space design are published, numerous lectures and symposia are organized. The Academy also awards the prestigious award – Gold Medal for services to architecture.

The members of the French Academy of Architecture are both titular members (they can only be French citizens), as well as outstanding personalities in the field of architecture. Belong to them, among others: Tadao ANDO, Santiago CALATRAVA, Norman FOSTER, Massimiliano FUKSAS, Jacques HERZOG, Fumihiko MAKI, Pierre de MEURON, Ieoh Ming PEI, Renzo PIANO, Richard ROGERS or Alvaro SIZA!

15 Aug 2019

Académie d’architecture

An event is going to take place on the 12th of September in Paris.

Mr. Robert Konieczny will be admitted as a foreign member of the French Academy of Architecture (Académie d’architecture).

As a new Academy member, he will join such prominent architects as Tadao ANDO, Santiago CALATRAVA, Norman FOSTER, Massimiliano FUKSAS, Jacqes HERZOG, Fumihiko MAKI, Pierre de MEURON, Ieoh Ming PEI, Renzo PIANO, Richard ROGERS or Alvaro SIZA.

The ceremony will be preceded by Robert Konieczny’s lecture. He will present the most important KWK Promes projects in the context of Polish and worldwide architecture.

Recent KWK PROMES Buildings

29 Jul 2018
By the Way House, Central Poland

photo © Jarosêaw Syrek
By the Way House
The investor had his own vision of the interior arrangement with the living area on the first floor. Additionally, he wanted to place a house in the middle of the plot, far away from the river, where a marina was supposed to be.

16 Aug 2016
Living-Garden House in Izbicy, Poland

photograph : Jakub Certowicz
House in Izbicy
A new dimension of home Living-Garden Home attempts at redefining the single-family house to integrate architecture with nature. The classic household division into the living area, located in the ground floor and the sleeping area above was transformed into new typology.

21 Nov + 11 Sep 2012
Auto-Family House, Poland
KWK PROMES Robert Konieczny

photo : OLO STUDIO
Auto-Family House
This Polish architects studio announce that Auto-Family House has been nominated to the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award 2013 – the 6th nomination for their office.

image from architects
The only access to the plot is from the south, effecting in a conflict between the driveway and the garden to be designed. Therefore, the garden and the house is elevated to the level +1 while the entrance stays at the level 0. For the inhabitants comfort the driveway leads them to the garden, creating easy connection between two floors. To preserve the garden intimacy, that could be disturbed with an entrance, the driveway was covered with green roof and walls. As a result the created tunnel rises up into the garden and becomes the house.

26 Jan 2012

kwk promes News in 2012

National Museum PRZEŁOMY Starts

pictures from kwk promes

Construction of the National Museum PRZEŁOMY in Szczecin by KWK Promes (the winner of competition) starts today. Representatives of SKANSKA Leszek Kaszuba and Lech Karwowski, director of the National Museum in Szczecin yesterday signed an agreement to begin construction.

National Museum PRZELOMY in Szczecin

In search of the best scenario for this exceptional space, it was not only necessary to consider possibilities of future development, but also to analyse the history of its past conversions. The parcel of present Solidarnosci Square used to be a presentable city quarter of dense development before the damages of the Second World War.

As a result of demolition, the previously built-up quarter merged into surrounding openings, creating a large undefined void in the cityscape. Present identity of this memorial square is mostly based on sentimental values, leaving its spatial qualities far behind. These two contrary traditions – a built-up quarter on one side and a plaza on the other – became a starting point of the project, which attempts to blend the advantages of both. It frames the quarter like a building, at the same time keeping values of an open public space.

The idea of the National Museum PRZELOMY building arose together with the spatial concept of the entirety. As a natural consequence of the primary assumptions, major part of the volume has been hidden underground. This configuration enabled keeping maximum open space on the ground floor level. Spatial arrangement initiated by the overground building part has been fulfilled with an elevation, which encloses the quarter and creates an amphitheatrical space, well sheltered from the traffic.

The project follows functional and spatial conditions of the location – it preserves existing pedestrian routes and provides foreground for surrounding buildings, making this monumental space slightly more intimate at the same time. Its main goal however, is still to complete and integrate the adjacent representative buildings, in order to fully exploit the hidden potential of this part of the city.

pictures from kwk promes

The planned investment is expected to finished in at least two years.

16 Jan 2012

kwk promes News in Winter 2012

KWK Promes in European Architecture since 1890!

We are delighted to announce that our office KWK Promes was appreciated by the internationally well known and acclaimend architectural historian and critic Hans Ibelings in his new book European Architecture since 1890.

OUTrial House:

photo from kwk promes

KWK Promes is the only Polish office, which Ibeling mention in the architecture after 1989 part. As Ibelings says, Robert Konieczny’s office represents a conceptual approach on a concept-follows-program and placed on a par with such eminent offices as Mansilla-Tunón or Lacaton & Vassal.

Hans Ibelings is a Dutch art historian and independent architecture critic, exhibition maker and writer of numerous works including: Supermodernism: Architecture in the Age of Globalization, Twentieth Century Architecture in the Netherlands. Ibelings is also the editor of the international architecture magazine A10 New European Architecture (since 2004).

European Architecture since 1890 aims to give a more symmetrical picture of European modern architecture, illustrated with over 700 images. The book contains four chronological chapters and four thematic chapters. Central question the author poses is whether there is such a thing as European architecture and – if so – how, where and why does this kind of architecture appear.

16 Nov 2011

kwk promes News in 2011

On 18 Nov (from 5.30 pm) at the BWA Sokół Gallery in Nowy Sacz, is the opening of the exhibition Logic of Space combined with a lecture by Robert Konieczny architect.

A week after there will be a premiere of an installation by KWK promes, which is going to be presented at a collective exhibition in a new exhibition space Kuehlhaus in Berlin. The exhibition ‘Recycling of the Iron Curtain’ is connected with Polish Presidency in the Council of the European Union.

Events in more detail:

Logic of Space

18 Nov – 18 Dec 2011

BWA Sokol Gallery
ul. Długosza 3
33-300 Nowy Sacz
Poland

The architecture of Robert Konieczny, is created by functional, well thought over, stripped of any unnecessary decorations projects. The simplicity, harmony, clear proportions and clarity of solutions give excellent effects. The architect constantly follows the method of a logical approach to design, subordinating the process of used solutions to the thought. The chosen aesthetics is the resultant of choices that have been made.

At the Logic of Space exhibition in BWA Gallery we can see the whole panorama of achievements of Robert Konieczny, i.e. Single family house designs that brought him international recognition and fame, but also newest projects and realizations connected to the public space. The exhibition will let you track the creative process of an architect and familiarize with the works created at his office KWK Promes. The opening of the exhibition is preceded by a lecture of Robert Konieczny.

Recycling of the Iron Curtain

24 Nov – 10 Dec 2011

Kuehlhaus
Tempelhofer Ufer 22
10963 Berlin
Germany

The exhibition takes place at a new art space Kuehlhaus in the cultural center of Berlin- Kreuzberg. The pre-war cooler is going to be heated by the emotions included in the creations of the well known Polish artists. Their exhibition under the flag of the Polish Presidency in the Council of the European Union and the title: Recycling of the Iron Curtain begins at 24 November and lasts until 10 December 2011.

The authors invited by the exhibitions curator Piotr Szmitke represent extremely different attitude, even though they are connected by a strong need of marking their independence towards their surroundings, fashion, connections and stipulations of the market. Most of them belong to the turning point generation, which owes the happy final to the transformation of the political system, a generation genetically critical, resistant to the wealth virus, compromise and fiction, ready to face them and to play this dangerous game.

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Key Polish House Designs

Recent homes:

Gathering place, Poland

image from kwk promes
Gathering place
The object was to be a gathering place for 8 related families. The key concept was to use a round plan, as a circle had been a symbol of gathering for ages.

OUTrial House, Poland

photo from kwk promes
OUTrial House
A green clearing surrounded by forest was the only context for the proposed small house. Hence the idea to “carve out” a piece of the grass-covered site, move it up and treat it as the roofing to arrange all the required functions underneath. When the whole was ready, the client came up with another request, to create some space for a small recording studio and a conservatory. The latter was obtained by linking the ground floor with the grassy roof through an “incision” in the green plane and “bending” the incised fragment down, inside the building.