Polish history museum

Urban situation and urban solution

The urban context of the Museum of Polish History is very important, and therefore the Museum and its surroundings are planned on a large scale, considering the historical buildings in the area, the Skarpa Warszawska and the many public parks.
The Museum is located right on the edge of the Skarpa Warszawska which is the most important landscape element of the city of Warsaw. Depending on the view point, the Museum is perceived very differently; it has a very dominant presence in form of a triangle from the foot of the river embankment, while it is almost non-existent approaching it from the other side, the top of the scarp.

Landscape continuity is a very important point in the design for the Museum and its surroundings. The complete cover of the Trasa Lazienkowska from the scarp to the Rozdrozu Plaza helps to close the urban scar, connecting the sides north and south of the highway. Many pedestrian and bicycle routes connect the formerly separated sides and allow for a green boulevard along the edge of the rim.

The building serves as a hinge between the new landscape park on top of the scarp and the already existing park on the foot of the scarp, namely Sobieskiego.

The new park landscape exists of a fine network of pedestrian and bicycle connections in north-south and in east-west direction. Similar to the urban gesture of the Museum building, green taluses emerge from the ground and form viewing terraces. Single trees and groups of trees are the dominant vegetation of the park.

Parking space for cars and coaches is located at the foot of the scarp and underneath the flyover of the Trasa Lazienkowska and disturbs the landscape activities as less as possible.

Architectural solution

The building idea emerges from the principle that archaeologies and historians who are investigating on history, generally find answers by searching in the ground. This usually requires an up-lifting of the surface in order to find contents in the ground below. The Museum of Polish History takes this principle to generate its building design.

The building geometry is defined by a simple triangle in foot print which is cut in the scarp slope. The vertex facing the river to the east is lifted up, while the two other vertices remain and form a smooth connection to the top of the rim. The emerging triangular volume accommodates the program for the Museum of Polish History.

Functional Distribution of the Program is as followed

Technical utilities, storages and temporary exhibitions are located in ground floor. Permanent exhibitions follow in the first floor. Supplementary functions and research/ administration zone is located in second floor, followed by the public forum zone in the third floor. A linear open stair connects all floors including the building accesses in ground and second floor.
The building serves as a hinge not only between the new and old parks, but also between foot and top of the scarp, an altitude distance of more than 20 meters. There is an entrance from the foot of the scarp, convenient to all visitors arriving by car or coach and another entrance from the top of the scarp in proximity to the upper landscape park and the Zamek Ujazdowski, convenient to all pedestrian visitors.

The appearance of the building depends on the view point. From the west, the building merges with the landscape park and seems almost non-existent while its east elevation is very dominant in the skyline of the scarp.

The roof of the building works as extension of the park landscape and is easily accessible, forming a natural auditorium for open-air activities related to the Museum or being of independent character.