What will Warsaw look like in the coming years? The answer lies not only on building sites, but above all in architectural practices, where designs for housing estates and public spaces are being developed. The exhibition ‘Plans for the Future 2026’ offers a glimpse of the capital whilst it is still at the conceptual stage, before the urban fabric undergoes any significant changes. The designs by Poland’s most renowned architectural practices, on display at ZODIAK in Warsaw, reveal not only the scale of the planned developments, but above all the way in which contemporary architecture interprets Warsaw and its needs today.

The transformation of a city rarely takes place in a spectacular manner. Far more often, it is a process stretched out over time, preceded by analyses and planning decisions that remain invisible to residents. It is precisely this stage – the moment when architecture still exists as an ‘idea’ of the future city – that has been documented for almost three decades by the exhibition ‘Plans for the Future’, organised at ZODIAK, the Warsaw Architecture Pavilion.

57 designs for a new Warsaw

This year’s edition is dominated by housing projects, which account for almost half of the concepts on display. Public projects relating to education, culture and local social infrastructure play an equally important role. However, the essence of the exhibition is not to present eye-catching visualisations, but to capture the design decisions that will have a real impact on the way the capital functions in the coming years.

Among the proposals on display are, amongst others, further phases of the New Centre of Warsaw, libraries, an environmental education centre, a swimming pool and a skatepark. Another interesting example is the modular ‘Plener’ project, conceived as a meeting place for young residents and an attempt to create an alternative to activities that are now mainly taking place in the digital sphere.

The city as a whole

One of the most prominently represented practices at the exhibition is BBGK Architekci, presenting three projects: Modern Mokotów, the Praga Boulevards and MURANO. Their presence clearly illustrates the shift currently taking place in the way we think about architecture. It is not individual iconic buildings that are gaining in importance, but rather the ability to design entire sections of the city – blocks, housing estates and neighbourhoods – which are intended to function as cohesive, multifunctional living environments.

Murano

For years, BBGK has been associated precisely with this approach. The practice is one of a group of firms that consistently combine architecture with urban planning, designing not only individual buildings but also the relationships between them: the layout of public spaces, pedestrian routes, local services, green spaces and places for everyday gatherings. This involves thinking of the city as an organism, the quality of which depends not on individual projects, but on the way in which entire development complexes interact with one another.

The ‘Modern Mokotów’ project, presented at the exhibition, develops the idea of a contemporary urban district based on a diversity of functions and well-designed communal spaces. The project demonstrates how large-scale housing developments can become an integral part of the city, rather than functioning as isolated enclaves. A key role is played here by a network of squares, green courtyards, local amenities and spaces for residents’ activities, which shape the everyday urban character of this place.

Bulwary Praskie

The Praga Boulevards, in turn, are one of the largest regeneration projects currently underway in Warsaw. Being developed on land with a unique history linked to the growth of Warsaw’s industrial and automotive sectors, the project is gradually transforming a formerly inaccessible area into a new part of the city that opens out onto the river.

The MURANO project, meanwhile, demonstrates how contemporary architecture can build on the historical heritage of one of Warsaw’s most important districts. The building under construction on Anielewicza Street has been designed to harmonise with the logic of the city and the unique character of Muranów – a place where the memory of pre-war Warsaw, post-war reconstruction and contemporary metropolitan life intersect. The project does not attempt to recreate history literally, but integrates the new development into the existing urban fabric, continuing the character of the district through its scale, functions and relationship with the surrounding space.

These and other projects illustrating how Warsaw will change in the coming years can be viewed at the ‘Plans for the Future 2026’ exhibition until 2 August at ZODIAK, the Warsaw Architecture Pavilion. The pavilion is open from Tuesday to Friday from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm and at weekends from 12.00 pm to 7.00 pm. The exhibition is curated by Monika Komorowska and Artur Wosz.

Admission to the exhibition is free.

More about BBGK: https://bbgk.pl/pl

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