Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place – open landscape and urban structure

Tomasz Konior

doi:10.37190/arc210212

Abstract

The subject of this publication represents thoughts and reflections of an architect-practitioner, concerning the differences in shaping architecture depending on the context of the location. The subject of our considerations are buildings designed under the supervision of the author of this text, in Konior Studio. Two examples of buildings in an open landscape are presented: Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Warsaw Białołęka, located outside the urban area, on the edge of the Vistula River, and an office building that is the head office of Press Glass in Konopiska, located in a transformed, green area of a former agricultural wasteland. The next two examples concern buildings located in the urban structure: the Symphony building, which is an extension of the Academy of Music in Katowice, and the building of the State Music School Complex in Warsaw. The author analyzes distinctiveness in the designer’s way of thinking as well as distinctiveness in the solutions shaping architecture depending on the context of place. He also underlines the importance of continuity of thought from the sketch-dream which contains the main idea of the structure, until its implementation. The text is based on relevant literature, supported by in situ research done on characteristic buildings, as well as the architect’s own experiences from the designing process and building development, which served as an illustration of the theses put forth.

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2021

2(66)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210212

Tomasz Konior*

Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place

– open landscape and urban structure

Introduction

Thought, place, and matter, these are the three principal

elements of shaping architecture, out of which thought,

or in other words idea, is according to Vitruvius the basic

material, although it is still not architecture [1, pp. 6, 7].

In contemporary times, during the era of global digitali-

zation, the idea still shapes design situations that are cre-

ated in the architect’s head. Computerization, which has

also included the production of building components,

encroaches into all elds of civil engineering. It allows

for the thought in the designing process, to be under-

stood as the release of creative imagination to not lose its

signicance [2]. Maintaining continuity of thought gen-

erally speaks of the quality of the planned building. We

may even say that the thought-idea shown in the draw-

ing-sketch creates the designing situation of the planned

structure, providing the basis to move on from dream to

a new reality – the materialized architecture.

The thoughts of the architect expressed in the drawing-

sketch show how a function in the planned building is solved

and how the body is situated in the spatial context. This con-

text determines the character of the process of the architect’s

thinking about the facility’s concept. In order to bring clos-

er the distinctness of architectural shaping, we can com-

pare two dierent designing situations depending on their

location in the landscape – an open landscape provides op-

portunities to use freely shaped forms, while an urban land-

scape

is more suited to forms with right-angle geometry.

While designing in an open landscape the thought of

the architect often moves in the direction of relating to the

uidity of form in nature and moving away from the princi-

ples of right-angle geometry, the planned structure depicts

its connection with the surrounding landscape. It is worth

adding that the importance of the development of digital

technology facilitates the structural and material interpre-

tation of such thoughts in designing. Contemporary shap-

ing tools allow for an unlimited interpretation of processes

occurring in nature, while the permission to use principles

of mathematical logic, empirical discursive theories, or

recordings of philosophy of designing pro-ecologic archi-

tecture broadens the borders of inspiration [3, p. 140].

Designing in an urbanized area since the most ancient

concept of a city, has treated place as a value. Such an ap-

proach, somewhat forgotten in the pursuit of “modernity”

in the 20

century, has recently been experiencing a re-

birth. Well-known Danish urban planner Jan Gehl calls for

“A city for people” [4]. He recalls the importance of the

number and quality of places, which create opportunities to

be in urban spaces. The need to meet connects culture and

culture-creating ideas with the center-creating dimension

of architecture, thus constructing the identity of a place [4].

The subject of the current publication is relations that

occur between shaping architectural form and the spatial

context of the surrounding environment. The presented re-

ections are a result of the experiences of the article’s author

– a practicing architect. The present article looks at buildings

chitectural oce: structures situated in an open landscape

* ORCID: 0000-0002-2195-2620. Faculty of Civil Engineering,

Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Lodz University of Tech-

nology, e-mail: biuro@koniorstudio.pl

Design philosophy

114 Tomasz Konior

an important condition in the design, one which may be-

come a sort of asylum and a source of tranquility. He also

recalls that inspirations with shapes, which were created

by nature, are constantly present in design and architec-

ture [6]. A conrmation of these words can be the two

examples found below.

The Białołęka Middle School and Culture Center

in Warsaw, 2005

Architecture: Tomasz Konior, Tomasz Danielec, Konior

Studio

Function: school, a culture center with a theatre hall

and a library, local sports facility

Floor space: 7713 m

Design: 2000–2002

Completion: 2005

The Białołęka Middle School and Culture Center is

a complex of buildings, which has four independent func-

tions: a school, a library, a culture center with a theatre,

and a sports facility. The design idea of the structure is

most fully expressed by the term used by the author: im-

mersed in the landscape along the Vistula River (Fig. 1).

The buildings which are a part of a valuable stand of his-

toric trees make up a sort of enclave of culture and nature.

The soft line of the brick wall which merges the individu-

al bodies into one from the side of the entrance is a clear

(Fig. 2). At the same time, it is an easy to remember ele

ment

of architecture. The curvilinearity of the winding wall is

a reference to the Vistula riverbanks, while at the same

time being a distinguishing feature, which expresses the

idea of the architect to incorporate a part of the landscape

along the Vistula into the area of the school park (Fig. 3).

The second, internal part of the brick wall, creates

a covered forum, also setting out space that combines the

independently functioning facilities, i.e., a school for 800

students, a culture center with an auditorium for 400 peo-

ple, and a public library.

The 70-meter long, winding wall plays the role of the

element consolidating various functions. At the same time,

it allows for the use of the covered, elongated space for

everyday spontaneous meetings, but also ocial events,

important for the life of the school and the local commu-

nity. The feature which accentuates the space of the great

hall is the oval auditorium hall which seems to be an au-

tonomous element of the structure. It is a distinguishable

form, visible in the shape of the building.

The educational part is housed in three segments placed

parallel to one another. The longer walls of the building

are glazed to keep a view of the patios. The end walls

made out of large concrete prefabricates, have small win-

dow openings. The narrow, horizontal glazings let in the

western light into distant classrooms. Concrete, glass, and

brick are the dominant materials in the nishing, eleva-

tions and interior of the building.

The whole of the arrangements (layout) shows two

formally distinct ways of shaping architecture. The spac-

es situated at the intersection with the curvilinearity of

the brick wall establish a soft relationship with it and

are reected in the adjacent interiors. Buildings that are

(The Białołęka Middle School and Cultural Center in War-

saw and the head oce of Press Glass in Konopiska near

Częstochowa), as well as facilities located in the urban struc-

ture (the “Symfonia” Building of the Academy of Music in

Katowice and the State Music School Complex in Warsaw).

Context of location and context of architecture

The reections on the shaping of a building in relation

to its surroundings should be started by recalling yet an-

other contemporary architect Bernard Tschumi, who in his

multi-volume work Event Cities [5] says that a building al-

ways exists in specic surroundings; in a geographic location

or a historically, culturally, or economically dened context.

The architectural concept, dening the ultimate form

and materiality of the designed building may have vari-

ous connections with the context, while the architect does

not have to take into account all the local conditions. In

emphasizing the signicance of the context, Tschumi in-

troduces three relations into the discussion, ones that are

possible in relations between the concept of the designed

building and the context expressed historically or contem-

porarily dened through pre-existing surroundings. He

denes it in the following way:

– indierence, meaning the independence of the con-

cept from the context,

– reciprocity, when the concept of the new facility and

the spatial context supplement each other, or when the

planned building is an architectural response to existing

buildings,

– conict between the existing surroundings and the

newly designed structures, which generally leads to the

possibility of changing the context by the structure [5].

The relations of the architectural concept to the context,

in allowing for the simultaneous consideration of the loca-

tional and cultural context, make it possible for the archi-

tect to choose various approaches to the relations between

the spatial and cultural context of the place. Inspirations

with the culture of the city or place are visible through the

use of materials related to the history and local tradition.

A similar approach deals with inspirations with forms

connected with culture understood in a somewhat wider

although still local sense. The form in the planned design

may be processed by the designer, however, its connection

with tradition should be clear and understandable.

The architect, who decides to distance himself from lo-

cal traditions, usually designs a facility that formally ex-

presses negation and/or conict with the context in place.

From time to time, new, formally dierent architecture

may become an impulse that will inuence spatial chang-

es in the surroundings – as a result altering the current,

existing context [5].

Architecture in the context of natural landscape

In his book Ecstatic Architecture [6, p. 20 .], Charles

Jencks points to nature as an inseparable element of the en-

vironment connected with human civilization, and further

underlines its signicance, claiming that it is more import-

ant than culture. Open to new interpretations, it becomes

Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place – open landscape and urban structure 115

Fig. 2. The Białołęka Middle School and Cultural Center in Warsaw

– the brick ribbon of the front elevation

(photo by D. Rumiancew, source: Konior Studio)

II. 2. Gimnazjum i Ośrodek Kultury w warszawskiej Białołęce

– ceglana wstęga elewacji frontowej

(fot. D. Rumiancew, źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

removed from the line of the wall are shaped based on

a right-angle principle in compliance with the functional-

ity of the school rooms.

The soft line of the brick wall is a reference to the near-

by Vistula riverbank, highlighting the expressive charac-

ter of architecture, especially when it is put together with

the remaining part of the arrangements which is pragmat-

ically and orthogonally shaped. The curvilinearity facili-

tated the shaping of space, but it also underlines the view-

ing axes of the school buildings. The building complex,

taking advantage of the richness of the existing greenery

creates a space that is both student- and resident-friendly.

The simplicity of this architecture and integrating the

structure into the natural landscape were recognized by

Fig. 3. The Białołęka Middle School and Cultural Center in Warsaw – concrete elevations seen from the Vistula

(photo by D. Rumiancew, source: Konior Studio)

II. 3. Gimnazjum i Ośrodek Kultury w warszawskiej Białołęce – betonowe elewacje od strony Wisły

(fot. D. Rumiancew, źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

Fig. 1. The facility immersed in the landscape

along the Vistula River – sketch

(drawn by T. Konior)

Il. 1. Obiekt zanurzony w nadwiślańskim krajobrazie – szkic

(rys. T. Konior)

the architect community. The structure was granted the

following awards: “The SARP Architecture of the Year

Award in 2006 – the best structure made using public

funds”, “Polski Cement w Architekturze 2006” – main

prize, “20 best buildings completed after 1989 – Icons of

Architecture 2005”, award in the international “Leonardo”

competition in the category of public utility building 2007.

116 Tomasz Konior

The Head Office of Press Glass S.A. in Konopiska

near Częstochowa, 2020

Architecture: Tomasz Konior, Konior Studio

Function: oce, representative

Floor space: 5398.2 m

Surface area: 29 189 m

Built-up area: 2943 m

Design: 2017–2019

Completion: 2020

The head oces of Press Glass were created in a location

that is quite unusual for oce buildings. They are located

on the edge of the Polish Jurassic Highland, in a landscape

that has been shaped in harmony with nature (Fig. 4). In

the area of unused agricultural elds and groves, a broad

golf eld was created with numerous watercourses, and

small water reservoirs, with a few trees here and there.

The landscape was supplemented by a building selected

in a closed, investor architectural competition.

It was the investor’s ambition to create a modern oce

on the green plateau, one that would express the dynamic

character of the company, while ensuring its employees

of contact with live nature. Soft shapes and colors which

are naturally observed in nature played a decisive role in

the architectural character, making it consistent with the

green, hilly landscape. The arrangements were based on

the idea of cohesiveness of nature and technology (Fig. 5).

Seeking a form which would supplement the narrow

land plot intersected by a watercourse, open to the space

of the golf course, it was decided to prepare a plan draw-

ing in the form of a triangle. Subsequent stories of the

building vary due to the size of the outline, which decreas-

es towards the top. Such a procedure inuences the reduc-

tion of scale, thus increasing the sensation of uidity at the

intersection of architecture and landscape.

The focal point of the arrangements is an open, internal

courtyard made in the image of an exotic garden, which

contrasting with the landscape of the golf courses creates

an extraordinary place (Fig. 6).

Concrete, which is generally a construction material,

is also used in the nishing of the structure. The elevation

of the technology building and the columns of the main

entrance are made out of exposed concrete with an im-

printed formwork or coarse texture obtained via the grain-

Fig. 4. Single form inspired by the softness of nature – sketch

(drawn by T. Konior)

Il. 4. Samotna forma inspirowana miękkością natury – szkic

(rys. T. Konior)

ing method. Pre-tensioned prestressed concrete allowed

for the use of non-standard spans. The ready-made, large

construction modules, and building components delivered

to the construction site which were used for the elevation,

roof, and the edges of terraces and balustrades, account

for the character of the building exterior.

Glass in the Press Glass building is an important ma-

terial, however not a dominant one. Put together with the

massive materiality, it inuences the feeling of moderni-

ty and lightness of the building. The at glass surfaces,

as well as the bulky, rounded glass in the corners of the

external elevation and the courtyard, are one of the most

important elements which constitute the character of the

transparent “architecture without borders” (Fig. 6).

Rened details of assembly out of polished, stainless

steel create an elegance of the solution, while the use of

reexive glass blurs the boundaries between interior and

exterior – the size of the building seems to be indenable.

The material which supplements the character of the

building is wood, used on the cladding of the installation

shafts, external walls, and fragments of the oors. The ex-

ternal sots which transition into the interior were made out

of wooden plywood. The wood creates a specic softness,

dicult to achieve, but one that is especially important when

it comes to ocial and representative places. Wood is also

the material used in the nishing of the terraces, railings of

the balustrades, doors, and furniture. The roofs of the build-

ings are lled with photovoltaic cells and play the role of

green terraces. They are covered with plants that are easy

to maintain: sedums and vines. Natural greenness used in

large spaces becomes a building material that is present

here on equal terms with traditional building materials.

Architecture in the context of urban structure

According to the thought of Aldo Rossi, an architect

should arrange the geometrical elements of the design, re-

ferring to the memories and history of a place. Such archi-

tecture can t in with the city, can continue its traditions,

act as an invitation to passers-by. Rossi, himself created

buildings with raw bodies which he directed towards their

surroundings and a bond with history. He followed the

lessons of classical architecture without copying it – his

buildings bring forth echoes from the past, using forms

of universal, gripping quality. His work is both bold and

ordinary, although not novel, but exhilaratingly simple

in appearance and unusually complex as regards content

and signicance. In times of various trends and inuenc-

es, Aldo Rossi avoided fashionable and popular styles to

create his own architecture [7]. The examples presented

below hold similar values dear.

“The Symfonia” Science and Musical

Education Center in Katowice, 2007

Architecture: Tomasz Konior, Krzysztof Barysz, Ko-

nior Studio

Function: public, educational with a concert hall

Floor space: 7330 m

, together with the historical build-

ing: 14 119 m

Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place – open landscape and urban structure 117

Design: 2003–2005

Completion: 2007

“The Symfonia” Building is part of the Academy of

Music in Katowice. It is situated downtown, in the neigh-

borhood of oce buildings, a historical cemetery, sur-

rounded by nineteenth-century buildings, and despite its

contemporary form, it seems to blend in with the pre-ex-

isting neighborhood (Fig. 7). The expansion of the Karol

Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, which was

preceded by a competition is one of the rst important

investments in the city after the year 2000. In 2007 To-

masz Malkowski wrote that the “Symfonia” building […]

seems to be a turning point in the architecture of Kato-

wice. Because nally after years of meaninglessness here

is a building that is an event [8, p. 64]. The new structure

emerges directly next to the historical building from 1898.

The large, rectangular body with few windows is separat-

ed by a glazed atrium from its richly decorated neighbor.

Both buildings are made of brick, however, their shape

and decoration distinctively show that they come from

Fig. 6. Press Glass Office

Building in Konopiska

– second-floor terrace with

a view of the green courtyard

(photo by N. Cook,

source: Konior Studio)

II. 6. Biurowiec firmy Press

Glass w Konopiskach

– taras drugiego piętra z widokiem

na zielony dziedziniec

(fot. N. Cook,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

Fig. 5. Press Glass Office

Building in Konopiska

– front elevation

(photo by N. Cook,

source: Konior Studio)

II. 5. Biurowiec firmy Press

Glass w Konopiskach

– elewacja frontowa

(fot. N. Cook,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

Fig. 7. Distinctiveness and architectural cohesiveness

– sketch

(drawn by T. Konior)

Il. 7. Odmienność i architektoniczna spójność

– szkic

(rys. T. Konior)

118 Tomasz Konior

Fig. 8. “Symfonia” Building

in Katowice – front elevation

(photo by D. Rumiancew,

source: Konior Studio)

Il. 8. Budynek „Symfonii”

w Katowicach

– elewacja frontowa

(fot. D. Rumiancew, źródło:

archiwum Konior Studio)

Fig. 9. “Symfonia” Building

in Katowice – view of the stage

(photo by D. Rumiancew,

source: Konior Studio)

Il. 9. Budynek „Symfonii”

w Katowicach, sala koncertowa

– widok w kierunku estrady

(fot. D. Rumiancew,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

two dierent periods (Fig. 8). The new form evokes posi-

tive associations with the modernism of the interwar peri-

od. It is adorned with delicate protrusions of bricks from

the elevation face and its highlighted window form, which

is expressed in the brick façade with vertical cracks of the

removed elevation bricks. The form shows the principal

thought as well as the design idea – architectural cohe-

siveness with its surroundings with simultaneous formal

dis tinctiveness.

The glazed atrium connecting both buildings is a public

space with a café, shop, and a small amphitheater. It is also

a meeting and resting place for students and the inhabi-

tants of Katowice. The neo-Gothic richly decorated façade

creates a character of space where old and new architec-

ture meet. From the atrium, we can enter the old building,

while the various levels are accessed by steel platforms.

The atrium has become a foyer space for the new concert

hall with an auditorium for nearly 600 spectators (Fig. 9).

The building has become part of the musical history of

the city and the consciousness of residents, who willingly

come here for concerts and take advantage of the year-

round public space.

Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place – open landscape and urban structure 119

The way in which the designers paid respects to the

old building of the Academy, accepting new values in

the architecture of the building housing the concert hall,

was universally recognized. Among the awards which the

structure received are Grand Prix “Architecture of the Year

of the Silesian Voivodeship 2008”, The Annual SARP

Award for the best structure completed in 2007, Friendly

and Inclusive Space Award at the XXIII UIA Congress

in Torino, nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award.

State Music School complex

in Warsaw, 2020

Architecture: Tomasz Konior, Konior Studio

Function: artistic school, concert hall

Floor space: 10 138 m

Total area: 12 942.2 m

Design: 2015–2017

Completion: 2020

Some situations are unexpected. This was exactly the

case when the State Music School Complex at Miodowa

Street received news that it must abandon its current facili-

ties. A situation that was dicult to accept, for designers

became an opportunity to bring to life a vision of a mod-

ern school, which would fulll all the needs of talented

youths, teachers, and exceptional artists. The new location

was a plot of land in a downtown built-up area, with a his-

torical, Neo-gothic building of the former Orphanage for

Girls at Rakowiecka Street

. In December 2015, the win-

ners of an international architectural competition for the

concept of the new school building were announced. It was

won by Konior Studio

. Today it can be said that the idea

The neo-Gothic building and plot of land were purchased using

National Treasury funds in 2014. The historical,four-storey building

made of red brick, the former Orphanage for Girls, build for the War-

saw Charitable Society between the years 1899–1901, was designed by

Władyław Adolf Kozłowski. After World War II it housed the Warsaw

Family Support Center.

Konior Studio had previously been responsible for the design of

the oces of the National Symphonic Orchestra of the Polish Radio in

Katowice. In the heart of the NSOPR building, there is Great Concert

Hall, whose acoustics were overseen by Yasuhisa Toyota, the president

of the world-famous Nagata Acoustics company from Los Angeles and

Tokyo. Y. Toyota is the creator of the acoustics in Elbphilharmonie in

Hamburg, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and

many others. The NSOPR Great Concert Hall is part of the prestigious

ECHO, an organization that brings together the best concert halls in all

of Europe.

of the building of the music school in Rakowiecka Street

which began with the competition – of creating a place

which is lled with music, distinguishable by the function-

ality of architecture, harmoniously incorporated into the

pre-existing context – was completed (Fig. 10).

The idea for shaping the planned structure came from

the building of the old orphanage, which became part of

the new arrangements. It created a dialogue between old

and new architecture expressed in the structure of the

historical buildings, repeated in the scale and rhythms of

the new part. This dialogue became the basis for the idea

shaping the structure.

The historical building designated for general educa-

tion is connected with the newly designed building for

musical education by a spacious atrium. The main en-

trance leads to a small square, which is slightly lower than

its surroundings. The central part of the arrangements is

a concert hall designed as a free-standing room in an open

space of the building interior, surrounded by passage-

ways. This part houses the library which is separated from

the hall by an internal garden (Fig. 11).

Elevations of the new building are a contemporary

interpretation of the historical part. The continuation is

expressed in the accentuation of the cornices, and the pro-

portions and rhythm of the windows (Fig. 12).

The main concert hall, with an amphitheatrically shaped

audience, boasts 320 seats and a stage for 75 musicians. It

is used, among others, for the work of the school’s sym-

phonic orchestra, the school’s students, as well as invited

artists who give concerts there. The geometrical concept

of the concert hall by Konior Studio is based on a circular

outline of external walls with convex internal sails. The

uniqueness of the concept is expressed with the softness

of form as well as the use of high-quality natural materi-

als, which ensure acoustic and visual value of the interior

(Fig. 13). For the sound perception and quality, the dis-

tance between the stage and the farthest seat in the au-

dience which is only 8 m, is also important. The concert

hall with a distinguishable form is visible from almost any

place in the new building. Centrally situated as an inde-

pendent structure in the entire arrangements it ensures the

highest standards of acoustic insulation and causes the

hall to become the true heart of the new complex.

The shape and structure of the external surfaces are used

for the uidity of reections and the dispersion of sounds

as well as the prevention of unbenecial phenomena such

as the concentration of sound or the so-called utter echo.

Fig. 10. Establishing dialogue

with the urban tissue, a spatial

idea – sketch

(drawn by T. Konior)

Il. 10. W dialogu z tkanką

miejską, zamysł przestrzenny

– szkic (rys. T. Konior)

120 Tomasz Konior

Acoustic and geometrical analyses along with three-di-

mensional computer simulations conducted at all stages of

the design process, especially during initial rehearsals in

the nished interior conrmed the high quality of the solu-

tions used in the concert hall. Great care towards acoustics

was also displayed in the remaining musical spaces. Two

chamber halls with 86 and 52 seats respectively, and the

organ hall with seating for 74 persons create outstanding

conditions for the education of future artists. The facility

boasts a total of 132 classrooms and a recording studio.

The newly completed building can be summed up in the

following way: the famous “Miodowa” moved to a “New

Miodowa” in Rakowiecka, but history and tradition which

started with Elsner, Moniuszko and Szymanowski, were

preserved in the body of the historical orphanage and the

architecture of the new facility.

Fig. 12. State Music School

Complex in Warsaw

– view of the new wing

(photo by P. Krajewski,

source: Konior Studio)

Il. 12. Zespół Państwowych

Szkół Muzycznych Nr 1

w Warszawie – widok nowego

skrzydła

(fot. P. Krajewski,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

Summary

and conclusions

In summary, based on the information presented in the

text, as well as the characterization of specic examples

of architectural completions and their author’s – design-

er’s reections connected with them, we may formulate

conclusions on the subject of the distinctiveness of form

shaping depending on the context of place and regarding

the signi cance of the continuity of thought in the design

process.

1. Buildings located in an open landscape, both the

Press Glass oce building as well as the school in Bia-

łołęka conrm old knowledge that curvilinearity in archi-

tecture requiring greater perspective is easier to accept in

a landscape context. Curvilinearity in architecture, which

Fig. 11. State Music School

Complex in Warsaw – a bird’s

eye view from the front

(photo by B. Barczyk,

source: Konior Studio)

Il. 11. Zespół Państwowych

Szkół Muzycznych Nr 1

w Warszawie – widok z lotu

ptaka od strony frontowej

(fot. B. Barczyk,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place – open landscape and urban structure 121

plex in Warsaw, the concert hall has become an indepen-

dent, curvilinear element situated within the structure of

a larger facility. The curvilinearity of architecture strongly

denes the character of the building, however, the whole of

the arrangements remains in harmony with the orthogonal

context of its surroundings.

3. In the process of creating architecture, the concept, as

well as the content, meaning the functional requirements

create a basis for selecting building materiality. Another

important element of architecture – place – in dening

the spatial context of the surroundings, determines the de-

signer’s thought. Along with the initial decisions about the

planned building, its location and functional requirements

lead the designer in the direction of the idea of the struc-

ture, which may be replicated in the drawing-sketch. Thus

the value of continuity of thought in the designing process

from an idea – a dream all the way to the completion of the

planned structure, is conrmed. The most important task

of the architect also becomes visible – the authorship of

the IDEA [9], the principal thought, which accompanies

the creation of the work from initial notion to completion.

Starting with the idea depicted in the drawing-sketch,

through the creation of the concept, then the design, the

thought is visible in the completed building. This continu-

ity grants cohesiveness to the solution and distinguishes

the facility, creating its individual property. The building

becomes recognizable, which dierentiates architecture

from ordinary civil engineering. Peter Zumthor, an out-

standing architect, expressed this thought in a very simple

way, claiming […] that every design has its own charac-

teristic feature. It must be formulated in a very distinct

way in order for the whole building to be explained with

the use of this basic feature [10].

Translated by

Szczepan Witaszek

comes from the natural world is contemporarily aided by

the achievements of science and technology. Thanks to the

knowledge and multiple interpretations such a creation of

form and proportion is currently willing ly used in design-

ing. “Soft” shaping of buildings takes advantage of new

technologies. At the present, the only thing limiting such

works are higher costs and the architect’s imagi nation.

In both the presented cases, curvilinearity is distinc-

tively shaped. In the building of the Białołęka Middle

School the soft line of the brick wall is a barrier but at

the same time a link to the principal form of the structure

shaped on the basis of right-angle geometry. Curvilineari-

ty as part of the formal whole enriches the architecture,

harmoniously blending in with the natural environment.

The Press Glass oce building indicates that the building

which is distinguished by architectural values, as well as

high-quality technical solutions and advanced technology,

conrms the company’s prestige. Placing the structure in

a rather unknown location, with a culturally well-cared-

for landscape, additionally enriches the marketing charac-

ter of architecture. In order to reduce the rather large size

of the building and integrate it with the open landscape,

a layout in the shape of a triangle with a softly shaped

form was used.

2. Buildings created in the urban structure, especially

in densely built-up areas, are generally part of a greater

whole. Architecture that is more tting to urban surround-

ings is one that favors the principle of a right angle. This

is visible in the “Symfonia” Building in Katowice, which

was part of the expansion of the existing building of the

Academy of Music. At the same time, delicate formal pro-

cedures expressed in the elevation structure allow for the

simultaneous obtaining of the sensation of architectural

cohesiveness, but also the distinctiveness of periods which

are a testimony to the time of completion of both struc-

tures. On the other hand, in the State Music School Com-

Fig. 13. State Music School

Complex in Warsaw

– view of the stage

(photo by B. Barczyk,

source: Konior Studio)

Il. 13. Sala koncertowa

Zespołu Państwowych Szkół

Muzycznych Nr 1 w Warszawie,

widok w kierunku estrady

(fot. B. Barczyk,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)

122 Tomasz Konior

Abstract

Distinctness of shaping form and the context of place – open landscape and urban structure

The subject of this publication represents thoughts and reections of an architect-practitioner, concerning the dierences in shaping architecture

depending on the context of the location. The subject of our considerations are buildings designed under the supervision of the author of this text, in

Konior Studio. Two examples of buildings in an open landscape are presented: Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Warsaw Białołęka, located outside

the urban area, on the edge of the Vistula River, and an oce building that is the head oce of Press Glass in Konopiska, located in a transformed,

green area of a former agricultural wasteland. The next two examples concern buildings located in the urban structure: the Symphony building, which

is an extension of the Academy of Music in Katowice, and the building of the State Music School Complex in Warsaw.

The author analyzes distinctiveness in the designer’s way of thinking as well as distinctiveness in the solutions shaping architecture depending on

the context of place. He also underlines the importance of continuity of thought from the sketch-dream which contains the main idea of the structure,

until its implementation. The text is based on relevant literature, supported by in situ research done on characteristic buildings, as well as the archi-

tect’s own experiences from the designing process and building development, which served as an illustration of the theses put forth.

Key words: contemporary architecture, architectural design, site context, open landscape, urban structure

Streszczenie

Odmienność kształtowania formy a kontekst miejsca – krajobraz otwarty i tkanka miejska

Tematem artykułu są przemyślenia i reeksje architekta-praktyka dotyczące relacji, jakie zachodzą pomiędzy kształtowaniem architektonicznej

formy a kontekstem przestrzennym otaczającego środowiska. Przedmiotem rozważań są budynki zaprojektowane pod kierunkiem autora niniejszego

tekstu w autorskiej pracowni Konior Studio. Obiekty w krajobrazie otwartym zaprezentowano na przykładzie Gimnazjum i Centrum Kultury zlo-

kalizowanym poza terenem zurbanizowanym, na brzegu Wisły w Warszawie-Białołęce oraz biurowca będącego siedzibą główną rmy Press Glass,

usytuowanego na przekształconym, zielonym obszarze dawnych nieużytków rolnych. Kolejne dwa przykłady – ulokowane w tkance miejskiej – to

budynek „Symfonii”, będący rozbudową Akademii Muzycznej w Katowicach oraz siedziba Zespołu Państwowych Szkół Muzycznych w Warszawie.

Autor analizuje odmienność sposobu myślenia projektanta oraz odmienność rozwiązań kształtujących architekturę w zależności od kontekstu

miejsca. Wskazuje także na wagę ciągłości myśli: od szkicu-marzenia, który zawiera główną ideę planowanego obiektu, aż po realizację. Podstawą

jest literatura przedmiotu poparta badaniami in situ charakterystycznych obiektów oraz doświadczenia własne architekta wyniesione z procesu pro-

jektowania i realizacji budynków, które posłużyły za ilustrację prowadzonych rozważań.

Słowa kluczowe: architektura współczesna, projektowanie architektoniczne, kontekst miejsca, krajobraz otwarty, tkanka miejska

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