Thomas Phifer and Partners . APA Wojciechowski . Model Photographs: © Scott Frances . renders: © The Boundary
The Museum of Modern Art Warsaw and TR Warszawa Theatre will form a new cultural center in the city of Warsaw. Located at the base of the Palace of Culture and Science in Defilad Square, these two new cultural projects will sit on a 22-acre site that borders Marszalkoska Street to the east and a revitalized Park Świętokrzyski to the north.
The buildings share characteristics that maximize their perceived mass: simplicity of volume, monochrome color, uniform perimeters, and singular facade materials. At the same time, they forge their individual identities as autonomous institutions through a dialogue of opposite visual traits. A common exterior court between the two buildings, dubbed the Forum, offers a communicating space for collaborative activities from which both buildings are entered.
The Museum of Modern Art Warsaw and TR Warszawa Theatre constitute the national arts precinct of Poland in Warsaw, giving a modern form to the rich cultural heritage of the city.
The Museum of Modern Art Warsaw
As a forward-thinking and experimental organization, the Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie (Museum of Modern Art Warsaw) requested a wide variety of gallery and social interaction spaces to accommodate an engaged audience and its growing collection of contemporary art. The building was conceived to promote the free exchange of ideas, conversation and dialog, accommodating both current and future programming.
The ground floor is an open public space supporting programs including a café, bookstore, education classroom, lobby, auditorium space, and reaction galleries positioned to engage and invite public interaction. A grand wood-lined staircase rises in the center of the Museum, doubling as a lightwell for the lower levels.
Located on the two upper floors are four suites of museum galleries, with each gallery room carefully designed to allow for proper illumination and to exacting programmatic requirements. Below grade, the building includes conservation labs, art storage, education spaces, and a cinema. The provision of ample natural lighting was prioritized throughout the design process.
TR Warszawa Theater
The design of the TR Warszawa Theater accommodates over 900 seated guests across four stages. In addition to performance areas, it includes two large rehearsal rooms, administrative offices, costume and set shops, a restaurant, and a cafe. The ground floor entry foyer fronts onto the common exterior “Forum” and serves as a flexible venue for impromptu performances, theatrical discourse, dining, and social gathering. The public architecture of the interior is intended to reflect the heart of the theater – the stage. The primary performance hall, referred to as “the hangar”, is designed as a multi-directional space where audience and stage can be configured in any number of ways. Monumental, operable glass doors at the north and south ends of the open the cavernous space to Defilad Square and Swietkokrzyski Park for indoor/outdoor performances.
The Theatre, while commercially engaged in the creation of theatrical surprise, wishes to project an image of openness that invites public participation. Each performance space has windows to the exterior allowing both views in and out.
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Architect
Architect Thomas Phifer and Partners (New York)
Local Architect APA Wojciechowski (Warsaw)
Figures
Estimated Year of Completion: 2022
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Project Team, Thomas Phifer and Partners
Thomas Phifer, Steve Dayton, Katie Bennett, Gabriel Smith, Gabrielle Marcoux, Chris SooHoo, Jessica Luscher, Clay Carroll, Alexandria Lee, Remon Alberts, Brittany Utting, Shelby Downs, Matthew Zuckerman, Greg Bonner, Evan Yoon, Jiaxing Yan, Lauren Eggert
Consultants
Architect Thomas Phifer and Partners (New York)
Local Architect APA Wojciechowski (Warsaw)
Stuctural Engineering | Building Services BuroHappold Engineering
Façade Engineering Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Façade Engineering (Local) ARBO Projekt
Façade Consultant Studio Profil
Architectural Concrete Consultant TBAiS
Electric Lighting + Daylighting Arup
Theatre Design + Audio Visual Harvey Marshall Berling Associates
Acoustic & DSO Consultant Arup
Cost Estimators LB-Projekt Łukasz Brycki
Landscape Architects IN&OUT Architekci Krajobrazu/Dorota Nitecka – Frączyk
Food Service Bartosz Cyryngier
Image Credits
Visualizations: The Boundary
Model Photographs: Scott Frances
Drawings: Thomas Phifer and Partners
