Warszawa

How can the site contribute to the adaptable city?

Powiśle has a long tradition of being an industrial district providing services to other areas in Warsaw and a dwelling place for the poor. Public and private projects from the first half of the 20th century, aimed at connecting the city center with the Vistula, raised the area’s profile. However, it lasted until the beginning of the 21st century for the district to finally loose its peripheral character. The opening of the University Library in 1999, with its adjacent garden and extensive green areas on the roof, started a self-accelerating process of attracting the public, encouraging diverse activities and starting projects of different uses, scales and forms. Industry is pushed out and replaced by residential developments. The Capt.Stanisław Skibniewski “Cubryna” Garden is a place whose potential is still untapped. Despite its outstanding location, it is crowded only in summer. It is crucial to find a way of attracting different activities which could make this place lively all year round.

City strategy

Elaborate stone architectural elements were looted in Warsaw in the 17th century by the Swedish army and sent off by sea to Sweden. Some of them sank in the Vistula. The subject of the competition is the design of the exhibition of stone treasures recovered from the river in the Capt.Stanisław Skibniewski “Cubryna” Garden, situated between the Vistula and the Kazimierzowski Palace, where many of those valuable items were originally located. This exhibition shall form part of the revival scheme for the area and bring urban life closer to the river banks. The area adjoins the University Library, Copernicus Science Center and riverside boulevards, which are now under reconstruction. The implementation of the project shall help overcome the monotony of scientific and cultural functions and provide multifaceted uses, vitality and diversity to the place.

Site definition

The current Capt.Stanisław Skibniewski “Cubryna” Garden was formerly a part of a 1300 m long riverside park. In 1975 the park was reduced, separated from the river and changed into an island between the lanes of the new expressway called Wisłostrada. In 2003 the road was placed in a tunnel, which restored the connection between the park and the river. After years of demise, river banks again attract crowds of people in summer. The Copernicus Science Center, opened 2010, occupies a part of the former park area. It attracts more than one million people each year. The favourite place for the residents of Warsaw and tourists alike is the University Library with its rooftop garden. However, apart from rooftop views they offer, neither of these buildings opens towards the “Cubryna” Garden. Riverside Boulevards, between the project site and the river, are currently being rebuilt. A gynecological – obstetric hospital lies to the north of the Garden.

Future of the site in relation to the site family and to Adaptability

The principal task is the design of the exhibition of stone treasures rescued from the bottom of the Vistula, which are intended to be the highlight of the “Cubryna” Garden. They should be accessible for viewing anytime, day and night, and properly protected from rain, snow and vandalism. Other features of the Garden design should not disturb people from contemplating the collection, which should become an integral part of diverse urban life. However, it should not be the only incentive for people coming to the Garden, even on very cold winter days. The design should provide for adding new items to the Garden and encourage spontaneous, unexpected forms of activity from the public. Linking the garden with reconstructed riverside boulevards, including the amphitheater space of University Square, is also very important. Adapting the former Wisłostrada roadway as an integral part of the space is worth considering, as well as providing direct access to the University Library. The new Garden should also accommodate the Dowborczycy monument, which stood there between 1930 and 1948 and is due to come back. The remodelled Garden should attract people of different ages – inhabitants of Powiśle (including those of the neighboring houses), visitors of the Library and the Science Center, riverside boulevards, hospital; people from the district’s universities, leisure-seekers and people who come to have a good time at the Vistula. However, Garden design should reconcile the desire of creating a place for entertainment on the river banks with the need of ensuring quiet surroundings for the residents.