A036_Museum of History of Polish Jews
Warsaw, Poland“The main aim of the museum is to remind people of the enormous achievements and the richness of the Polish Jewish culture in the centuries prior to the World War II and to restore the presence of this culture within contemporary Poland”. (Association of the Jews Historical Institute)
The architecture will be in charge not only of creating the optimal space to achieve this goal but also of turning it into a symbol.
Concept: two walls generators of space
The building is defined by two interlocking walls, representing the two intertwined cultures: the Jewish and the Polish.
Materialization: two walls and two materials
The proposal is based on the combination of two elements with very different character:
a. A blind, stone, solid wall with a rough surface, reminiscent of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.
b. A glass wall, sometimes translucent, sometimes transparent, showing the public areas to the outside and inviting people to enter the building.
Image: talking facade
The façade recalls the achievements of Polish Jewish culture by displaying dates, places and names of important episodes in Polish Jewish history.
Functionality: two walls – two entrances – two programs
The opaque wall houses the main entrance hall and central exhibition where no natural light or view is required.
The glass wall starts at the second entrance and houses functions related to the most public areas, visible from the outside and enjoying views and natural light.
Communications: architectural promenade and central space
The two walls generate their own circulations.
Between them a more static central space is created with natural light from above.
The balance between centrality and architectural promenade is related to the balance between the ideological centrality of the Holy Land and the historical reality of the Diaspora.
Space and light: horizontal and vertical
In contrast to the variety of “horizontal spaces” with lateral light, the central space in the core of the Museum is defined as a “vertical space”, taut with diagonal light and open towards the sky.
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