Silesian Museum

Photo credits © Odile Decq

 

The creation of Museum Square is an ambition that contributes to the redefinition of the image of the entire Silesian region. Katowice, at the heart of a conurbation of around 4 million people, is the place where this ambition can take shape. So, the transformation and renovation of the site of a former mine, very close to the city center, and the construction of new buildings becomes a highly symbolic issue for the region and for the city.

 

Ambiguity of matter, light,

form and structures.

A shell-like armor from past history

Half-open hulls allowing light to pass through

steel materials

Densities of gray

From absorbent matte to reflective bronze anthracite becoming immaterial

Weightlessness floating above the water mirror

Gravity in suspension

Raw and sophisticated

 

Lines, surfaces, folds, cut: new vertical territories..

 

From the city, on arriving, it is an enigmatic shell of matt/shiny steel, a ‘gravity in suspension’. In full light, the facade of steel, glass and perforated metal panels is almost reflective. It only lets a glimpse of the reality of the building. As soon as night falls, the volume comes to life in a different way. The hulls let the light escape through their interstices and it bounces off the hulls. The facades of perforated panels reveal the fires of the interior.

Katowice, Poland
International Competition
2007