Projekt Praga wins Wrocław government office competition

Warsaw-based architectural studio Projekt Praga has won first prize in a two-stage competition for the expansion of the Lower Silesian Marshal's Office at the junction of Mazowiecka Street and Juliusza Słowackiego Embankment in Wrocław. The winner received PLN 110,000 and an invitation to negotiate a contract for the complete design documentation. The complex, intended for around 400 officials and capped at a construction cost of PLN 150 million net, will comprise two five-storey wings up to 22 metres high, connected by a dominant structure reaching 45 metres. A two-level underground car park will also serve as an emergency shelter, crisis management centre and administrative support facility. The zero-emission building will use renewable energy sources, grey water and rainwater. The competition was organised by Inwestycje Dolnośląskie in cooperation with the Wrocław branch of the Association of Polish Architects. A total of 33 teams applied. HRA Architekci won second prize and Heinle, Wischer und Partner Architekci placed third, while honourable mentions went to Q-ARCH and the consortium of AJ Biuro Architektoniczne and Artur Jasiński i Wspólnicy Biuro Architektoniczne.