Szczecin's Philharmonic among the finest pieces of contemporary architecture!

The Philharmonic is the only Polish building to have made it to the list of 200 most significant pieces of contemporary architecture in the world – the C.guide!

A stellar company of contemporary architecture icons

Almost nine years after its opening, the Philharmonic's building continues to garner accolades – this time, it became the only project from Poland to have been listed among the 200 most significant pieces of contemporary architecture in the world.

The list has been compiled by the global guide to contemporary architecture – C.guide , authored by the Spanish Foundation of Contemporary Architecture. C.guide provides a selection of 200 projects that, according to its authors, respond to the challenges and opportunities of global contemporary architecture. It includes buildings constructed after 1975 which, according to the Selection Committee, represent unique architecture as whole, “one which by itself would justify a trip to the place”. The list is meant to reflect diverse strategies of and approaches to managing the complexities of the contemporary landscape.

Modern design inspired by music, location and history

Opened in 2014, the building of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin was designed  by the  Barozzi/Veiga (Fabrizio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga) Studio from Barcelona. The construction process took three years (2011–2014), and the project cost PLN 120 million. The City of Szczecin provided a portion of the funds, and the rest was financed by the European Union.

The design concept draws inspiration from the organ, the instrument played by some of the most talented composers – Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Stanisław Moniuszko and Feliks Nowowiejski. At the same time, its shape harks back to the history of the place – the Hanseatic style of Szczecin's buildings.

This inspiration is evident in the monumental white shape, with a distinctive line of steeply pitched and tapering roofs, and the three-dimensional structure of the aluminium and glass façade. The authors of this innovative architectural design won the international contest announced in 2007 to select a concept for the new building for Szczecin’s Philharmonic. Their concept bested 40 other contest submissions.

“Created for a city in northern Poland, this building reconstructs the junction at which stood the pre-war Konzerthaus. The central and historical importance of this location had to be restored” – says the designers’ comment in the C.guide. “A corner of Szczecin in which the Philharmonic could initiate the process of transforming the city.”