Space

SURVIVAL 15
ART REVIEW
“STRATIFICATION”

23–27.06.2017
AUDITORIUM OF THE FACULTY OF CHEMISTRY OF WROCŁAW UNIVERSITY
ADDRESS: ul. Fryderyka Joliot-Curie 13, Wrocław

 

Considered by many to be the best building built in Poland after 1945, this gem of modernist architecture has survived almost unchanged, including its interiors. The auditorium was erected in an area of ​​the city that had been severely damaged during the siege of Festung Breslau, right on the Odra embankment in close proximity to the characteristic Grunwald Bridge. Constructed in the years 1968-1972 according to the design of Krystyna and Marian Barski as part of a complex of three interconnected facilities to be used by chemistry students, the building was one of the elements of the new scientific district centred around Plac Grunwaldzki. Its dynamic body is one of the most visually attractive buildings in this part of the city, whereas the interior is Wrocław’s only surviving example of original interior design dating back to the turn of the 1970s. The architects prepared a comprehensive interior design, including furniture and lighting, which used different materials, both artificial and natural, and interesting visual solutions. The main lecture hall is particularly noteworthy due to its wall panelling and an original ceiling. In 1975, Roman Pawełski’s concrete sculpture called Atom was placed in front of the Auditorium. The building has not been used for educational purposes for over a dozen years. In 2012, the Auditorium was entered in the Registry of Objects of Cultural Heritage as one of the newest monuments in Poland; it was also the newest venue where the SURVIVAL Art Review was held.