Submission: September 04, 2019
Registration: September 04, 2019
Language: Polish, English
Location: Cracow, Poland
Prizes: Please see details below
Type: Open
The new edition of the Biennale is meant to inspire reflection, meditation, and to stir our imagination in the process of understanding, participating and creating the closest environment in the city.
As the role of the historic European city centres changes, from an industrial base to a recreational, cultural and educational role, the situation of the urban rivers changes as well. The Vistula River running through Kraków, was once the central artery of transportation for the urban economy. That has changed. The river now gives the city a major recreational quality, with calm waters and green banks. Could this relationship between the city and its river now be reinterpreted, be given a stronger connection, a boost with new facilities, some new life and new functions, a new significance for the whole urban environment?
The Old Town of Kraków is still dominated by the mighty Wawel castle, towering over the river banks. North of the Wawel hill, the town centre, with the grand public space Rynek as its centrepoint, is contained within the boundaries of the old fortifications. This area, Planty, was turned into a lush urban park in the early 19th century. When this encircling park reaches the north side of Wawel and it is close to the river, for some reason it misses the connection. Could this area along the northern bend of the river, next to the castle, be ‘the missing link’ for the town, where the Old Town could meet the new recreational resources of the river and the historic significance of the castle? Could this area, between Planty and Vistula River, be where the 13 million annual visitors to the city could find new and exciting facilities, and where inhabitants could have an experience completing the urban narrative?
This area, squeezed in between the Old Town, the castle and the river, may give an opportunity to find some answers – through the uses of urban design, architecture and design – to some of the challenges that are raised. For new decades, with growing concerns for the environmental balance, with more frequent river flooding and also more emphasis on green and blue recreation, the connection between the town and the Vistula River could challenge a new generation of architects and designers to rethink their roles in historic urban development.
Competition A – architectural and urban competition. Competition A has open, idea (conceptual) character. The aim of the competition is to select the best project referring to the idea, subject and title of MBA KRK 2019 – “CONNECTIONS – the Town and the River”. Deadline for sending forms and entries in the Competition A: 4 September 2019. The Competition A Commisioner is architect Marcin Włodarczyk.
Prizes in the A competition:
1st prize – PLN 50 000
2nd prize – PLN 30 000
3rd prize – PLN 20 000
Competition B – The subject of the Seminar competition will include papers / presentations / manifestos that contribute to the theory serving the practice of shaping a human-friendly environment related to the main topic of the MBA Kraków 2019: “CONNECTIONS – The Town and the River”. Deadline for sending forms and entries in the Competition B: 4 September 2019. The Competition B Commisioner is architect Marta A. Urbańska.
Prizes in the B competition:
1st prize – PLN 10 000
2nd prize – PLN 6 000
3rd prize – PLN 4 000
Competition C – multimedia competition. The aim of the Competition is to select the best competition entry related to the subject of the MBA and operating a tool such as a video camera or a camera. Deadline for sending forms and entries in the Competition C: 4 September 2019. The Competition C Commisioner is architect Paweł Wieczorek.
Prizes in the C competition:
prize in the Photography category – PLN 10 000
prize in the Film category – PLN 10 000
