Honorary mention in the competition for the airport in Świdnik

The Kontrapunkt Project Investment Team received honorary mention in the competition for the architectural and city-planning conception for the airport in Świdnik. On August 25th, 2008, the competition was concluded with the assessment of fifteen projects. In the intention of the authors, Aleksander Mirek and Piotr Ostrowski, the most important city-planning, architectural and landscape endeavour, one which determined the shape of all subsequent project solutions, made an attempt at preserving the largest possible proportion of the existing landscape, the main elements of which are a majestic one-hundred year-old forest and a beautiful historical military cemetery. The authors of the conception consciously disregarded the necessity of moving the cemetery and cutting down such a large part of the original forest as had been foreseen in the introductory project conception. All decisions concerning the projects were based on the original premise regarding the division and protection of the existing landscape elements, all-the-while maintaining the highest standards of flight safety. In their project, the authors adopted the rule of a complete separation of heaven (the runway) and earth (the forest) by a full concrete wall. An exception to this rule is the terminal building, which fulfills the role of a gateway between heaven and earth. As such, it has been designed as a permeation of glass form with the concrete wall demarcating the boundary between earth and the runway. Situating the arrivals and departures sections in the building is deliberate and reflects the passenger's perspective when crossing this boundary. Departing travellers entering the terminal leave home (the forest) behind, and see the runway and heaven before them. Those arriving, on the other hand, pass through the full boundary wall and suddenly find themselves in the very center of a forest amphitheatre with a view of green or snow-covered trees, visible not solely on the facade, but also on the roof of the building, which gently rises in the direction of the forest.