Lodz, Poland
ZAS won first honourable mention at an international architectural competition to design a new Centre for Contemporary Art (also known as the Special Art Zone), in downtown Łódź, Poland from 36 pre-qualified teams. The ZAS entry, prepared in association with Tu i Tam Architecture & Design, molded the Special Art Zone (SAZ) building into a dynamic solid levitating above a strongly animated street floor.
The simple yet dramatic shape takes clues from work of renowned local cubist artists, one of whom is honoured at the neighbouring city square. Its shiny, bright red cladding made of high-tech fluoropolymer fabric skin gives the building an unmistakable appearance of contemporary civic architecture while paying homage to the surrounding rich urban context. The Special Art Zone is the first phase of a Special
Cultural Zone - an ambitious large-scale urban revitalization of Łódź downtown core, which will eventually include, among other things, a new Festival and Congress Centre, the World Art Foundation Headquarters (The David Lynch Centre) and Energopolis - an education and entertainment complex featuring “energy” theme. A key feature of the proposed new Special Cultural Zone is the streets of four cultures, a deliberate reference to the early history of the city and the activities of its Polish, Jewish, German and Russian citizens. Each culture will have its own building to actively celebrate its unique cultural and artistic heritage.
Client
Łódz
Program
Entertainment Complex
Festival / Congress Centre
World Art Foundation