National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra venue named best cultural building in Poland

The iconic National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) venue has been singled out for a special award from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage: the best new cultural building in Poland in the “Życie w Architekturze” Awards (Life in Architecture).

Małgorzata Omilanowska, the minister of Culture and National Heritage (Poland) presented the award to Buro Happold’s Ian Booth, Partner, and Tomasz Konior, architectural designer, at the recent award ceremony attended by Bronisław Komorowski, the President of Poland.

At the ceremony, Małgorzata Omilanowska highlighted why NOSPR is a perfect example of how Poland has used European Union funds to create outstanding cultural facilities whilst Bronisław Komorowski stated that ”Architecture is becoming increasingly important in shaping our environment, our lives, and is now beginning to shape ourselves. In Poland, appetite for good architecture is growing and it has been proven by the high quality of projects rewarded here.”

Ian Booth added “The NOSPR project was a great challenge for us so I am proud that Buro Happold’s contribution to creating cultural heritage has been acknowledged by such a key Polish cultural institution.”

The “Życie w Architekturze” awards are organised by the leading Polish architecture magazine Architektura Murator in partnership with the board of the Association of Polish Architects and recognise the best Polish contemporary achievements in architecture as well as aiming to increase public interest in design and architecture.

The new home to the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia, was created for musicians and music lovers alike and is situated in Katowice, Upper Silesia, Poland. This world class, 25,000m² concert hall can house an audience of almost 1,800 and boasts exceptional acoustics as well as being an awe inspiring structure in its own right. Buro Happold developed the structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering solutions for this unique project.