krasinski pavilion

The Krasinski Pavilion is a casual assembly of two archetypes, the National Gallery (Mies van der Rohe) and Villa Savoie by Le Corbusier. Following the death of the Polish conceptual artist Edward Krasinski, his wife cooperated with FGF (Foksal Gallery Foundation) and decided to preserve his house/studio as a museum, and to expand it to include an exhibition gallery. The pavilion is on the 13th floor of a residential tower, on the outskirts of the old city centre of Warsaw. The ‘open’ exhibition gallery on the former roof terrace has glass walls and an overhanging roof. The panorama roof is a podium for the summer activities. The street lanterns, the wind / projection screen, the sofa and the staircase with the railings are the furniture which facilitate the summer activities.
The former entrance, kitchen and shower have been combined to form a single room, which is the entrance to both the Krasinski museum and the new exhibition gallery. The pantry, archives and working area have been combined in a single unit.
The overhang of the new roof of the Krasinski pavilion and curtains provide the necessary sun screening and darkening of the new exhibition gallery. The stainless steel roof edge is a clear reference to Mies van der Rohe. The galvanised ceiling finishing works as a reflector for the lighting. Round scaffolding pipes on the ceiling are the exhibition system. The inner stairs lead to the panorama deck, for which purpose the roof has quite literally been lifted up. The black rubber roofing finish turns the deck into one big sofa and there is a rubber interpretation of the sofa by Mies van der Rohe. The large screen refers both to the advertising signs so prominent in the Warsaw streets and to the wind screen of Villa Savoie, and functions as a projection screen. The street lantern and the wire fence were not designed but are rather standard catalogue products.