krakow – Ersan ilktan

The project started with a phone call from a mayor of an old railway town that once had its golden times filled with industries ranging from paint to tire production which made this town called Debica a center for transportation and production hub between prominent cities of Krakow, Lublin, and Rzeszow. This phenomena that started with the industrial revolution produced a large network of railway and river lines that connect Europe which enormously fastened the production chain. But with the coming of the first and the second World Wars, Poland experienced a great deal of transformation.

These Production lines were continuously being cut and then continued for larger intervals where for the locals, these jobs were the only source of income. Therefore the railway line symbolized a connection axis that greatly related this town with other cities and countries. The main railway line that cuts through the city both divided and became the heart of the city. Unfortunately, this railway line historically experienced the millions of Jews and War criminals to be transported to concentration camps across Poland. Therefore the connection that Debica had with the outside world was through this axis and although not every train stopped at this station, physically the residents of the city experienced there very important times in the world.

The main aim of the project is to introduce a much needed urban center for Commercial, Cultural, Iconic, Transportation, Governmental, and Residential activities. The first approach was to locate the Debica Main Train Station, Debica Cultural Center, Debica Museum of Contemporary Art and an Office building that housed companies related to the newly reviving industrial activities of the city. The Mayor of Debica’s main aim was to transform Debica into an iconic thriving city that feeds from the reintroduction of the industrial economy from an old town with a bright past status which is very common throughout Europe in the 21st Century. This Revival may also reflect the transformation of Poland as a Global contributor to the European Union in the last century.

After the decisions from an urban scale, I choose to focus on a particular public building where I can further examine this unique situation Debica is in. The Debica Museum of Contemporary Art could attract visitors from many different cities that pass through this vein of Poland and offer a community space for visitors, important clients, office workers, children of Debica old and new Residents in this community. The design encompasses the contrast between the old and the new city. It embraces the movement of the visitors and how the main pedestrian and vehicle path that passes around the museum relates to the form.

The facade transitions into a supporting staircase that brings people from the ground level to an entrance that eases the vertical circulation by making it more inviting. The two slabs that divide the museum offers for a distinct approach to permanent and temporary exhibitions that will be held there. the temporary part of the exhibition is chronologically after the permanent exhibition which in a case of transition between exhibits gives the illusion that the visitors are not missing anything. Also because the light condition differs greatly with different exhibits it is important that we can offer flexible artificial lighting solutions that are independent of the spatial and local constraints of light that is in Poland. Therefore this part of the museum is on the Ground floor and the only access is from the main staircase that creates a spatial hole in the middle of the complex.

It is important that a museum has zones of isolation and connection that allows the visitors to experience times of profound simplicity and sterilization of other senses than the work of art and also a connection between the different times and spaces through the journey. This main vertical space that connects the two slabs offer this visual and spatial connection with the addition of a skylight which momentarily reintroduces the natural light inside the museum reminding visitors where they are and the transition. The ground level has a huge void overlooking the road at the back which represents the transportation of different exhibits that will be housed.