Architects taking part in this competition shall design a new square. It is to take the place of the central fragment of the vast Plac Defilad [Parade Square] in the very center of Warsaw. That square was created together with the Palace of Culture and Science Building, which until 1990 had been the second highest building in Europe and is seen by many as a symbol of Poland’s subjugation to the Soviet Union.
The partial building up of Parade Square has been planned since the beginning of the nineteen–nineties. However, it was the taking on of concrete expression of plans for the building of the Museum of Modern Art and the TR Theater on these grounds that provided the impetus to organize and/or create public space coupled with those facilities.
Due to the historical role and importance of the square in public awareness as well as its central location in the city, its future form requires in–depth studies and community participation in the design. It is these ends that this architectural competition is to serve. It will combine the quest for a vision of high–quality public space—the competition designs—with public consultations on the awarded designs, which as a result of negotiations with the awarded teams will lead to the identification of the contractor for the square design.
