While plans to rebuild Saski Palace continue to divide the Polish public, the ambitious project has proved more popular abroad, a point underscored by its International Architecture Award in the reconstruction/restoration category.

Authored by Warsaw’s WXCA studio, their design will see the Neoclassical palace resurrected along with the adjacent Rococo Brühl Palace and three townhouses—all of which were destroyed in 1944 during the Nazi occupation in retaliation for the Warsaw Uprising.

Bridging the past with the present, WXCA’s vision will see the palace faithfully recreated from the outside. Inside, however, the building will tout a new layout more suitable for the times.

“Behind the façade, we are completely changing the form and the usage of the building,” says architect Małgorzata Dembowska, “and this is for the better because historically, back in 1939 the palace was not open to the general public. Now, it will be an open, welcoming space for everyone to explore.”

Polish History Museum (Warsaw)

WXCA added to their trophy cabinet after bagging the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Award for Excellence for their design for the Polish History Museum.

Standing on the grounds of a 19th-century Russian citadel that had long been inaccessible to the public, WXCA’s design saw this historically significant site transformed into a multifunctional cultural and educational facility aimed at “showcasing the country’s heritage.”

Juror Sophie Henley-Price said: “The Polish History Museum has displayed excellence in all areas, from powerful yet inclusive architecture, to reasoned sustainable strategies, regenerative placemaking and an extensive multi-generational education program. More importantly, and so relevant today, is its cultural significance and mission, one that stretches beyond Warsaw and is a powerful vector for change.”

The Polish History Museum was the largest cultural institution created and financed under the previous government and has so far cost in excess of 1 billion złotys.

Piers (Lake Słupeckie)

Two wooden ring-shaped piers in western Poland won the Landscape Design category at the DNA Paris Design Awards, delighting judges for both their design and environmental awareness.

Commenting on the installation, the panel said: “This project is a perfect example of blending design with respect for the natural environment and history—the focus on smaller elements not only enhances the landscape but also encourages active use of the space.”

Scorpio House (various locations)

The concept for a luxury nuclear bunker titled Scorpio House proved to be one of Poland’s more unorthodox architectural triumphs.

Composed of various easy-to-transport, modular structures that can then be configured to be as small—or large—as personal taste demands, the blueprint for the bunker earned a gong in the Innovative Architecture category of the Iconic Awards.

“By basing [Scorpio House shelters] on developed, repetitive elements, we can create any size or function, so that they include wine cellars, a home cinema room, a luxury spa, music room, or meeting space,” said Bogusław Barnaś, founder of the BXB design studio.

“The uniqueness of our solution lies in redefining a shelter as an investment intended not just for times of threat,” he added. “Just as utilitarian ships used for transport evolved into a separate category of luxury product, we have elevated the utilitarian nuclear bunker to the level of a luxurious space where we can pursue our passions and dreams.”

Look Up! (Warsaw)

Winning the ‘surface interiors’ category of the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, Look Up! earned plaudits for its originality and aesthetics.

Set on the 41st and 42nd floor of the Polish capital’s Skyliner skyscraper, the design of this striking events space was inspired by air and movement, and features spectacular artistic installations set against copper, glass, concrete and oxidized steel surfaces.

Metropolitan Bus Station (Lublin)

Lublin’s Metropolitan Bus Station has scooped a range of awards, but none more prestigious than the top prize at the World Architecture Festival, a ceremony often nicknamed ‘the Oscars for architecture.’

Constructed using low-emission building materials, the station’s eco credentials include rainwater retention facilities, heat pumps, photo-voltaic panels, energy-efficient lighting, smog-absorbing paving stones and a vertical garden composed of 25,000 plants.

To the human eye, however, it is the station’s aesthetics that are the most striking. Dominated by glass and pristine white concrete, the object is propped up by supporting columns designed to gently reference folkish motifs—reminiscent of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, these flowering pillars have become the project’s defining feature.

Uprising Mound (Warsaw)

Warsaw’s Uprising Mound found itself winning the European Prize for Public Space, triumphing over 297 projects submitted from 35 countries—an impressive feat given that for decades it was treated as little more than a rubbish dump.

Constructed from war rubble in the 1960s, the mound was intended to serve as ‘a commemorative tomb’ and a tangible trace of the vanished city. However, this somber link to Warsaw’s past was allowed to slip into decline; by the 70s, such was its state of dishevelment that it found itself named Górą Śmieci (Garbage Hill).

Prompted by complaints from the dwindling band of Uprising veterans, the city authorities intervened a few years ago and launched an architectural competition to transform the eight-hectare space.

Reopened last year following a 20 million złoty (€4.61 million) restoration, the results have proved spectacular. Featuring a small open-air exhibition at the base of the mound, other elements include a 350-step stairwell flanked by broken wartime masonry, a circular viewing platform, ribboning woodland trails and snaking metal walkways that twist and turn above gullies down below.

Woda (Bydgoszcz)

A Bydgoszcz bakery-cafe became the talk of Europe after being voted ‘the most beautiful cafe’ on the continent at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. Designed by the Wrocław-based architectural studio Znamy Się and architect Paweł Tatar, the venue wooed judges with its eye-catching cobalt flooring and its effortlessly chic bar.