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STANISŁAW WYSPIAŃSKI MUSEUM
DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT-MATTER OF THE COMPETITION, DESCRIPTION
OF THE SITE OF THE INVESTMENT PROJECT,
AND FUNCTIONAL AND UTILITY ASSUMPTIONS AND GUIDELINES
Developed by a team directed by
Łukasz Gaweł
Team members:
Andrzej Betlej, Magdalena Czubińska, Marta Graczyńska, Daniel Hankus, Magdalena Jabłońska,
Grzegorz Jakóbik, Piotr Krzaczyński, Magdalena Laskowska, Robert Litwiniuk, Grażyna Malik, Joanna
Niewidok, Paweł Orkisz, Grzegorz Ostrowski, Iwona Parzyńska, Andrzej Rajch, Filip Skowron, Anna
Walczyk, Marta Winiarczyk, Justyna Zapała-Więch and Beata Zelek
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Table of contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 4
1. Museum Quarter – functional assumptions ................................................................................... 4
2. Previous concepts of operation of the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum ......................................... 6
3. Site, surrounding area and footpaths connecting the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum with the
surrounding area ..................................................................................................................................... 7
4. Organisational and programme assumptions for the National Museum in Krakow .................... 10
4.1 Mission of the National Museum in Krakow ................................................................................. 12
4.2. Scope of activities of the National Museum in Krakow ................................................................ 12
4.3. Characteristics of the collection ............................................................................................. 13
4.4. Target audience of the National Museum in Krakow .............................................................. 14
5. Stanisław Wyspiański Museum ..................................................................................................... 15
5.1. General assumptions ................................................................................................................... 15
5.2. Stanisław Wyspiański Museum – the concept.............................................................................. 15
5.3. Anticipated museum attendance ......................................................................................... 17
5.4. Key assumptions for protection of the collection ............................................................... 18
5.5. Functional spaces .................................................................................................................. 19
5.5.1. Entrance lobby – visitor service area ............................................................................... 19
5.5.2. Main part – the exhibition ................................................................................................ 21
5.5.3. Education space ................................................................................................................ 23
5.5.4. Underground part of the development project ............................................................... 25
5.5.4.1. Impact of designed building on existing green spaces ..................................................... 25
5.5.4.2 Functions envisaged in the underground section ............................................................. 25
5.5.5. Rooftop space ................................................................................................................... 26
5.5.6. Functional relations between the Wyspiański Museum and the Main Building............ 27
5.5.7. Facilities for persons with disabilities .............................................................................. 28
5.5.8. Surroundings of the Museum ........................................................................................... 29
5.5.9. Transportation of museum objects .................................................................................. 30
5.5.10. List of areas within Stanisław Wyspiański Museum ........................................................ 30
6. Technical guidelines ...................................................................................................................... 35
6.1. Building’s structure .................................................................................................................... 35
6.2. Energy efficiency ........................................................................................................................ 35
6.3. Security systems ................................................................................................................... 37
6.4. Fire protection ...................................................................................................................... 39
6.5. Climate and air pollution control ......................................................................................... 41
6.6. Multimedia system ............................................................................................................... 44
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6.7. IT system ............................................................................................................................... 46
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Introduction
The Stanisław Wyspiański Museum (MW) presented in this document is meant to be
a part of a greater whole, namely Krakow’s new Museum Quarter. Ultimately, it shall be
comprised of five components:
1) The Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow.
2) The Independence Bid Museum in Oleandry Street.
3) The Stanisław Wyspiański Museum.
4) The former Cracovia hotel with the object warehousing and conservation centre.
5) The space connecting all above buildings.
In view of the above, the document presented below is to be treated as a module of
a greater whole. Meanwhile, it shall be stressed that all activities (conceptual and,
consequently, design) must take into consideration the general functional and utility
assumptions for the entire Quarter.
The designed building is to become a modern narrative biographical museum
presenting the person, artistic work and heritage of Stanisław Wyspiański within a broad
context of his times against the background of the European and international art. Its
functions are to extend far beyond that of a gallery of works of an outstanding artist. The new
museum shall operate as an education and knowledge centre permitting the general public to
make full use of the works and heritage of Stanisław Wyspiański. The museum of Stanisław
Wyspiański, a prominent representative of the Polish modernism, shall demonstrate the
versatile and universal modern and European character of his work where fine arts, literature,
theatre, and even architecture and monument conservation, interact.
1. Museum Quarter – functional assumptions
The emerging museum quarter follows the trend adopted by multiple European cities
that tend to concentrate their museums within a single area that acquires a completely new
sense in the social dimension. The erection of the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum right next to
the Main Building shall amount to a major architectural intervention ultimately giving a spatial
dimension to Krakow’s new museum quarter. When designing the new building,
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interdependencies between the individual buildings, communication between them as well as
complementarity of functions should, therefore, be considered. For instance, MW shall have
no warehousing space and its needs in that respect shall be satisfied by the conservation and
warehousing centre created behind the building of the former Cracovia hotel.
The described quarter is divided spatially into two distinct parts: The Main Building shall be
accompanied by MW and the Independence Bid Museum, the planned branch of the National
Museum in Krakow located in the Józef Piłsudski House in Oleandry Street.
MNK’s Main Building shall continue to house the central functions. The directors’ office
shall be located and the key temporary exhibitions shall be held here. Permanent exhibitions,
among them the planned exhibition dedicated to the history of the Polish culture, shall also
be presented in the Main Building.
The Wyspiański Museum, as described herein, even though granted great autonomy,
shall nonetheless be linked to the Main Building, also in the physical dimension as, ultimately,
an underground connector and an overground corridor are both being designed.
The Independence Bid Museum shall be unique. It is located far enough from the Main
Building not to be visible to the visitors from that perspective. Nonetheless, it shall be MNK’s
branch situated the closest to the Main Building from among the other buildings mentioned
in this chapter. It shall be wholly dedicated to the heritage of the Legions and the bid for
independence leading to Poland regaining its independence. Despite the distance, the
Museum Quarter’s space shall be designed so as to assume the informative function of a kind
directing the visitors to that museum. This part of the Museum shall be most varied in terms
of the audience. According to the attendance analysis from the previous years, all three
abovementioned branches shall be frequently visited by school groups. Furthermore, the
Wyspiański Museum and the Main Building shall attract Polish tourists and foreign visitors.
Permanent exhibitions in the Main Building shall be composed so as to become gates of a kind
to the exhibitions held at two remaining facilities, e.g. exhibition dedicated to the history of
arms and uniforms in the Main Building shall naturally refer visitors to the exhibition in
Oleandry Street.
The refurbished former Cracovia hotel, the building complex on the other side of the
square, shall undoubtedly have a different character. The ultimate development of that site,
the final decision on the gallery and the exhibition to be created there, shall be preceded by
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a demand study, diagnosis of the audience and social consultations. A number of inescapable
elements of that new complex may, however, be identified today already. Commercial
functions shall definitely be located on the ground floor from Foch Avenue, namely
restaurants and bars as well as retail shops. It is assumed that museum galleries would operate
here, with the original concept envisaging an exhibition dedicated to architecture and design
and, possibly, also old photography or comic books. The administrative facilities of the
National Museum in Krakow are also to be housed here. The ultimate space simulation shall
provide information whether or not commercial lease of the top floor of the building is
possible, e.g. a café (with a rooftop café space on the building’s roof).
Behind the existing Cracovia hotel building, above the former casino and the
restaurant’s back facilities, a new building is to be built housing a modern object warehousing
and conservation centre, including, but not limited to, artwork warehouses, including study
warehouses, conservation studios or a digitalisation room.
Creation of the space in-between all mentioned buildings is another issue to be
addressed. This is all the more difficult given that it does not belong to the Museum but is
primarily owned by the city. Thus, certain general proposals relating to that space may only
be formulated. The list below reflects the expectations communicated by the attendees of the
participative workshops held at the National Museum in Krakow on the subject – the space
in-between all mentioned buildings shall:
1) feature as much greenery as possible;
2) feature minimum road traffic;
3) be a lively place (organisation of events); and
4) designed, first of all, to meet the needs of the city’s residents.
2. Previous concepts of operation of the Stanisław Wyspiański
Museum
Creation of a biographical museum in Krakow dedicated to Stanisław Wyspiański has
been discussed for many years. In the past, such Museum operated as a branch of the National
Museum, first in Kanonicza Street (from 1983 to 2002) and, thereafter, in Szołayski House in
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Szczepański Square (from 2004 to 2012). Those are not modern buildings that meet the
demands of contemporary museology. Therefore, new concepts for creation of an adequate
space presenting the work and heritage of Stanisław Wyspiański were developed. Without
doubt, the concept proposed by Professor Mieczysław Porębski is one of the most interesting.
The concept authored by Marta Romanowska is also noteworthy. Overall, those assumptions
may be revisited and updated to meet the demands of modern museum facilities. The new
MW shall be the space presenting the artist’s entire output accumulated in the largest
collection of his works, dedicated to specific works to enable presentation of monumental art,
ensuring the greatest ever availability of Wyspiański’s art, promoting Wyspiański’s work by
means of modern forms of presentation and interpretation, and holding temporary
exhibitions dedicated to the art of Wyspiański, his friends, artists influenced by Wyspiański,
contemporary theatre performances of the artist’s dramas etc.
3. Site, surrounding area and footpaths connecting the Stanisław
Wyspiański Museum with the surrounding area
According to the adopted assumption, the MW project is to be developed in the
immediate vicinity of the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow (MNK). The main
MNK complex is located in the western part of Krakow’s city centre, bordering in the east on
the main thoroughfare running through this section of the city, Aleja Trzech Wieszczów
Avenue. It occupies plots nos. 191/2, 191/4 and 207/5. In the north, the Museum borders on
the grounds of the Jagiellonian Library, in the west - on those of Zaczek students’ home,
whereas in the south a square spreads connecting the museum complex to the area of the
former Cracovia hotel, divided by the tram tracks, Aleja Focha Avenue and footpaths. The new
facility, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, shall be located on the west side of the Main
Building, on the plot bordering on the grounds of Zaczek students’ home.
The investment project planned at the designated site is strongly embedded in the
history of Krakow and that part of the city. When in 1910, the city’s area increased sevenfold
as a result of its merger with the adjacent villages, the idea of creation of the so-called Great
Krakow was born. An urban planning competition was then held by the municipal authorities
aimed at working out a concept for the development of the land previously occupied by the
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infrastructure of Krakow fortress. It was then that the concept for creation of an exclusive
boulevard and a representative square along the city’s north-south axis came to the fore. The
new development would fit perfectly with those concepts, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum
becoming an integral element of the frontage of the square spreading between the Main
Building and the former Cracovia hotel.
The plan for that part of the city is dominated by the Old Town with the Main Square,
surrounded by the Planty green belt established at the site of ancient municipal fortifications
(a section of the city’s walls with the impressive St. Florian’s Gate and the Barbican
spearheaded towards the Kleparz District being their remnants). In the immediate vicinity of
MNK, the dominant role is assumed by the previously mentioned Aleje Trzech Wieszczów
Avenue along which imposing edifices, some sunk in greenery, have been erected.
The existing MNK Main Building fits in with the local buildings – the Jagiellonian Library
is found in MNK’s immediate neighbourhood with the Silesian Seminar building located on the
other side of Aleje Trzech Wieszczów. The plot, on which the Museum’s Main Building was
built, is relatively small and does not feature cultivated greenery. It is predominantly occupied
by roads and footpaths, a car park and a complex of utility and technical buildings. When
designing a building suitable to fit that plot, it should be kept in mind, however, that the
general public may perceive the plot by the Museum as green space, especially given that it
borders on the garden arranged next to Zaczek students’ home. This is all the more important
that the modernist mass of the Main Building deprived of the composed green spaces and
preceded by the expanse of the square covered with stone tiles makes an impression of being
monumental and inaccessible, which conflicts with the image of the Museum we wish to
promote (an open and welcoming place). The Main Building of the National Museum in
Krakow is definitely one of the dominant public utility edifices in that part of Krakow, next to,
inter alia, the Jagiellonian Library and the AGH University of Science and Technology.
It is assumed that, following the construction of Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, the
existing communication system shall be kept. Vehicles shall enter the premises of the museum
complex from Oleandry Street via Kadrówki Street. Visitors, similarly to guests arriving by car
at the Main Building, shall use the ‘Under the Museum’ underground car park. It shall be
considered whether or not a stop (not a parking space) is to be envisaged for the coaches
bringing in groups of visitors behind the newly built facility. The designer is expected to
propose a conceptual solution to this issue. It may well be that the place for disembarking
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from coaches is to be envisaged at another location. A minimum of two parking spaces for
persons with disabilities, their placement offering the users the greatest comfort possible,
must also be designed. A bicycle parking zone shall also be designed.
The currently described area of the museum is characterised by the following
parameters of the buildings and their surroundings:
Total area of the Museum’s plots: 11,025.0 sqm
(including plot no. 207/5 – 1,181 sqm, plot no. 191/2 – 8,984 sqm and plot no. 191/4 – 860 sqm)
Developed area:
MNK Main Building: 5,842.2 sqm
Utility and technical buildings: 493.7 sqm
Total developed area: 6,335.9 sqm
The newly designed building of the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum must blend with
the frontage created by the new investment project and comprised of the Main Building of
the National Museum in Krakow, the new building and the Zaczek students’ house. However,
the direct point of reference shall the Main Building with the following dimensions:
Length of the front facade: 63 m.
Length of the side facade: 95.3 m.
Height from the ground level to the ledge (top of the parapet): 23.4 m.
Height from the ground level to the highest element on the roof: 27.9 m.
The investment site is not covered by the local area development plan. Neither has
a decision on conditions of area development or a decision on determination of the site of
a public purpose investment project been issued for it. This situation offers the designer
greater freedom. It shall be kept in mind, however, that approvals must be secured for the
proposed architectural form to allow for its construction. Thus, feasibility of the proposed
solutions is of critical importance. It is the responsibility of the winner of the competition to
secure one of the necessary aforementioned documents prior to the start of the design work.
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4. Organisational and programme assumptions for the National
Museum in Krakow
The Museum is organised by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The
Museum is a state cultural institution entered under no. RIK 25/92 in the register of cultural
institutions kept by the Minister.
The National Museum in Krakow is the oldest of the Polish museums bearing the
‘National’ designation. Established in 1879, it was originally a Polish contemporary art
museum and, owing to numerous gifts and acquisitions, was transformed over time into the
largest museum in Poland. Nowadays, the Museum is comprised of 16 buildings, 11 branches
and over 800,000 museum objects. The primary focus of MNK’s collection remains the Polish
art and culture although it also features valuable collections of works of the European and
international art, inter alia, painting, graphics, sculpture, art and decorative art of the Far East,
the ancient art, the Russian orthodox church art, the Judaica, a rich collection of decorative
art artefacts, arms and uniforms as well as numismatics. The unique Princes Czartoryski
Collection, owned by the National Museum in Krakow since 2016, has been granted an
exceptional status.
The Museum’s primary activity is the exhibition activity conducted within the
framework of organisation of both permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions. Exhibitions
intended for large audiences as well as cameral exhibitions of very high academic value are
held. Without doubt, one of the greatest successes of the recent years is the Wyspiański
temporary exhibition visited by over 220,000 persons since its opening in November 2017. It
ranks among the most visited exhibitions in the history of the National Museum in Krakow.
The Museum is engaged in broadly understood popularisation and educational
activities. Those activities consist, inter alia, in arranging museum classes, holding activities
and workshops for children, adults and young people, delivering training courses, and
organising activity classes for special audiences (e.g. persons with special needs and senior
citizens), curator-guided tours and meetings with museum keepers. Concerts and theatre
performances are also held at the Museum. MNK regularly participates in various types of
initiatives (Night of Museums, Week End at Half Price, Krakow Museums Open Doors Day, and
Krakow street festivities). Branches with gardens (such as the Mehoffer House, the Emeryk
Hutten-Czapski Museum and the Józef Czapski Pavilion) are involved in the municipal
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campaigns making the city’s green spaces available to the general public for various types of
activities such as, for instance, the Garden Feast Festival. An outdoor summer cinema has
been organised in front of the Jozef Czapski Pavilion for 3 years now. All those initiative
contributed to a distinct increase in the activity of the National Museum within various fields
after 2016. They are aimed not merely at boosting visitor numbers and identifying additional
reasons for visiting the Museum but are primarily meant to build a community around the
institution, a community of persons interested in the Museum’s activity across different fields
and, at the same time, its development and promotion of new forms of activity.
An important dimension of the new forms of the Museum’s activity has become its
broader opening to co-operation with the social environment, invitation of Krakow’s residents
to join the discussion on the future of the National Museum in Krakow. In 2017, a cycle of
participative workshops was conducted dedicated to the concept of alteration of the
Museum’s Main Building, the former Cracovia hotel and the square between them. The
workshops were conducted in co-operation with the Krakow Municipality’s Municipal
Dialogue Centre. The first meeting served as an open inaugural debate whereas the four
ensuing meetings were consultative meetings conducted using the expert method. Each of
the meetings was devoted to another theme:
28 March 2017 – MNK’s new seat - A new space for the city’s residents. Opportunities,
expectations and hopes – a debate inaugurating the participative process.
25 April 2017 – MNK’s Main Building – A new space, new functions and new exhibitions.
16 May 2017 – Cracovia hotel – MNK’s new seat. Opportunities, expectations and hopes.
6 June 2017 – MNK’s Main Building: We want a modern museum! What does modern mean?
20 June 2017 – Forum of Culture – A new public space between MNK Main Building and the
Cracovia hotel building.
The workshops were attended by Krakow’s residents, including also experts from
various fields, namely architects, urban planners and practising artists. Their involvement in
the discussion, creativity, experience and references to the various European and
international examples helped MNK gather invaluable feedback on the future of this part of
the city of Krakow.
The social environment was also involved in the focus interviews conducted in order
to work out the concept of alteration of the Mehoffer House, a branch of MNK.
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MNK’s exhibition policy and the accompanying initiatives have contributed to the
aggregate annual visitor numbers at the National Museum in Krakow exceeding 1,000,000.
The aggregate attendance over consecutive years was as follows:
2016 – 770,714 visits
2017 – 1,278,210 visits
2018 – 1,147,140 visits
A significant increase in attendance is also reported in the Main Building. It is
correlated with a temporary display of Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine and the
Wyspiański temporary exhibition. Interestingly, the average daily attendance is higher for the
exhibition of the works of Stanisław Wyspiański, which attests to great interest in the life and
work of this outstanding artist and his influence upon the artists active after 1907 in the field
of visual, performing and film arts and in the area of design.
4.1 Mission of the National Museum in Krakow
Our Museum is a space for dialogue conducted with respect for different thoughts
and ideas. Through encounters with art, research into and care over the unique
collection, we wish to inspire people to experience the diversity of natural
heritage. We want to create a friendly, safe and open place. We believe that, by
doing so, we make the world a better place.
4.2. Scope of activities of the National Museum in Krakow
The Museum’s activity concentrates around the tasks defined in the Museums Act of
21 November 1996. The Museum accomplishes its tasks by:
1. collecting objects, monuments and documenting materials within the scope of its activity,
acquired through purchases, gifts, legacies, donations and deposits;
2. taking stock, cataloguing and preparing a scholarly documentation of collected objects;
3. storing collected objects in the conditions ensuring their safety and availability for
scholarly purposes;
4. securing and conserving objects;
5. organising permanent and temporary exhibitions in Poland and abroad;
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6. conducting scholarly research and making efforts to popularise its findings in the field of
arts, humanities, history of museums and art conservation and supporting preservation of
national heritage;
7. publishing catalogues, exhibition guides, popular science publications, books for children
and young people, scholarly monographs as well as findings of scholarly research;
8. conducting educational activities;
9. lending for use and accepting in deposit collections within the scope and according to the
procedures compliant with the applicable laws and regulations;
10. preparing expert and standard opinions as well as responding to queries relating to its
activities; and
11. operating a specialist library, a scholarly library and the archive.
4.3. Characteristics of the collection
The Museum’s collection includes objects of art, decorative art, archives and book
collections, specifically:
1. archaeological artefacts, painting, sculpture and decorative art constituting the
heritage of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the European heritage;
2. arms and uniforms;
3. historic manuscripts and prints;
4. numismatics;
5. sigillography;
6. manuscripts and autographs;
7. drawings, ancient and contemporary graphics;
8. art and decorative art of the Far East;
9. mementos of famous Poles, e.g. Karol Szymanowski, and specifically Jan Matejko and
his disciples, Jozef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański; and
10. works of more recent art (20th and 21st centuries), also utility art and monuments of
material culture.
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4.4. Target audience of the National Museum in Krakow
As a public cultural institution, the National Museum strives to open its doors to all
audiences. This is not an empty declaration or a marketing trick but an authentic will to engage
in a broad and interdisciplinary dialogue, interact with all persons and groups within the
Museum’s social environment, and to expand the offer for the audiences from groups
threatened with social exclusion. It should be remembered that the envisaged Museum would
be visited also by foreigners. This is of particular importance in the context of designing the
new building for the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum. Fulfilment by the new building of the
requirements defined in the applicable laws is not deemed sufficient. The newly designed
facility together with its surroundings shall be a truly welcoming place offering all visitors an
opportunity to spend their free time and striving to satisfy their varying needs. It must give
visitors a possibility to participate in various activities, provoke them into interaction or simply
allow them to relax and spend their free time in comfort.
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5. Stanisław Wyspiański Museum
5.1. General assumptions
The planned investment project envisages erection of the new building of the
Stanisław Wyspiański Museum on the plot adjacent to the Main Building in the west. This
development project is meant to conform to the spatial conditions of the envisaged Museum
Quarter and represent an integral spatial element of the right proportions. It shall enter into
a relationship with the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow in its immediate
vicinity, facing the former Cracovia hotel, the square in-between them and the Zaczek
Students’ Home to the west. The nearby statue of Stanisław Wyspiański, the work of Marian
Konieczny unveiled in 1982, must also become an important point of reference for the
designer of the new building given its intended purpose. At the same time, the whole
investment project must have the dimension of artistic creation, unique and unequivocally
invoking the work of Stanisław Wyspiański.
5.2. Stanisław Wyspiański Museum – the concept
The designed building is to become a modern biographical museum presenting the life
and work of the artist within a broad context of his times against the background of the
European and international art. Its functions are meant to extend far beyond that of a gallery
of works of an outstanding artist. The new museum shall operate as an education and
knowledge centre permitting the general public to make full use of the works and heritage of
Stanisław Wyspiański. The museum is to combine the functions of a modern-day design art
gallery, a narrative museum celebrating the artist’s memory, an interactive workshop space
and the so-called ‘digital cocoon’ (a term employed by Łukasz Gaweł), a state-of-the-art digital
repository of the works of Stanisław Wyspiański, with the history of their reception, criticism
or staged performances within a broad social and cultural context. At the same time, the
museum is to serve as a multi-functional facility with movable equipment permitting
participative delivery of the initiatives proposed by the general public itself. We would strive
to avoid the trap into which many narrative museums have fallen consisting in the organisers
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defining in full the programme and character of the site beforehand and the general public’s
evolving needs not be accounted for subsequently.
The museum of Stanisław Wyspiański, the prominent representative of the Polish
modernism should demonstrate, in the contextual layout, the highly versatile and universal
modern and European character of the work of this incredibly versatile artist in which fine
arts, literature, performing arts and even architecture and monument conservation interact.
The task of the designer would then be to create such exhibition space where image, word
and sound would all contribute to one coherent whole they originally were in the artist’s mind.
The specificity of Stanisław Wyspiański’s work is that it is unaccomplished, with many
works abandoned at the stage of a concept or draft and many works devoid of their cultural
context: the exhibition shall comprise the artist’s works found in MNK’s collection
(Attachment M02). Hence, those are not the works fully describing Wyspiański’s commitment
to a given field of art but they are nonetheless representative even if sometimes Wyspiański’s
preserved heritage appears to be anything but fragmentary. Probably the most telling
example is the work of Wyspiański as a director and a set designer of his own plays. MNK is in
possession of a dozen or so works related to theatre; hence, it is expedient that the
multimedia (recorded performances) are introduced into the space of the exhibition to
complete the image of Wyspiański, a reformer of theatre.
Within the space of the exhibition, in addition to the presentation of the main plot: the
artist’s work bordering on symbolism, secession, neoclassicism or expressionism, it shall also
be essential to expose phantasy and creation, the two categories crucial to Wyspiański.
Perceived and highlighted as characteristic hallmarks of Wyspiański’s artistic activity already
by his contemporaries during his life: ‘the works of spirit, radiation of a feeling intensified to
an almost inhuman degree. Those are deep dramas, lived, felt and suffered in the infinities of
spirit, painful and authentic visions melted into colour and line’ (Eligiusz Niewiadomski on
Wyspiański’s stained glass).
A few insights into the character of a museum dedicated to Wyspiański can be found
in his Hamlet: ‘Architecture, Painting and Drama merged into one and allowing the the
spectators, THE WORLD AND THE SPIRIT OF THE CENTURY to experience THEIR FORM AND
STIGMA with their senses’.
The planned activities shall translate into the creation of a unique museum entering
permanently not only Krakow’s cultural landscape but also serving as a point of reference on
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a nationwide scale. The museum is also envisaged as a medium promoting the heritage of this
outstanding artist among foreigners, both in the real dimension and in the digital reality
(partially accessible online).
5.3. Anticipated museum attendance
The details of average attendance of the temporary Wyspiański exhibition in the Main
Building are crucial in the context of the newly designed museum. Open on 27 November
2017, the temporary exhibition is visited by an average of 496 persons every day (putting the
average monthly attendance at 12,586). The data show explicitly potentially high visitor
numbers anticipated after the opening of the Wyspiański Museum. The design of the new
investment project must foresee heavy traffic along the building’s passageways and in the
visitor service area. It is also necessary to ensure maximum capacity of exhibition rooms.
When estimating visitor numbers during events, attention should be paid to the
scheduled vernissages, concerts, performances, author’s meetings, curator-guided tours and
commercial events. Based on the experiences from the analogical events organised at MNK,
the anticipated visitor numbers are reported at approx. 200 persons (in the entrance lobby at
the same time).
The experience related to the organisation of educational activities in conjunction with
the Wyspiański exhibition point to the great appeal of the organised dedicated classes,
workshops and training courses, with an average of 320 visitors per day based on the
attendance of exhibition-related educational activities to date. The assumption was made that
the average number of participants of educational activities in a single room shall be 35
persons per group (additionally, educators and group supervisors), which suggests that
approx. 110 persons could be staying within the education space at the same time.
Meanwhile, educational activities may be held within the exhibition space for a maximum of
4 more educational groups, i.e. approx. 140 persons. This number is exclusive of the persons
visiting the Museum on their own.
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5.4. Key assumptions for protection of the collection
As a museum, MW must comply with the most rigorous requirements governing
protection of the collection (corresponding to the provisions of statutory laws and regulations
governing physical protection and technical security measures as well as conservation
recommendations). In the case of that collection, this is of particular relevance as the
collection is composed primarily of paper-based works, i.e. particularly sensitive to the
destructive operation of light. To assure the highest possible accessibility of works and their
maximum protection, the structural solutions developed with future exhibitions in mind
already at the stage of preparation of the museum’s architectural design would have to be
applied. It shall be necessary to identify solutions that would ensure convenient exhibiting
conditions for both small-sized pastels and large stained-glass carton templates requiring an
equally rigorous approach to the issue of exposure to light. The newly designed exhibition
space must, to the maximum extent, support conservation prevention while limiting, as far as
possible, the operation of external factors contributing to degradation of paper-based objects.
While the issue of temperature control, relative humidity or elimination of atmospheric
pollution from the exhibition rooms shall be resolved at the stage of design of indoor
installations and systems, the issue of minimisation of the impact of light on the object must
be addressed partially at the stage of designing the building (this is not merely the issue of the
lighting system). For that reason, it is required that the section of the building housing
exhibition rooms be fully deprived of daylight access (blackout). The objects’ exhibition
limitations shall force rotation of their display. In other words, even the most valuable and
known objects from the collection shall not be put on display for the visitors to see all the
time. Hence, there is a need for introducing a rotating exhibition system, preferably
automated to the maximum extent to reduce movements of museum objects.
A system for rotating exhibition of stained glass carton templates shall present a major
challenge. They are very large (the largest ones, two designs of the God the Father Franciscan
stained glass have the following dimensions, respectively: 837 x 348 cm and 877 x 391 cm).
A solution desirable in this respect could be a system similar to the one applied in the stage
curtains in theatres. Again, however, the details of the design and its execution shall represent
a major challenge and everything must be thought over at the stage of the architectural
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design. Use of roller shutters offering a possibility of blacking out the largest objects shall be
considered.
To ensure safety of the collection, the exhibition space may be located exclusively in
the overground section of the building.
5.5. Functional spaces
The assumptions for rigorous protection of the collection described above must be
enforced consistently with the expectations of the visitors who wish their visit to the new
museum to be as comfortable as possible. For that reason, it has been assumed that the MW
building itself shall comprise a number of sections that together would make up a modern
exhibition space that caters for the expectations of a friendly and open museum.
The bulk of the building must be fitted into a polygonal plot. The main entrance to the
new Museum shall lead to the visitor service area located in the architectural form adjusted
to the shape of the plot and forming the frontage facing the square through construction of
a new building.
The prepared documentation must satisfy the requirement of such design of corridors
and stairways inside the building that all main passageways are adapted to safe transportation
of objects and allow for relocation of large (long) objects and free passage of a forklift
(including manoeuvring to change the direction while driving).
The exhibition space must constitute a functional whole that can be closed at the same
time and accessible to visitors during the limited and predefined opening hours. The generally
accessible parts, namely the lobby zone, the education space, the multimedia library, the café,
the transport zones and the rooftop space, must be accessible during the extended opening
hours.
5.5.1. Entrance lobby – visitor service area
The lobby is meant as the representative space of the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum
permitting exercise of various functions, including organisation of vernissages, concerts or
theatre plays consistently with the scope of operation of the Museum. The lobby must give
the impression of a friendly and open space, with every visitor entering the building feeling
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welcome. It must offer multiple seating options to allow visitors to spend their time in
comfortable conditions. Introduction of solutions highlighting the importance of light in
Stanisław Wyspiański’s creative process may be considered as well as the placement of
a noticeable number of large flower pots with plants associated with the artist’s work at
a number of locations within the building. The plants introduced into the Museum’s space
must be deployed with due account taken of the key assumptions relating to observance of
restrictive conservation conditions (plants cannot be introduced into exhibition rooms).
Access to Level ‒1 shall also be assured from the lobby.
The visitor service area, namely the ticket desk, the information desk (visible to every
person entering the Museum), the museum store-bookshop and the café are to be housed in
the lobby. Designing customised furnishings for the place is recommended rather than using
ready-made furniture.
In the immediate vicinity of the entrance zone, a room shall be envisaged for the
monitoring and security systems along with the desk of the Internal Security Service. In the
guardroom, the workstation of the guard operating the technical protection system who is in
charge of direct physical protection, control of movements of people, museum objects and
material means as well as evacuation and delivery of first aid shall be deployed. To avoid the
need for the guard to desert the workstation in the guardroom, the social amenities room and
a restroom shall be designed therein.
It is also necessary to create a comfort zone to allow visitors to spend time in that space
(it must be linked directly to the museum’s café). Comfortable space for breastfeeding
mothers must be designed (the so-called room for a mother with a child equipped with an
armchair, a baby changing table and a bathroom with a toilet).
The museum store must come with a back room. The location shall be chosen that
every visitor must pass on their way out of the Museum (it is more important to locate the
museum store on the way ‘out’ rather than on the way ‘in’).
Given the unique nature of the designed facility and full freedom in creating its
functionalities, adoption of potential solutions differentiating functionalities to a much
greater degree than usually accepted in classic museum institutions is proposed. Introduction
of the following solutions may be considered:
– a possibility to shape functional links, e.g. between the café and the bookshop and the
leisure zone, by designing a flexible space that assumes different functions smoothly;
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– an alternative possibility to expand the leisure zone beyond the building’s indoor area during
the summer period;
– creation of a space adapted to presentation of works of art, namely the works of young
artists; that activity would be extremely important from the point of view of building social
capital and a community around the Museum and rendering the Wyspiański Museum a place
of ‘live art’ (Wyspiański as a creator still inspiring young artists) at the same time;
– such design of space is required that focuses on maximum comfort of the visitors and
significantly exceeds the standards set under the applicable laws and regulations (e.g. the
need for deploying the infrastructure in such manner that the users of the comfort zone and
the café have easy access to plug sockets enabling them to use and charge their mobile devices
or laptops).
5.5.2. Main part – the exhibition
The rooms intended for the permanent exhibition of a minimum area of 2,400 sqm are
to have no daylight access (blackout capabilities) (not applicable to other usable spaces). Due
to rigorous conservation requirements, the exhibition may be located exclusively in the
building’s overground section. It has been assumed that a double-height gallery shall be
created within the permanent exhibition space (for instance, through partial removal of the
ceiling between the floors) in which the Franciscan stained glass would be presented, with the
design of the God the Father stained glass taking the most prominent place. Never before has
any space been created permitting permanent and full exhibition of that project. Spectators
shall be able to view the stained glass from various levels and/or perspectives. The assumption
is made, at the same time, that no permanent space dividers created within the gallery’s area
after the completion of the conceptual work on the exhibition’s scenario shall be introduced
at individual floors apart from that one case (obviously, this does not apply to restrooms,
necessary technical rooms, staircases, other passageways etc.).
According to the general conceptual assumptions for the permanent exhibition, the
high-rising space in which Wyspiański’s monumental art is to be presented, primarily with the
centrally displayed design of the Franciscan God the Father stained glass, shall serve as central
exhibition space, a symbolic heart of the story of the life and work of Stanisław Wyspiański.
The core of the exhibition shall be the original works of Wyspiański that form the basic
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museum visit itinerary. It must be possible to tour the Wyspiański Museum while following
merely the trace of the objects (the key works must be located so that the visitor who has
little time or is simply not interested in spending long time in the Museum can navigate
efficiently through the exhibition and see Wyspiański’s most famous works).
At the same time, it is assumed that the planned exhibition shall be narrative in nature,
placing the life and work of Wyspiański in the context of the Polish and European art and the
broadly defined social environment. The exhibition shall be arranged around various themes.
The key challenge for the designer shall be to create such exhibition space as to allow
introduction of temporary exhibitions (the area dedicated to temporary exhibitions shall be
approx. 200 to 300 sqm). We expect the designer to propose an approach to address that
issue. A separate space dedicated to temporary exhibitions may be designed. Nonetheless,
designing movable spaces of temporary exhibitions is more interesting from the point of view
of live operation of the exhibition. Thus, the narrative exhibition would be modular to allow
modification of the museum visit itinerary through temporary exclusion of the selected
thematic modules while simultaneously introducing new modules constituting an integral
whole (of the thematic exhibition) that would complement and expand, in a creative manner,
the holistic exhibition dedicated to Stanisław Wyspiański’s versatile work. A number of
different spaces could probably be designated that may be temporarily arranged as temporary
exhibition rooms owing to modern exhibition systems.
That approach places a new challenge before the architect, namely to design corridors
and staircases in such manner that a part of the exhibition can be sealed off (for the duration
of the assembly and disassembly of the temporary exhibition) without any adverse impact on
the flow of visitors in the remaining parts of the exhibition. The suggested approach may be
partial glazing of ceiling slabs to allow visitors to ‘peek behind the curtain’ and watch the
process of setting up the temporary exhibition.
The exhibition space must constitute a functional whole that can be closed at the same
time and accessible to visitors during the limited and predefined opening hours.
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5.5.3. Education space
Based on the experiences associated with the Wyspiański temporary exhibition in the
Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow, it should be assumed that the Stanisław
Wyspiański Museum would be highly popular with varied audiences enjoying different types
of educational activities. It can hardly be imagined that Stanisław Wyspiański would be
removed from the national curriculum at primary and secondary schools. Accordingly, the
assumption has been made that MW’s educational activities would enjoy continuous
popularity.
For that reason, creation of a separate education space with its own back room, with
an aggregate area of approx. 230 sqm is planned. Using a system of wheeled movable walls
enabling flexible space creation, as needed, is envisaged in that area.
Education space is thought to enable simultaneous conduct of classes of varying nature
for varied audiences. It was assumed than an average class/group participating in educational
activities would count approx. 35 persons. Therefore, it is necessary to design a workshop
room of an area of approx. 80 sqm (basic, default arrangement of wheeled movable walls).
Furthermore, design of a large workshop room with an area of 120 sqm is envisaged. The room
must be divisible into two smaller fully sound-proof rooms. Following the division, each of the
rooms must offer direct access to the back rooms equipped with multiple washbasins.
One of the education rooms shall ultimately feature a modular amphitheatre
auditorium system (an auditorium flexible in terms of the seating capacity) foldable into
a uniform wall of a suggested maximum width of 1.5 m. The adopted solution shall enable free
arrangement of the space of one of the education rooms with the option of organising theatre
performances in the layout similar to an amphitheatre and subsequently disassembling the
components and rearranging them into a block uniform structure. Thus, the space of one of
the education rooms must foresee an area allowing for the placement of a folded modular
amphitheatre auditorium. Additionally, that room shall come with a small dressing room
(approx. 20 sqm) situated next to one of the bathrooms with toilets. The room shall feature
a flat floor, with the folded components described above ensuring the right geometry of the
auditorium.
Education spaces shall form a compact Education Zone, an integral part of the
Wyspiański Museum, that would be visible to the visitors and basically define the character of
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the place. A system for bringing more daylight into education spaces shall be designed so that
the rooms appear welcoming and lit up.
At the same time, it is assumed that a part of the education space may be temporarily
excluded, if necessary, from visitors’ use by means of the system of modular mobile walls and
placed at the disposal of the Conservation Department for the purpose of execution of
preventive conservation measures therein (e.g. a display box of an object with damaged
glazing in need of repair). This means that passageways need to be created leading to the
oversize lift that would travel down into the immediate vicinity of the education spaces. Care
shall also be taken to assure the possibility to impose a blackout of the education rooms in
such cases by means of roller shutters.
Also, the education zone must feature a storage room and a bathroom with toilets.
In line with the current trends, the education space shall be multi-functional and allow
flexible layout arrangement based on needs. One of the rooms or adaptable spaces within the
education zone shall have the necessary characteristics to assume the role of the multimedia
library embracing the concept of the ‘digital cocoon’ and featuring very high resolution scans
of all known works of Stanisław Wyspiański (not only from the collection of the National
Museum in Krakow) but also digital versions of his dramas in consecutive editions, full annual
issues of ‘Życie’ [Life] magazine, books dedicated to Wyspiański and critical reviews of
consecutive premieres of his dramas. In other words, this is meant to be the place that could
be visited in reality or virtually by means of the still evolving Internet access technology,
a must-see for everybody interested in the life and work of Stanisław Wyspiański. Integration
of the multimedia library with the educational space is dictated by practical considerations:
access thereto shall be assured also when the exhibition is closed (on Mondays). Meanwhile,
the design of that space offering open access to and from the exhibition rooms shall be
considered. The education space, including the integrated multimedia library may, in
principle, serve as the live centre of learning encouraging the visitors to explore the multi-
layered work of Wyspiański and the works inspired by it. It shall be designed so as to provide
a possibility for holding an academic workshop, a presentation of a lecture. That space must
be arranged in such manner that screenings (e.g. of the performances created on the basis of
Wyspiański’s dramas) intended for small viewing audiences may be organised there.
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5.5.4. Underground part of the development project
5.5.4.1. Impact of designed building on existing green spaces
According to the adopted assumptions, the maximum area of the plot on the western
side of the Main Building is to be occupied by Level -1. This shall involve extensive earthworks
associated, inter alia, with the relocation of the entire existing underground infrastructure and
may involve complete removal of existing greenery from the site (see the ‘Greenery survey of
the surroundings of the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow, Attachment M09).
When designing the new building, one should remember about possible negative perception
by the general public of this aspect of the development project, i.e. ‘building development on
a green plot in the centre of Krakow’. For that reason, the largest possible proportion of
arranged greenery throughout the site shall be considered after completion of the
development project as well as within the newly created building. Owing to the fact that the
floor slab covering Level -1 shall be found under the majority of the described area, a structure
of the floor slab allowing for the introduction of the arranged greenery is to be envisaged. It
is desirable to integrate the maximum number of plants known from the work of Stanisław
Wyspiański into the design. It is assumed that lawns and shrubs would prevail as trees would
collide with underground and overground infrastructure due to the location and nature of the
development project. However, the possibility of designing, for instance, from the front of the
new building, a habitat for a single tree, providing, on the one hand, convenient conditions for
the development of the root zone and, on the other hand, full security of the underground
structure and infrastructure, shall not be ruled out altogether. Greenery planted in large
seasonally displayed pots may also be designed. However, it shall be necessary to designate
the storage space for the pots during the winter season. Finally, greenery may be introduced
into the interior of the newly designed building as long as it does not compromise the security
and safety of the collections.
5.5.4.2 Functions envisaged in the underground section
It is suggested that the following areas be planned for within the space of the underground
floor:
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1. Infrastructure for visitors, including a cloakroom, a self-service cloakroom and
bathrooms with toilets.
Technical infrastructure for the operation of the new Museum: a transformer
station, a server room, air-conditioning and ventilation system machine rooms, an
MPEC district heating connection room, a water supply connection, a technical
room housing security systems and a UPS room.
2. An underground car park intended for the cars of the staff of the National Museum in
Krakow with a minimum of 40 parking spaces. Parking spaces reserved for persons with
disabilities must be located in the vicinity of lifts. The entrance ramp leading to the car
park shall be situated in Kadrówki Street.
The underground floor shall be connected to the remaining floors so as to ensure
access to the building for persons with disabilities. A storage space for children’s pushchairs
shall also be designed.
From the underground floor, a dual-entrance oversize goods lift with the depth of
approx. 6 m, width of 4 m and height of 4 m shall be planned for. The load capacity of the
goods lift shall allow for the weight of the forklift and offer the forklift a possibility to travel to
level 0 (street). The goods lift must provide convenient access to the exhibition rooms for the
forklift used for transporting cases with objects. The lift shall be situated in the immediate
vicinity of the site adapted to the unloading of works of art. The site shall be large enough to
accommodate a heavy goods vehicle with maximum trailer dimensions of 14 metres (length),
4 metres (height) and 2.60 metres (width).
It shall be necessary to take technical measures in order to secure the underground
part of the development project against the consequences of the rising water level in the
Vistula river and high level of water table.
5.5.5. Rooftop space
For the reasons described earlier, namely the general public’s perception of the
development project, setting up a garden on the building’s roof should be considered. This is
justified also in the context of the award-winning design presented within the framework of
the 2015 competition for the modernisation of the Main Building of the National Museum in
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Krakow (Stelmach i Partnerzy Biuro Architektoniczne Sp. z o.o. architectural firm). In the
popular perception, the key feature of that design was precisely the greenery introduced on
the National Museum’s rooftop.
That greenery should be used for two purposes. Firstly, a summer café operated by the
ground-floor establishment (this requires the design of the appropriate transport
infrastructure, which shall reduce the cost of operation of the rooftop café) shall be designed
on the rooftop. The cafés must be designed so that they can operate independently of the
Museum’s opening hours. An orangery or winter garden space shall also be created to render
the café’s operation on the rooftop possible throughout the year. The designer is expected to
address the issue of accessibility of restrooms for the customers of the rooftop café. This is
necessary given that the premises may be leased on a commercial basis.
5.5.6. Functional relations between the Wyspiański Museum and the Main Building
The Wyspiański Museum is an autonomous structure which, in principle, should
remain in a close functional relation with the Main Building. At the stage of development of
the design concept, a separate entry to the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum shall be envisaged.
The merger of both buildings at the underground level (a connector handling underground
traffic and mechanical transportation) is ultimately planned for. Any merger of the buildings
at the upper floor levels may constitute an element of creative work but nonetheless cannot
condition implementation of the concept of the Wyspiański Museum.
The Contracting Entity is in possession of the concept of modernisation of the Main
Building (prepared by Stelmach i Partnerzy Biuro Architektoniczne Sp. z o.o. architectural firm)
that is not implemented for the time being. Nonetheless, it may constitute a point of reference
as the winning visual concept got a positive response from the general public.
The design must be prepared in such manner that, following the completion of the
future renovation of the Main Building, connection of the underground floors of the two
neighbouring facilities does not require the conduct of any major earthworks at the site
between the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum and the Main Building of the National Museum
in Krakow or performance of any structural work on the part of the Stanisław Wyspiański
Museum.
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The ‘Conservator’s guidelines for the alteration and expansion of the Main Building of
the National Museum in Krakow’ (Attachment M08) shall be taken into consideration when
designing the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum.
According to the conservator’s guidelines, the words ‘the new building cannot cover
the oldest part of the facade, i.e. one stretching up to the 7th pilaster’ shall be treated as
a guideline for preserving the distance between the two buildings along that section. Local
connections between the new development and the Main Building, if any, within that zone
must comply with the invoked conservator’s guidelines on respecting the style characteristics
of a historic building and may not condition the implementation of the concept. In the case of
a potential contact between the newly designed Stanisław Wyspiański Museum and the Main
Building, solutions shall be envisaged permitting exhibition of the facade of the Main Building
in the interior of the new development.
The solutions adopted by the participant must be agreed with the conservator’s office.
5.5.7. Facilities for persons with disabilities
The designed Museum is to be fully accessible to persons with disabilities, both visitors
and staff with disabilities. The designer shall take into consideration the universal design rules.
The designer’s task would be not only to comply with the applicable laws but to work out, in
close co-operation with the representatives of the Museum, such solutions that would allow
for rating the newly erected building among the top European public cultural institutions
accessible to persons with disabilities. Solutions that burden persons with disabilities in any
way or force them to seek extra help (e.g. powered stairclimbers) shall be unacceptable. Use
of lifts providing access to every level of the Museum and, thereafter, elimination (or
minimisation) of level differences, is desirable. Use of platform stairlifts or wheelchair ramps
is not recommended. Use by the designer of the study by Kamil Kowalski titled ‘Designing
without barriers - Guidelines’ is recommended.
It should be remembered that when we make a reference to a group of individuals
potentially excluded due to disability, we do not have in mind solely persons with limited
mobility. Therefore, it is recommended that the building be adapted to the persons with
different needs (e.g. introduction of tactile paving lines and guide paths for visually impaired
persons) at the design stage. It is further proposed that persons with disabilities be not
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excluded from visitor groups and that the customer service areas for visitors with disabilities
do not become isolated spaces. It is crucial that the designed infrastructure is easily accessible.
Consequently, restrooms for persons with disabilities must be found on each floor, for
instance, so that neither their location nor access thereto is problematic.
The designed space, as an open and accessible museum, shall take account of the
needs of persons with disabilities regardless of the reasons for their limited mobility.
5.5.8. Surroundings of the Museum
The relation of the newly created space with the social environment is deemed critical.
In principle, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum with the surrounding area is meant as open
public comfort and leisure space in the urban context encouraging visitors to relax and spend
their free time there. During the summer season, a café should operate in the green spaces
surrounding the Museum not as much in the form of a fenced garden but tables scattered
haphazardly over a larger area. Introduction of a lighting system in that area in summer would
allow the site to operate until late at night.
The space in front of the Museum shall become a place bustling with life, providing
a pretext for staying there, a place of fun etc. That outdoor space shall be adjusted to the
requirements of outdoor exhibitions to better promote the life and work of Stanisław
Wyspiański. Use of the greenery and plants present in Wyspiański’s work to be naturally
arranged in front of the planned building of the Museum and properly positioned in relation
to the surrounding green spaces shall be considered a major factor. A summer garden could
be planned for in front of the building.
When designing the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, it should be kept in mind that it is
set to become an important stop on the trail of the artist whose works are still present in the
city. The Museum may serve as one of the highlights for the participants of walking tours
dedicated to Stanisław Wyspiański.
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5.5.9. Transportation of museum objects
A technical space must also be designed for safe transportation and unloading of
museum objects. The site shall be large enough to accommodate a heavy goods vehicle with
maximum trailer dimensions of 14 metres (length), 4 metres (height) and 2.60 metres (width).
5.5.10. List of areas within Stanisław Wyspiański Museum
Underground floor - suggested areas
A cloakroom for visitors – approx. 150 sqm
a self-service cloakroom with a separate section for the organised groups – 4 boxes (each
intended for 30 visitors). Cloakroom for individual visitors (lockers for 200 visitors, approx. 5
lockers, one locker per 4 persons).
A cloakroom and a back room for customer service staff, Internal Protection Service
personnel, employees and collaborators of Education Department – approx. 40 sqm
A cloakroom with 15 lockers, 2 changing rooms (4 sqm), two toilets with a shower (in
compliance with applicable technical regulations), a bathroom and a toilet adapted to the
needs of persons with disabilities, a kitchen annex with social amenities and a storage room
for mops and cleaning equipment.
Restrooms for visitors - in compliance with applicable regulations
Restrooms for women and men as well as one restroom for persons with disabilities (baby
changing tables mounted in all restrooms).
Technical rooms
Transformer station – approx. 50 sqm;
Server room – approx. 10 sqm;
Engine rooms for air handling unit and air-conditioning installations – approx. 185 sqm;
MPEC district heating connection room – approx. 20 sqm;
Water supply connection – approx. 10 sqm;
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Technical room housing security systems – approx. 10 sqm;
UPS room – approx. 10 sqm; and
AV warehouse – approx. 30 sqm.
Overground floors
Overground floors are intended as exhibition space of a minimum area of 2,400 sqm
The invaluable nature of the collection and safety of the exhibits call for such design of the
exhibition space that it can be completely sealed off from the area intended for the other
functions, accessible also during the hours after the closure of the exhibition (the cafés, the
store and the education space etc.). Exhibition space shall be deprived completely of daylight
access (total blackout). The exhibition space cannot be designed on the underground floor
due to the strict conservation guidelines.
Passageways at all levels must be adjusted to the needs of persons with disabilities. The main
passageways must be accessible by forklift. At the same time, passageways must be designed
so that objects may be brought from each exhibition room to the place by the lift and,
thereafter, taken down to the education rooms.
Restrooms for visitors of approx. 4 sqm (to be planned on each overground floor, except for
the roof)
A restroom adjusted to the needs of persons with disabilities + a baby changing table
A staff restroom of approx. 4 sqm (to be planned on each overground floor, except for the
roof)
A restroom adjusted to the needs of persons with disabilities
A utility room of approx. 3 sqm (to be planned on each overground floor, except for the roof)
Lobby zone
Information desk and cash desk – an island of approx. 8 sqm
A modular mobile point housing two cash desks (ticket office) and an information desk with
the rental of audio guides. This is the most important space from the point of view of the
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persons entering the Museum and, as such, must be found immediately by visitors. At the
same time, it must be adapted to the needs of persons with disabilities, i.e. a section of the
desk must be lowered in an effort to adjust it to the needs of wheelchair users.
Internal Security Service desk – approx. 15 sqm
a guardroom enabling the monitoring of buildings’ security systems;
a restroom; and
a dedicated security checkpoint (a desk and an everyday use key cabinet).
Two priorities must be reconciled: placement of the Internal Security Service desk as close as
possible to the entrance/exit while preserving discreetness of that space (as it cannot appear
as oppressive to visitors). A proposed solution encompassing the security checkpoint and the
CCTV monitoring room, as two separate spaces, is expected.
Café with a lunch bar and a back room of approx. 50 sqm
Café - 26 sqm, café’s kitchen facilities - 8 sqm, storage room - 8 sqm, dish washing room - 4
sqm and a restroom - 4 sqm. It is suggested that the café space be designed so that it can
open, during the summer season, onto the area surrounding the building where a café garden
may be arranged. The customers of the café must be assured access to the restrooms, also
outside the Museum’s opening hours. Plans shall be made for connecting the ground-floor
café to the rooftop café, e.g. by means of a separate lift.
Leisure zone – approx. 60 sqm
A section of the entrance lobby arranged with furniture (a sofa and armchairs) guaranteeing
visitors comfortable conditions for relaxation while reading or drinking hot and cold beverages
purchased at the café etc.
Room for parents with small children – approx. 10 sqm
A room intended for breastfeeding mothers furnished with a sofa and a baby changing table
and equipped with a bathroom with a toilet.
Museum store - bookshop, back rooms and warehouse – approx. 50 sqm
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The museum store and bookshop shall be embedded in the lobby’s space forming an integral
whole with the comfort zone and the café.
The museum store must come with a back room. The location shall be chosen that is highly
visible and easily accessible to visitors within the entrance/exit space (it is more important to
locate the museum store on the way ‘out’ rather than on the way ‘into’ the exhibition space).
Utility warehouse – approx. 2 sqm
Education space – approx. 230 sqm
The concept behind this space is that it shall offer maximum opportunities for flexible shaping
of individual rooms (use of mobile modular walls). The education space must be lit up with
daylight, with a possibility to cut off daylight for one of the rooms (blackout capability).
The basic areas include:
two education rooms – approx. 120 sqm (2 x 60 sqm);
one education room – approx. 80 sqm (divisible into smaller rooms). This is the room
that may serve as the amphitheatre room (modular auditorium folding into a wall of
a maximum width of 1.5 m). It must come with a back room and, additionally,
a dressing room (approx. 20 sqm);
storage room – approx. 10 sqm.
The education space shall be multi-functional with the integrated multimedia library
constituting the Stanisław Wyspiański knowledge centre and a depository of recordings of
theatre performances. The space shall be arranged so as to enable holding of lectures,
presentations, workshops and film screenings etc.
An independent bathroom with a toilet shall be envisaged in the vicinity of the education
space.
Office space – approx. 10 sqm
This room may be envisaged at any of the overground floors.
Rooftop level
Café with a back room of approx. 50 sqm in roof-clad glazed section
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A café of approx. 40 sqm with a back room of approx. 10 sqm and a staff restroom of approx.
3 sqm – a café in the orangery/winter garden operating all year round regardless of the
weather conditions. Furthermore, an outdoor café shall be designed in the rooftop area
doubling as a viewing terrace. An open terrace’s area should be approx. 150 sqm.
The rooftop café must be designed so that it can operate independently of the Museum’s
opening hours. The role of the designer is to propose solutions guaranteeing that the
customers of the rooftop café have free access to the restrooms (also after the closure of the
Museum). It is assumed that the back room of the lobby café would support the operation of
the rooftop café. Accordingly, the appropriate connection between the lobby café and the
rooftop café shall be designed.
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6. Technical guidelines
6.1. Building’s structure
The designed structure must guarantee parameters required from public buildings
while satisfying the requirement of sound and rational management of public funds. When
determining load-bearing capacity of ceiling slabs, the planned transportation options within
exhibition rooms using a forklift shall be considered. A technical infrastructure enabling
freedom to make layout changes in the future shall be embedded in the structure of the floors
and ceilings.
The ceiling slab over the top floor occupied by the exhibition is a critical place. Given
the planned use of the roof surface for a rooftop café and its partial occupation by the garden,
adequate insulation must be designed that would guarantee security of the collection and full
water insulation of the ceiling slab (reversed terrace insulation and detection systems).
6.2. Energy efficiency
Reliance on the solutions that ensure maximisation of energy gains and minimisation
of heat losses is proposed. The applied technologies of construction of the building’s envelope
must be characterised by a low heat-transfer coefficient.
The solutions must be built into the design that allow for minimising energy
consumption during the operation of the facility, including lighting control, with lighting
scenes fine-tuned to comply with the conservator’s guidelines to be agreed at the building
design stage.
The solutions contributing to the reduced demand for energy shall include, but not be limited
to:
raising the building’s thermal protection standard and reducing heat losses through
the building’s envelope;
reducing energy losses caused by ventilation by controlling supply of outdoor air
depending on carbon dioxide concentration in the exhaust air;
using the outdoor air to control climate inside the building by introducing the
appropriate control algorithms, e.g. increasing ventilation at night in summer to cool
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down the building or taking advantage of the difference between the water vapour
mixing ratio for indoor and outdoor air to control relative humidity within individual
zones;
leveraging the potential of climate control zones (including planned ventilation
systems cooling and heating air that are used intensively but over short periods of
time, e.g. in the conference room) to support systems controlling conditions within
other groups of premises;
rationally deploying heat-generating devices so that they do not contribute to local
temperature increases;
applying procedures that reduce heat consumption;
using energy-saving controlled lighting;
relying on solutions that contribute to reduced consumption of hot water in buildings;
enhancing quality and performance of energy transmission and distribution within
indoor systems;
applying energy-efficient devices and equipment within indoor energy transmission
and distribution systems;
using renewable energy sources such as:
− solar radiation energy: through use of solar architecture solutions, including
passive systems and daylight lighting; in active heating systems; in electrical
systems with photovoltaic (PV) arrays;
− energy within the building’s surroundings contained in its natural environment, e.g.
ground, air and waters (both groundwater and surface water) through use of heat
pumps;
− waste energy through recuperation of heat from ventilation systems, waste water
and other;
− seasonal warehousing of thermal energy in the ground;
− thermal energy warehousing using the phenomenon of state change of various
materials;
− pre-heating or pre-cooling of ventilation air in underground piping (ground heat
exchangers); and
− use of rainwater.
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The systems supplying various utilities shall be fitted with separate meters so as to allow
real-time monitoring and recording of utilities consumption within individual processes, also
by climate control systems. Generation of energy from solar sources shall also be monitored.
Each of the meters shall be connected to BMS. When using solutions based on renewable
energy sources, adequate technical space must be ensured depending on the implemented
technology. A key factor shall be designing its adequate layout within the building consistently
with good practices, with the least possible interference with the potential exhibition space.
The right place in the building shall be selected, for instance by the main entrance where
the visiting public shall be advised, by means of modern communication devices, of the
conditions prevailing inside the building and of the aggregate energy consumption, aggregate
energy generation etc. (BIM – Building Information Modelling).
6.3. Security systems
Given the value of the collection, the Museum is to be placed on the list of the facilities
subject to compulsory protection. Once placed, the facility shall be provided with qualified
security personnel from the Internal Security Service or a qualified provider of security
services. A minimum of two (2) security guards and one (1) security guard, respectively, during
the day and at night, must be seconded to ensure security control and security of the
collection. A guardroom must be envisaged for the security personnel in which alarm control
panels, fire alarm panels and closed-circuit television (CCTV) system are to be deployed and
a weapons storage room is to be located. The guardroom shall feature social amenities, i.e.
a place for eating meals, a locker room and a restroom. Locating those rooms elsewhere would
necessitate an increase in the number of guards.
For the newly-built museums, (building, technical and electronic) security measures
shall be applied assuring the degree of security described in Regulation of the Minister of
Culture and National Heritage of 2 September 2014 (Journal of Laws 2014 Item 1240).
Additionally, swift evacuation of the collection must be assured, namely sufficient
width of entrances and staircases, a goods lift, with an evacuation site envisaged.
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The building shall feature an improved security standard in relation to the
requirements defined in Regulation of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage on
securing museum collections against fire, theft and other risks threatening their destruction
or loss, and the ways of preparing collections for evacuation in case of danger.
Modern systems must be used to secure the building and the collection. Integration of
various functionalities on a single platform enabling centralised management and handling of
alarms/alerts and swift identification of incidents shall be considered. The software must
operate while taking into consideration the cause-and-effect relationship via the
accompanying systems:
1. Intrusion Detection System (IDS) featuring, as a minimum:
Early detection of potential burglars
Laser-based security measures
Possibility to build network systems based on IP and fibre optic technologies
2. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) featuring as a minimum:
Face and non-standard behaviour detection system
Mega pixel IP cameras with minimum Full HD resolution
Fibre optic signal transmission
Vehicle parking system - automatic gate/barrier opening for authorised users
Possibility to build network systems based on IP and fibre optic technologies
3. Access Control System featuring, as a minimum:
Automatic Person Identification
Possibility to build network systems based on IP and fibre optic technologies
4. Fire Signalling System (FSS) offering, as a minimum:
100% software redundancy
Optic fibre transmission between modules
Possibility to build any network systems based on IP and fibre optic technologies
Sensors adjusting automatically to ambient conditions
Visualisation of a system responsible for identifying the site of the incident and
generating all instructions required for proper handling of an emergency
Early detection smoke evacuation system
5. Sound Warning System (SWS) featuring, as a minimum:
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Signalling lines based on IP and fibre optic technologies
Breakdown diagnosis and detection mechanisms
Possibility to use the system for presentations, conferences etc.
6. Customised security mechanisms protecting the collection featuring, as a minimum:
Laser beam sensors
Possibility to expand the system based on IP and fibre optic technologies
7. Building automation
Smart lighting control integrated with IDS and CCTV
8. Dynamic escape route lighting The system is to identify the safest escape route using
luminaires displaying escape signage with dynamically changing content.
9. Uninterruptable power supply (UPS)
10. Water leak detection system - the system shall ensure protection from and prevention
of any destruction caused by flooding of rooms or devices.
6.4. Fire protection
In pursuit of its mission, the National Museum in Krakow pays special attention to the
level of fire safety. Given the nature of the collection, a higher than average level of fire safety
shall be assured. Therefore, in addition to fire protection safeguards required by law, the
presented designs must address the following issues:
As a minimum, exhibition rooms and exhibit warehouses shall be fire separated from
the remainder of the facility or, at best, constitute separate fire zones.
Permanent fire (gas) extinguishing equipment shall be deployed in server rooms, UPS
rooms and throughout the exhibition space.
Indoor fire hydrants with a place for a fire extinguisher (integrated). Such approach
ensures permanent deployment of fire extinguishers by fire hydrants. Fire
extinguishers shall be placed in flush mounted hydrant boxes.
The lobby and passageways are to be friendly, welcoming and open zones, which, in
terms of height and functional requirements, shall entail the use of appropriate architectural
solutions and technical means driven by the need to satisfy fire protection demands.
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As regards general guidelines, the following shall be considered:
Need to account for the fact that more than 50 persons would be staying within the
designed premises of the building at the same time.
Adoption of an approach to the building’s division into fire zones that would allow
making the museum accessible to the largest possible number of persons at the same
time.
The need for incorporating, already at the design stage, the points/sites of deployment
of handheld firefighting equipment (extinguishers) and fire hydrants, preferably in the
integrated format.
Role of passive fire protection of persons and, as equally important, the collection.
Division of the building into fire zones, definitely smaller than the maximum ones
envisaged in technical and building regulations, would help protect exhibits in the case
of a fire in a specific location by preventing its uncontrolled spreading.
Some of the designed technical premises shall be separate fire zones. However, it is
recommended to consider whether or not other premises used for storage of large
volumes of ‘flammable materials’ (e.g. multimedia library and cloakroom) that are not
subject to the obligatory fire protection zoning would not have to constitute separate
fire zones.
An expert fire protection opinion has been prepared and approved for the Main Building
bordering directly on the planned development site identifying alternative solutions to bring
it into compliance with the applicable fire protection regulations. That expert opinion
envisages existence of a fire access lane along the western facade of the museum’s Main
Building. That shall give rise to the need for proposing, at the design stage, alternative
approaches based on those assumptions and agreeing them with competent authorities and
securing relevant approvals.
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6.5. Climate and air pollution control
FUNCTION at
MW
Air
temperature
stabilisation
level
and
permitted
fluctuations
[oC]
Relative air
humidity
stabilisation
level
and
permitted
fluctuations
[%]
Ventilation Climate
control
zones
Comments
Permanent
gallery (also
with a space
for temporary
exhibitions)
+18˚C ≤ T ≤
21˚C
±1˚C
stabilisation
level
Changes up to
2˚C per 24-
hour period
Please note:
The baseline
for settings is
the lower end
of the range!
45% ≤ RH ≤
55%
±2.5%
stabilisation
level
Changes up to
2% per 24-hour
period.
Please note:
The baseline
for settings is
the lower end
of the range!
The
variable
air
exchange
rate in the
exhibition
rooms
shall be
dependent
upon the
carbon
dioxide
level set
by the
Museum.
The rooms shall be fitted
with the systems permitting
flexible temperature control
and stabilisation as well as
selection of temperature
levels for activating and
deactivating heating and
cooling processes.
The user shall have a
possibility to set the relative
humidity level at which
dehumidification and
humidification processes are
activated.
The system shall offer the
possibility to launch an
emergency procedure
deactivating the heating
system if RH<35% as long as
temperature does not fall
below 15oC.
Precise control of micro-climatic
parameters requires the use of
independent temperature and
relative humidity control
systems as well as multiple
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systems co-operating in the
execution of processes of
cooling/heating and
dehumidification/humidification,
including a floor-embedded
system, as well as small
exchange of air between the
premises and design of
appropriate barriers.
Temporary
exhibition
room (if any)
+18˚C ≤ T ≤
21˚C
±1˚C
stabilisation
level
Changes up to
2˚C per 24-
hour period
Please note:
The baseline
for settings is
the lower end
of the range!
45% ≤ RH ≤
55%
±2.5%
stabilisation
level
Changes up to
2% per 24-hour
period.
Please note:
The baseline
for settings is
the lower end
of the range!
The
variable
air
exchange
rate in the
exhibition
rooms
shall be
dependent
upon the
carbon
dioxide
level set
by the
Museum.
The rooms shall be fitted
with the systems permitting
flexible temperature control
and stabilisation as well as
selection of temperature
levels for activating and
deactivating heating and
cooling processes.
The user shall have a
possibility to set the relative
humidity level at which
dehumidification and
humidification processes are
activated.
The system shall offer the
possibility to launch an
emergency procedure
deactivating the heating
system if RH<35% as long as
temperature does not fall
below 15oC.
Precise control of micro-climatic
parameters requires the use of
independent temperature and
relative humidity control
systems as well as multiple
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43
systems co-operating in the
execution of processes of
cooling/heating and
dehumidification/humidification,
including a floor-embedded
system, as well as small
exchange of air between the
premises and design of
appropriate barriers.
Education
rooms (we
envisage the
possibility
that, under
exceptional
circumstances,
they are used
from time to
time as a
room for
carrying out
works on
museum
objects)
In the case of
introduction
of heritage
objects, the
room shall
offer a
possibility to
set the
parameters to
the values
recommended
for an
exhibition:
+18˚C ≤ T ≤
21˚C
±1˚C
stabilisation
level
Changes up to
2˚C per 24-
hour period
Please note:
In the case of
introduction
of heritage
objects, the
room shall
offer a
possibility to
set the
parameters to
the values
recommended
for an
exhibition:
45% ≤ RH ≤
55%
±2.5%
stabilisation
level
Changes up to
2% per 24-hour
period.
The
variable
air
exchange
rate in the
exhibition
rooms
shall be
dependent
upon the
carbon
dioxide
level set
by the
Museum.
The rooms shall be fitted
with the systems permitting
flexible temperature control
and stabilisation as well as
selection of temperature
levels for activating and
deactivating heating and
cooling processes.
The user shall have a
possibility to set the relative
humidity level at which
dehumidification and
humidification processes are
activated.
The system shall offer the
possibility to launch an
emergency procedure
deactivating the heating
system if RH<35% as long as
temperature does not fall
below 15oC.
Precise control of micro-climatic
parameters requires the use of
independent temperature and
relative humidity control
systems as well as multiple
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44
The baseline
for settings is
the lower end
of the range!
Please note:
The baseline
for settings is
the lower end
of the range!
systems co-operating in the
execution of processes of
cooling/heating and
dehumidification/humidification,
including a floor-embedded
system, as well as small
exchange of air between the
premises and design of
appropriate barriers.
6.6. Multimedia system
The building shall be equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia facilities. The adopted
solutions and applied devices shall support all previously described functions of the building
and serve as part of the layout of the selected spaces. Use of advanced image projection
techniques or other audio-visual techniques shall allow for modern layout of usable and
exhibition areas. Multimedia shall support the permanent exhibition by permitting display of
objects when their originals cannot be exhibited, for instance, due to conservation (paper-
based objects). The state-of-the-art technical capabilities for laying out premises using
multimedia devices shall be employed. To a large extent, this shall render more attractive
perception of the works by shifting the spectator into the virtual space while contributing to
the atmosphere of the venue and time. As a result, a layout of large spaces shall be introduced
enriching and rendering more attractive perception of the works. That, in turn, shall
contribute to the establishment of a unique and individual character of the object highlighting
and exhibiting, in a modern format, the characteristic features of the work of Stanisław
Wyspiański.
A visual information presentation system based on the broadly understood Digital
Signage solutions shall be designed. The system shall support all screens deployed in
passageways and usable areas such as the lobby, the relaxation and recreation zone and the
café. The system shall be used for broadcasting commercials and informative content. Use of
interactive presenters operating as info points, optionally equipped with devices supporting
visitors (optionally, code readers, printers of tickets and booking confirmations, ticket
validators and navigation message displays) shall be envisaged. The used multimedia solutions
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45
are meant to support navigation around the building using a consistent visual communication
system.
Exhibition and usable rooms shall be equipped with permanent sound systems. The
system based on multi-zone audio devices shall enable acoustic arrangement of the rooms
depending on their functions. Technical solutions shall be applied consistent with the rooms’
intended functions. The lobby shall be equipped with a public address system to support
speeches, vernissages, public appearances, debates etc. It shall also enable connection of
additional audio devices for small concerts, theatre performances and shows. The audio
system shall permit recording of sound and make available the sum of the mix for the purpose
of TV and radio productions.
Education rooms shall be equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia facilities. Laser
beam multimedia projectors shall be used, allowing reduction of operating costs associated
with replacement of lamps in traditional projectors. The multimedia system shall be intuitive
and enable connection of various audio-visual devices, including mobile devices, using various
input interfaces. The solutions applied shall provide for a possibility of dividing and merging
rooms by using movable partition walls. Each of the rooms shall be equipped with an
autonomous multimedia installation. Once the rooms have been merged into one room, the
system shall automatically configure itself into a single integral multimedia system. Rooms
shall support individuals with hearing dysfunctions. The rooms’ multimedia equipment shall
be managed from the control panel where the operating functions of specific devices could
be switched and lighting, roller shutters and other technical devices managed in the graphic
format. The AV signals shall be distributed using wire and wireless solutions. The rooms’
equipment shall take into consideration their educational function and, consequently,
solutions shall be used typical for a given function, e.g. support of Kinect technology.
In addition to the practical and utility functions, the projected multimedia system shall
contribute, to a large extent, to the creation of the atmosphere of the place and highlight its
unique character. Stations shall be planned where works of art could be presented using the
virtual reality (VR) technology and stations for viewing holographic presentations or spherical
photographs. Given the artist’s fascination with nature and flowers, multimedia stations using
the odour exhibition function shall be planned.
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Multimedia equipment and content shall be managed centrally. All devices shall be
covered by a system allowing monitoring of their status, possibility of automatic and periodic
activation and deactivation based on time schedules.
The used multimedia solutions shall support broadly the display itself and the
exhibition rooms.
6.7. IT system
The building shall be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies that satisfy high
safety standards and enable easy and swift configuration and adaptation of new devices
required for exhibition rooms. All IT network installations shall be equipped and prepared as
fully redundant, thus eliminating the risk of any downtime in the operation of the networks
or devices connected to that IT network. The entire usable part of the building shall boast Wi-
Fi network coverage to enable multimedia configuration and integration. A technical room
shall be designed in the building operating as a server room. Additionally, shafts shall be
designed on every floor in which active devices (switches) shall be deployed. The building’s
cabling shall correspond to 7a category, whereas core nodes shall rely on fibre optic lines. The
building shall be fitted with a full infrastructure monitoring system enabling a swift response
to breakdowns and supporting their efficient removal.