Polish practice FAAB Architektura have created a new building for the Pawiak Prison Museum in Warsaw. Formed with a multi-level vertical park, the project is designed on the historic site of the former "Serbia" prison. FAAB's plan utilizes landscape architecture strategies to integrate and mark the layout of the complex within the city. The new structure was made to challenge the consciousness of visitors as they confront history itself.
The architectural massing of the new building features a number of formal moves to recall the site and its past. A long shadow will be cast along the building's facade, inspired by the “Pawiak” name itself. The multi-faceted, distorted lower part of the elevation references a history of oppression and connects the building to the ground. Above, the overall form of the proposed building was made to symbolize the strength and purpose of those who confronted nationalist oppression and fought for freedom and the universal values of humanity.
The new extension by FAAB also references the destroyed historic building. The height of the project will be exactly the same as the historic prison building. The roof pitch will mimic the one provided with the design of H.Marconi (1820). Around the planned extension, an open-air exhibition will remain open throughout the day. FAAB hopes that the new project will finally provide an answer to the MPP's question of where the museum is within the city.
