Letter from Poland: we chart the new wave of architecture projects

Poland is on a roll. Last year, its outgoing Prime Minister Donald Tusk became the new President of the European Council. A few months ago, the Polish production Ida by Paweł Pawlikowski won the Oscar for the best foreign language film. And even more recently, its Szczecin Philharmonic Hall was granted the most important European architectural distinction - the 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award. 

Architecture has been playing a crucial role in reshaping this central European country. From the Tatra Mountains to the Baltic Sea, hundreds of new developments are currently in construction, triggered by a booming economy (with enviable growth of almost 40 per cent over the last decade) and the ongoing flow of structural funds from the EU. 

After major improvements in sports and transport infrastructure prior to the Euro 2012 football championship, public investment is now concentrated in culture and education. This does not involve just the capital of Warsaw; new academic facilities, museums, theatres and concert halls, created by both local and foreign architects' offices, spring up in almost every big Polish city. Public works are complemented by ambitious private initiatives, including office, retail and residential projects. New designs differ in scale and form, ranging from radical experimentation to subtler, functional schemes. 

Here, we highlight 14 examples of this exciting wave of construction, a revealing sample of the remarkable architecture completed in Poland within the last year or so. And the country's architectural heyday has only just begun. Many more projects (by Polish designers and international stars like Peter Zumthor and MVRDV) are still underway, so watch this space…

Completed in September 2014 and honoured last May with the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award, the new concert hall in the northwestern city of Szczecin by the Barcelona-based duo Barozzi Veiga stands on the site of the former German Konzerthaus, a casualty of the Second World War

Aptly nicknamed 'the iceberg', the new white temple of music cleverly reinterprets the city's Hanseatic architecture and boasts a stunning golden auditorium with 950 seats

Inside, the building's walls appear sculptural, imbued with a kinetic aesthetic that adds emphasis to the already dynamic space

Adjacent to the Philharmonic Hall is the Szczecin National Museum's latest branch, designed by the Polish studio led by Robert Konieczny and scheduled to open this autumn

Hidden under the public square, the new museum is dedicated to the city's recent turbulent history, highlighting the role of underground movements in the collapse of the country's Communist regime

Opened in August 2014, the new multi-purpose complex by local studio Fort is situated on former shipyard grounds in the Baltic port city of Gdańsk

Clad in rusted Corten steel, it resembles an old ship's hull and constitutes a tribute to the social movement of Solidarność, that in the 1980s led to the decay of Soviet domination in central and eastern Europe and, eventually, to the fall of the Berlin Wall

View of the distinctive facade

Completed in September 2014, this new cultural venue pays homage to the city's theatrical tradition, standing on the same site as a wooden, 17th century public playhouse (itself likely modeled on London's Elizabethan Fortune Theatre)

Designed by the Venice-based professor Renato Rizzi, the new building, clad in black brick, features an intriguing set of walkways and courtyards, and a multi-configurational hall for 600 spectators with an impressive opening roof

An internal shot of the theatre shows the sheer-boarded timber walls which provide a beautiful simplicity to the space

The western city of Poznań decided to underline its role as the cradle of Polish statehood by erecting the Interactive Centre of Ostrów Tumski History (ICHOT)

The new museum, created by Polish practice Ad Artis, opened its doors in April 2014. A simple white concrete cube frames views of the nearby cathedral and is connected to the restored sluice-keeper's building via a footbridge

The concept behind the building was to maintain authenticity; therefore, the materiality and form have been reduced, and the colour scheme kept neutral

Officially inaugurated in October 2014, Warsaw's Museum of the History of Polish Jews – created by Finnish studio Lahdelma & Mahlamäki, aided by local office Kuryłowicz & Associates – commemorates the ages-long presence of the Jewish community in Poland

The highlight of the five-storey building, covered in copper panels and glass, is its sculptural entrance hall, evoking both the parting of the Red Sea and the population gap brought by the German invasion and Holocaust

The new design for Warsaw's Academy of Fine Arts by local studio JEMS was completed in October 2014. It consists of a meticulously restored historical edifice and a generously glazed new extension, joined by a semi-public courtyard

Located in the direct vicinity of the Vistula river, the new complex is part of a broader programme of waterfront revitalisation in the Polish capital

An internal shot of the gallery shows the refined concrete walls and contemporary finishes

Officially opened in September 2014, the Cosmopolitan Twarda tower, designed by the German-American architect Helmut Jahn, is the latest residential hotspot for aspiring inhabitants of the Polish capital

Situated in the city centre, close to the iconic Palace of Culture and Science, the elegant 44-storey slender high-rise comprises 236 fully equipped apartments offering spectacular views of the urban skyline

Completed in October 2014, the multifunctional complex designed by local studio Maćków Pracownia Projektowa faces a recently renovated main railway station in the southwestern city of Wrocław

The new development features a characteristic 55m-high twisting tower and includes retail outlets, office space, a conference centre and a hotel with 133 rooms

Officially inaugurated in June 2015, the new Silesian Museum building by Riegler Riewe – an Austrian studio based in Graz – stands in the southern industrial city of Katowice

Situated on former coalmine grounds, the new complex comprises restored historical facilities surrounded by a new public park

Most of its functional programme, however, is dispersed across four underground levels, referencing the original use of the site

Inaugurated in October 2014, the latest concert hall by Polish firm Konior Studio serves as a new home to the internationally acclaimed NOSPR orchestra

The monumental structure, clad in brown and red brick, echoes the traditional architecture of the region. The highlight of the complex is its sculptural, 1800 seat main hall, which features exceptional acoustics, courtesy of the renowned Japanese consultancy firm Nagata

Adjacent to the iconic Spodek multi-purpose arena and neighbour to the local museum and concert hall, the new congress centre by Polish studio JEMS solidifies Katowice's transformation into a bona fide culture hub

Completed in March 2015, the new building features impressive black double-skin elevations and an extensive and accessible green roof 

External shot showing the impressive black double-skin facade that encloses the majority of the structure

The recently opened new building by Polish studio Ingarden & Ewý is an extension to Arata Isozaki's venerated Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology

The elegant new four-storey wing, clad in Pietra Serena sandstone and glass, reflects the growing interest of Polish society in Far Eastern cultures and arts

Opened in September 2014, the new Cricoteka, designed by the local consortium of nsMoonStudio and Wizja, is a heritage centre commemorating the 20th century multidisciplinary artist Tadeusz Kantor

The riverside complex features the meticulously restored historical facilities of a former power plant and a surprising suspended addition clad in perforated Corten steel, evoking Kantor's avant-garde art   

Internal shot focusing on the intricate detailing on the steel sheets. Light seeps through these repeated cut outs adding life to the space and creating playful shadows