The winning proposal has just been announced for an extension to the Bunkier Sztuki ("Bunker of Arts") contemporary art gallery in Cracow, Poland. Out of 33 entries in the international competition, the underground design by Robert Konieczny - KWK Promes has been selected to be executed in the heart of Cracow's Old Town.

© KWK Promes

The winning proposal has just been announced for an extension to the Bunkier Sztuki ("Bunker of Arts") contemporary art gallery in Cracow, Poland. Out of 33 entries in the international competition, the underground design by Robert Konieczny - KWK Promes has been selected to be executed in the heart of Cracow's Old Town.

© KWK Promes
The proposal includes a new 3900?square meter exhibition space in front of the existing building with moveable slabs and an elevatable roof, which can be adjusted according to program. This ultra-modern mechanical system allows for interaction between the exhibition space and the city: the roof can be lifted to give the gallery a direct physical connection to the street level. Meanwhile, by eliminating a superstructure to the extension, the architects have given deference to the existing building. The intervention also includes a plan to refurbish the historical gallery to reveal its original brutalist form.

© KWK Promes

© KWK Promes

Situated in one of Poland's most ...