4 Design Days 2026: Over 5,000 participants and a debate on the future of cities

Architects, urban planners, designers, investors, local government officials and experts from various industries met at the International Congress Center. The event program included dozens of debates and substantive sessions with the participation of almost 250 speakers from Poland and abroad.

– Today, architecture is no longer just aesthetics. It is increasingly becoming a tool to respond to real social, environmental and economic problems, said David Sim, architect and author of the book “Soft City”, during the opening session of the event.

Architecture in the face of crises

The topic of this year’s edition focused on the resilience of cities and buildings to contemporary challenges: the climate, energy, social and demographic crisis. Regenerative design, adaptation of existing buildings, new technologies in architecture and designers’ responsibility for the long-term effects of decisions made were discussed.

Special guests included: David Sim, Jonas Norsted from the Norwegian Atelier Oslo, Jeanette Frisk from the Copenhagen arki_lab and Roger Riewe, co-founder of the Riegler Riewe Architekten studio.

Design today means designing relationships between people, space and the environment. It is no longer just a matter of form, but the quality of everyday life – emphasized Jeanette Frisk, architect and urban planner, during her session.

Jonas Norsted, in turn, drew attention to the importance of working with the existing urban fabric:

– The most sustainable building is the one that already exists. The future of architecture is the ability to give new life to what has been built before.

Cities as a shared responsibility

An integral part of the program was the accompanying event Property Forum: Idea for the City, dedicated to the future of Polish cities. The topics discussed included spatial planning, cooperation between local governments and business, the quality of metropolis development and long-term responsibility for the shape of public spaces.

– It is impossible to talk about good architecture today without talking about responsibility towards residents, the environment and future generations – said Roger Riewe, co-founder of Riegler Riewe Architekten, during the city debate.

Participants repeatedly emphasized that the strength of 4 Design Days is not only the high level of debates, but also the diversity of perspectives – a meeting of architectural communities with administration, investors and business representatives.

This is one of the few events in Poland where architects, investors, local governments and business actually talk to each other at one table. – summed up one of the panelists of the city sessions.

Property Design Awards Gala – a celebration of architecture and design

The highlight of the anniversary edition was the Property Design Awards Gala, during which the best architectural and interior design projects in Poland were awarded. For years, the competition has been distinguishing projects that set the directions for the development of architecture and design – both in terms of aesthetics, functionality and the environment.

This year’s finale had a special dimension – it was not only a summary of the competition, but also a symbolic culmination of 10 years of 4 Design Days as a platform for talking about the quality of space. On the occasion of the 10th edition of the competition, the Propertydesign.pl editorial team, in addition to awards in standard categories, awarded special awards summarizing the decade.

The title of the City-Creating Project of the Decade went to the Culture Zone in Katowice (architect by JEMS Architekci, Tomasz Konior, Riegler Riewe Architekten, investor: Miasto Katowice) – a space that changed the identity of the city. It is here, on the site of a former mine, that one of the most coherent and symbolic urban complexes in Poland was created: NOSPR, the Silesian Museum and the International Congress Center, connected by an open public space. The project showed that post-industrial transformation can become an impulse to create a new urban quality.

The Building of the Decade award went to Varso Tower in Warsaw (architect: Foster + Partners, investor: HB Reavis) – a facility that not only changed the panorama of the capital, but also became a symbol of Poland’s architectural ambitions. The jury appreciated not only the scale of the investment, but also its sustainable nature and openness to the city through terraces and spaces available to residents.

Hala Koszyki in Warsaw (architect: JEMS Architekci, investor: Griffin Real Estate) was recognized as the Revitalization of the Decade – an example of the transformation of a historic building into a vibrant meeting place. This is a project that proves that revitalization can be both a respect for history and an impulse to create new urban energy.

The title of Architect of the Decade was awarded to Przemo Łukasik (Medusa Group) – a creator who consistently builds his own architectural language, combining formal courage with sensitivity to the context and social significance of space.

The Designer of the Decade was Oskar Zięta, awarded for work that crosses the boundaries between design, art and engineering. His FiDU method and characteristic projects have become one of the most recognizable symbols of Polish design in the world.

A special distinction – the Property Design Awards Special Award – went to David Sim, whose thinking about the city, including, among others, in the book “Soft City”, had a real impact on the way people talk about designing human-friendly spaces in Poland today.

On the second day, the results of the prestigious Dobry Design competition were also announced, which awarded new icons of Polish design and their creators – designers and brands that combine high quality, durability of products and a responsible approach to design.

Good design today means socially, environmentally and culturally conscious design. This is not a passing fad, but a real change in the way we think about products and space – was emphasized during the competition finale.

An event that resonates more widely

The anniversary edition of 4 Design Days clearly showed that the event goes beyond the framework of an industry conference. It becomes a platform for debate about the quality of life, the future of cities and how design decisions made today will affect the functioning of space in 10, 20 or 30 years.

Over 5,000 participants, full debate halls, an intense expo zone and lively conversations on the sidelines show that the topic of architecture and design is no longer a niche – and has become an important element of public discussion about the future.