Szymon Wojciechowski: “Good architecture does not depend on how much you build”
Polish cities are growing at a record pace, but good architecture does not depend on the number of investments – argues Szymon Wojciechowski, president of the management board, co-owner and architect-partner at APA Wojciechowski Architekci. In an interview with Home & Design, he talks about the future of office buildings, the impact of artificial intelligence on design, sustainable construction and the challenges that most hamper the development of architecture in Poland today.
Poland remains one of the largest construction sites in Europe, but the scale of investment alone does not guarantee good architecture. We talk to Szymon Wojciechowski, president of the management board, co-owner and architect-partner at APA Wojciechowski Architekci, about why the biggest challenge today is economics and bureaucracy, and how artificial intelligence will change the architectural profession.
Magda Grefkowicz, Home & Design: Today, Poland is one of the largest construction sites in Europe. Does the quality of architecture keep up with the pace of investment development?
Szymon Wojciechowski: I would answer this: the quality of architecture does not depend on how much is built, but on the demand for good architecture. In good and bad investment times, there are those who don’t care – as long as it’s cheap and plentiful – but there are also those who want to build good architecture. For very different reasons: sometimes out of ambition, sometimes out of profit. This also depends on the skills of architects – whether they can design a lot, cheaply and well, or whether they will be fooled by rich tastelessness.
In recent years, ESG and sustainable development have been talked about more and more often. Are these real design criteria for investors today, or are they still primarily an element of the marketing strategy?
Szymon Wojciechowski: It’s true, we often witness a cynical treatment of sustainability and ESG as a marketing tool or a bureaucratic obligation. On the other hand – especially among young people – there is a deep understanding of the key problem, which is the climate crisis caused by CO₂ emissions. Although I am no longer one of the youngest, I believe that everyone should contribute at least a little to reducing emissions in their field. We – architects – operate in the construction sector, which is responsible for approximately one third of global CO₂ emissions. We won’t solve the whole problem, but we can do our part.
Home & Design: Is an architect in the 21st century still a creator or more of a coordinator of a complicated business process?
Szymon Wojciechowski: The question is: who exactly is an architect today? For over 20 years, I have considered myself the head of an architectural studio rather than an architect in the strict sense. Our company employs nearly 130 architects with very different competences – there are creators with a capital “T”, there are detail specialists, project coordinators and people who are great at communicating with the administration. This diversity, working as a team, creates architecture.
Home & Design: How has office design changed after the pandemic? What do employees and employers expect today?
Szymon Wojciechowski: Many predicted the end of traditional offices and the triumph of remote work. However, it turned out that completely moving away from working together did not work. Sometimes you need to talk face to face, approach your colleague and solve the problem together. Employers began to encourage people to return by offering better jobs. Today’s offices are more spacious, greener, have better common areas and a much higher standard than before the pandemic.
Do classic office buildings have a future, or will we be designing completely different workplaces in a decade?
Szymon Wojciechowski: I think that good office buildings will function for a very long time. However, the key is that they are flexible and can be adapted to future needs. We don’t know how we will work in 20 or 30 years. The biggest problem concerns buildings designed exclusively for one user. That is why we are increasingly involved in reconstruction projects of older office buildings into apartments. This is not easy, but a very interesting challenge.
Which challenge is the greatest for architects today: economics, environmental regulations or changing user needs?
Szymon Wojciechowski: Definitely economics. We believe in environmental regulations and try to design responsibly, regardless of the regulations. Designing future-ready buildings is a fascinating challenge. However, very low salaries for design are a real problem. In addition, there is ubiquitous bureaucracy, which effectively makes work difficult.
Polish cities are increasingly talking about the quality of life. Have investors really started to treat public space as a value rather than a cost?
Szymon Wojciechowski: Yes. Partly for economic reasons, partly influenced by regulations, public opinion and urban movements. Increasingly, however, it is simply a result of belief and observation of the success of well-designed urban spaces.
Is there such a thing as a Polish school of architecture today?
Szymon Wojciechowski: I don’t think so. Globalization means that styles become more and more intertwined. I am able to recognize Scandinavian, Finnish or Italian architecture, but if you showed me a new Polish building without information about its location, I would not be sure that it was built in Poland.
What competencies will the profession of architect require in 10 years?
Szymon Wojciechowski: I don’t know – and I don’t think anyone does. These will certainly be different competencies than today. The pace of change is enormous. The paradox of the Red Queen from “Alice in Wonderland” is becoming more and more relevant: “You have to run as fast as you can to even stay in the same place.”
What is one change to construction law or the spatial planning system that you would implement immediately?
Szymon Wojciechowski: The biggest problem is not the law itself, but the lack of an effective appeals system. Anyone can fall victim to an erroneous or unfair administrative decision. If it had been possible to successfully appeal within a few weeks or months, the situation would have been completely different. Today, court proceedings take years. As the Anglo-Saxons say: Justice delayed is justice denied.
Will artificial intelligence be a revolution for architects comparable to the emergence of computer design?
Szymon Wojciechowski: Yes, definitely. I have already experienced several revolutions in architecture – from 2D computer design, through BIM, to designing with ecology in mind. I believed that each of them would ultimately improve the quality of our work. In the case of AI, I’m not so sure. In the area of texts, language models have practically taken over many tasks. They also help a lot with visualizations. However, where we create models and technical documentation, artificial intelligence is just taking its first steps. This stage will be the most difficult and interesting for architecture.
How do you imagine Polish cities in 2040?
Szymon Wojciechowski: Paradoxically, I believe that cities will not change much in their essence. This phenomenon has existed for several thousand years and – according to Linda’s law – still has a very long future ahead of it. However, the means of transport and the way we use cars will change. The current model, in which the car sits unused most of the time and takes up valuable space, is unsustainable. In a few dozen years, we may see cities with huge areas of former parking lots that will gain completely new functions.
