In the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, symbolism is embodied in the architecture without unnecessary rhetoric. The restrained exterior of the building respects the history of the site in the heart of the wartime Warsaw ghetto, providing a reverential frame for the exhibition on the history of the Polish Jews. The building is paired with the adjacent Monument of the Ghetto Heroes, proving that architecture is capable of empathy.
The free-form main hall is a contrast to the restrained exterior, symbolically leading the visitor towards the future. The free geometry of the main hall was inspired by the Hebrew expression “yum suf”, which refers to the gorge of the Red Sea during Exodus. The organic formal language of the load-bearing walls of the main hall was an extreme challenge for both design and construction, successfully tackled without compromise. The outcome, combining the best international expertise in steel and concrete construction, also brings together the traditions of prefabrication and handicrafts. The stone in the polished concrete surfaces of the interior is local limestone sand, which tones the atmosphere of the single-material cavernous interior from concrete grey into warm light.
Text: https://www.arkkitehtuurinfinlandia.fi/en/finalists/museum-of-the-history-of-polish-jews
Images: https://lma.fi/projects/museum-of-the-history-of-polish-jews, https://archello.com/project/museum-of-the-history-of-polish-jews, https://www.archdaily.com/441658/museum-of-the-history-of-polish-jews-lahdelma-and-mahlamaki-kurylowicz-and-associates, https://www.arkkitehtuurinfinlandia.fi/en/finalists/museum-of-the-history-of-polish-jews, https://www.museumstudio.com/projects/polin-museum
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