Section ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

CONCEPT OF GOD IN DESIGN WORK

OF MAREK BUDZYNSKI
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alina Drapella-Hermansdorfer
PhD Student Joanna Ways
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland

ABSTRACT
Marek Budzynski belongs to the forerunners of the ecologically oriented
architecture in Poland. The period of his greatest creative activity falls on the years
1975-2000, when widely
Polish alteration. This direction was inspired by works of Henryk Skolimowski,
regarded as the father of eco-philosophy and homilies of Pope John Paul II, in which
Christian values have been combined with the love of nature. In this intellectual

manifesting itself in architecture through harmony with greenery and the native
landscape, which is understood as a carrier of a national tradition. The article
presents the development of this idea. The authors focus on the most narrative
works of Marek Budzynski and Zbigniew Badowski: the University of Warsaw
Library (project: 1993, construction: 1994-1998, roof: 2002) and the Temple of
st
prize in an architectural competition but
later rejected for a more conservative vision. Analyses have led to establishing a
epts,
comparing them to the similar architectural projects from the same time realised
by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Emilio Ambasz.
Keywords: eco-philosophy, Marek Budzynski, Zbigniew Badowski, the
University of Warsaw Library, the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw

INTRODUCTION
People started to notice the devastation of the environment by a predatory

shook the global public opinion initiating a wave of deep worldview reevaluation.
In Poland, they gained additional dimension related to the growing resistance
movement against the communist order. An important role in this process was
played by the Catholic church, which became an autonomous "state in the state",
providing support to alternative educational associations, artistic and self-help
movements as well as other activities aimed at regaining political and religious
freedom [1].
Cut off by the Iron Curtain from much of the world, Polish ecological
movements turned either towards the national-Christian tradition, or they sought
inspiration in the philosophy of the Far East, opposed to the consumer culture of the
West. Among the architects, the first movement was developed by Marek
Budzynski (born in 1939) and the second by Janusz Korbel (1946-2015), the
founder of the Laboratory for All Beings (1989), connected with Zen Buddhism.
However, the main trend in the formation of the intellectual climate of the last

13
NORDSCI CONFERENCE

decades of the twentieth century was associated with the personality and teachings
of John Paul II, who combined his deep attachment to homeland with love of nature
and native landscapes. Calling the believers to an ecological conversion, the Pope
perceived moral crisis of the modern man as a source of environmental crisis [2].
The opening up to the world through transcendence, understanding life as a call

ominent
architectural works that are integrated with nature in an organic way. Although in
many respects he can be compared to Friedensreich Hundertwasser (formally
Friedrich Stowasser; 1928 - 2000) or Emilio Ambasz (born in 1943), who are
considered to be the precursors of the green architecture, his projects have a specific
form of narration. This attempt to present the works of Marek Budzynski is based
on materials from his private archive that have been made available to Joanna Ways.
pying a central position in his creative manifesto becomes a key
to understanding the specific "code of nature," which can be found in the works of
the team Marek Budzynski and Zbigniew Badowski, and which deserves more
attention.

The spectacular career of Marek Budzynski began in 1972 when he was offered
the function of a team leader in the development of the post-competition concept of
the Ursynow Nord complex in Warsaw. The task concerned designing a new district
addressed to approximately 40.000 inhabitants. Describing the long-term process
of creating this "city in the city", Lidia Pankow emphasizes a number of
modifications introduced by Budzynski in relation to the primary vision. According
to the principle of linear concentration of services in separated inner streets, public
spaces were to find a counterweight in the form of large interconnected backyards
creating a community park [3]. The cooperation with Irena Bajerska as the
landscape architect has become a phenomenon in the contemporary design practice.
Perhaps for this reason, in terms of the quality of open areas, Ursynow is
unparalleled among Polish modernist housing estates [4] . The dense new plantings
and climbers, which covered the building facades as well as differentiation of

valley) and are ahead of the so noticed housing projects as Zoliborz Orchards
(Polish: Sady Zoliborskie, 1958-1963) by Halina Skibniewska (1921-2011) [5].
Contrary to the designers' expectations, this diverse greenery enclave did not
receive the acceptance of the local community, which after some time began to
systematically remove the climber [3]. However, despite numerous setbacks and
compromises, the estate belongs to the more successful examples of the built
environment of that time. Special attention deserves the so called Ursynowski
Passage, with one of the first roof gardens in Poland by Barbara Kraus-
(1995). This is illustrated in Image 1.
Both the aforementioned political background and the sense of responsibility
for the quality of life of several thousand inhabitants led Budzynski to recognize the
cultural heritage and empathy for nature as the basic source of inspiration. His notes
contain a significant declaration:

14
 Section ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
In my opinion, the essence of creativity consists in resorting to subconscious
emotional associations, imperatives and valuations and using them in a rational way
to awaken certain instinctive feelings. Hence the necessity of feeling and
understanding of self, the others, the cultural heritage and the universe. For me,

Architecture. It's also Ideology, Politics, Organization, Constructing. It is primarily

the creation of patterns that guide the will to act [6].

Image 1. The Ursynowski Passage: a) the roof garden, b) public space in front
of the church of the Ascension, c) another roof garden. Photographs from the
private archive of Marek Budzynski.
Creative imperative of this concept differs from the attitude of reverence, aimed
at protecting and promoting life, which has become the leitmotif in the
considerations of Henryk Skolimowski (1930-2018), Polish eco-philosopher and
the author of the work:
A Sacred Place to Dwell: Living With Reverence Upon the Earth (1993).
According to Skolimowski, cultural values are "indispensable parts of human
strategies for survival and dignified life" and a proper understanding of religious
messages should lead to the recognition of some kind of cosmic ethics [7].
Budzynski, however, had to confront his philosophical attitude with reality. As
an urban planner and architect he perceives his profession as an opportunity to
convey to people the Higgs boson-
universe. In his creative manifesto the term taken from the popular scientific book
of Leon M. Lederman The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is
the Question ? gains the new meaning. It becomes the ability of creation given to
man in order to combine nature with the built environment into one harmonious
whole. In unpublished materials from the 1990s, Budzynski notes:
I belong to those who are deeply convinced that the biosphere has been created
as a very small part of the process that we humans call Divine Creation or Evolution.
Created to allow the birth and maintenance of life (maybe because it is so small it
is the first attempt?) (...) Space exists. We only transform it [6].

15
NORDSCI CONFERENCE

In this approach the God Particle reveals its existence in the field of social and
cultural interactions, leading to the emergence of increasingly organized living
systems. The architect's mission is to become involved in the evolution of the
human habitat by restoring to it the divine elements of nature. Budzynski is looking
for a hint in tradition, he tries to combine opposites: past with present, nature and
culture. He believes that the progress of knowledge will help people return to their
own roots and accept the attitude of solidarity towards other living beings. Being a
designer, he expresses his search in monumental buildings, such as the University
of Warsaw Library (1994-1998) and the adjacent building of the Faculty of Law
and Administration of the University of Warsaw (1996-1997), the seat of the
Supreme Court in Warsaw (1995-1999), Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw
(concept: 2000), Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic in Bialystok (2005-2012) and
University of Bialystok Campus (2011 - 2013).
THE UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW LIBRARY AN INNER CITY
AND THE MOTIF OF A MOUNTAIN
Church of the Ascension (1981-1989) designed by the team of Marek
Budzynski, Zbigniew Badowski and Piotr Wicha became their first interpretation
of historical heritage in the language of contemporary architecture [8]. This year
was marked in a special way in the Polish history: on the one hand as the peak
moment of civil resistance associated with the Independent Self-governing Labor
Union "Solidarity", on the other - as the beginning of a two-year period of martial
law (1981-1983). Reference to the national tradition in building of the sacred
architecture contained a clear symbolic message at that time. The front elevation of
the church, which is the subject of the greatest criticism, was the first
reinterpretation of a mountain theme appearing later in Budzyn
high and squat body of the building is supported by the massive side buttresses.
Thanks to them, the church seems to grow out of the ground, giving the impression
of durability and power. It belongs to a complex of buildings, which surround a
hidden courtyard like a defensive wall and protect it against the sphere of the
profane. The whole resembles a holy city, a kind of the New Jerusalem, through
which the "divine particle" manifests its existence in the middle of the largest Polish
settlement from the communist era. The union of spirit, energy and matter takes
place in the rays of the light from a large glazed cross on the front facade, which
acts as a gate leading to the interior, becoming an illustration of the often quoted
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
-7, NIV).
The idea of an inner city reappears in the building complex of the Warsaw
University Library and the Faculty of Law and Administration headquarter of the
same university. As follows from the Fig. 2, Budzynski cut them off from the
surroundings with smooth outer walls, offering at the same time inviting entrances
to the hidden microcosm of science. The project was developed in the same year as
Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall (1994-1995) by Emilio Ambasz, whose aim
was to compensate for the loss of the last remaining green area in the cityscape.
Therefore, he introduced green spaces onto the 15 stepped terraces dominating the
surroundings, but the similarities end there. The Warsaw complex of university
buildings resembles a massive plateau covered by a green roof. The inner alleys and
main rooms of this "temple of knowledge" are lit with natural light that passes

16
 Section ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
through skylights or across the atrium courtyards. Inside there are spaces of various
purpose, where one can spend the whole day at work, leisure or social life.
The roof garden of 2000 m2 offers visitors great vantage points of the city and
the landscape of the Vistula valley. Greenery and water run down the gentle slope
leading to the lower garden of 15.000 m2 and the nearby river bank. All technical
infrastructure devices are closely integrated with shrubs, natural meadows and
decorative gardens designed by Irena Bajerska[9]. Although in this place Budzynski
planned a kind of botanical garden that would complement the educational function
of the library through the selection of native plants, his idea was rejected as too
avant-garde and far from the expectations of the mass audience. Finally, the gardens
of colours at the top of the artificial mountain enjoy general interest and won a
number of prestigious awards.

Image 2. The Warsaw University Library: a) -eye view of the whole

area concept from the archive of Marek Budzynski; b) the internal street with
climbing plants on the walls, c) the Propylea main entrance to the open library
collection Ways; d) the roofs garden. Photographs by Joanna Ways.
As shown in Image 2, the library hall is kept in a manner of "the Akademos'
grove". The readers are sitting here under canopies of the tree-like supporting pillars
through which mild greenish light is filtered from above. The Propylaea, called the
colonnade of philosophers, forms the monumental entrance, crowned at the top with
the figures of prominent Polish thinkers of the twentieth century. On the outer side
of the building facing the street, the walls are covered in large plaques with excerpts
of texts in different languages, including musical and mathematical notation.
Referring to the Hellenic roots of European culture and the academy as a
community of knowledge lovers, Budzynski applied classic architectural quotes,
like propylaea, peristyles or wall-mounted columns supporting vines. The
continuity of the internal and external space is noticeable at every step and the
climbing plants growing on the walls of the inner alley are connected with the
greenery from the garden through the glass roof. Technical infrastructure devices,

perfectly integrated into the construction of the green roof. The idea of the God
Particle understood as the fusion of spirit (science) with energy (light) and matter

17
NORDSCI CONFERENCE

(green, architecture) permeates and connects all this isolated world of harmony
created by man.
THE TEMPLE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE - THE WHOLE
COUNTRY AT THE FEET OF GOD
The most clear manifestation of the God Particle in the works of Marek
Budzynski was to become the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw. The

recognized as the event of the year 2000, as did the chosen concept of Marek
The vision of the church hidden inside the pyramidal Holy Mountain
topped with a glass building as a sign of Providence stirred public opinion. At the
foot of the hill the project envisioned four churches-gates with neo-traditional forms
typical for various parts of Poland, through which four roads were to run towards
this luminous crown (Image 3).

Image 3. The Temple of Divine Providence: -eye view of the whole

area concept; b-d) views of selected parts of the area. From the archive of Marek
Budzynski.
The soaring form of the skylight can trigger distant associations with Lucile
Halsell Conservatory (1988) by Emilio Ambasz, but this is where the similarities
end. The skylight seems too big and competes with the mountain, whose size is
emphasized by the reflection on the surface of the lake that fills the Square of the
Truth. Budzynski planned that during larger gatherings the water would flow to
other parts of the garden revealing the bottom and allowing the faithful to be in
direct contact with the figure of Christ standing in the middle.
An important role in this scenery is played by the slopes of the artificial
mountain, covered with a diversified layer of the native plants, from which Tomasz
Chylinski formed meadows, groves and alleys. The topography of the area includes
green infrastructure for the collection of rainwater, which points to a balanced
approach to the design of sacral architecture. Despite a number of debatable
solutions, in the opinion of the proponents the whole project contained unique
potential of creative thought. Nevertheless, such a fresh look at the house of God
aroused resistance among more conservative church circles, as described by Julia

18
 Section ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Sowinska-Heim in the article entitled: "A kurgan grave or an orange squeezer?"
The name "orange squeezer" was given by the inhabitants of Warsaw due to the
shape of the church which finally emerged after the second competition [10].
Although Holy Mountain was not created in Warsaw, a similar motif appeared
five years later in the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic project in Bialystok, where
the rectangular body of the main hall towers over the adjacent park from the top of
the artificial hill.
its appearance and merging it with the green roof. Architecture is subjected to the
process of evolution - it disappears under the green cover, it is visible and at the
same time hidden, integrated with the landscape, ruled by nature and man.
Budzynski remains faithful to his mission also in subsequent projects, where he
consistently uses green roofs and creepers as elements of his architectural-
landscaping creation.

CONCLUSION
Symbolic references to the past give Budzynski's works some features that are
recognizable in relation to other green architecture designers, such as
Hundertwasser, who in art and nature sought liberation from an oppressive culture.
His houses are full of painterly expression and the trees-tenants growing on the
roofs become a contradictory sign of opposition to the desert urban reality. Spiritual
environments of Emilio Ambasz are characterized by rationalism and simplicity of
forms that are oriented towards the future and innovative technologies. Against this
background, Budzynski represents a romantic attitude, facing the idealized past. His
inner cities are carrying people in an another world isolated from external influences
and yet associated with nature, a world full of meanings that define the function of
place on the metaphysical plane (See Table 1).
Table 1. The meaning and the form in the analysed works of Ma
(by Alina Drapella-Hermansdorfer).
Meaning Form Occurrence
Affirmation of Mountain-like Green roof at Ursynowski
human unity with buildings, bringing Passage (1995-1998), the
nature in terms of people back to the Warsaw University Library
protecting the Earth as well as to the (1994-1998) and the WU Law
fundamental good world of plants and Faculty building (1996-1997),
of life in all its animals living on the Temple of Divine Providence
manifestations [2]; green roofs and (2000, conception) , Warsaw;
external walls; the Podlasie Opera and
Philharmonic (2005-2012),
Bialystok;
Affirmation of Inner city with a Church of Ascension (1981-
cultural heritage in human scale, quotes 1989)mand the above
terms of social bond from regional or mentioned objects except the
and place identity; classical architecture, Ursynowski Passage;
inscriptions;

19
NORDSCI CONFERENCE

Affirmation of God Natural light As above;

(as God Particle) penetrating inside the
connecting the buildings through
world in a symbolic holes (cross,
harmonious whole; the sign of Divine
Providence, glass
roof);
Affirmation "here Exposing the technical The Warsaw University
and now"; infrastructure, Library and WU Law Faculty
sustainability features; building, Temple of Divine
Providence, Warsaw
(conception).
All these motifs can be found in the eco-philosophy of Henryk Skolimowski and
the teaching of John Paul II, that have inspired Marek Budzynski's green
architecture and his concept of a specific "code of nature" understood as the God
Particle connecting people and nature.

REFERENCES
[1] Zaryn J., K S 1981., Biuletyn
IPN, vol. 2010/9-10, pp 151-154, Poland, 2010; available at: http://polska1918-
89.pl/pdf/kosciol-katolicki-a-solidarnosc-w-latach-
1980%E2%80%931981,3002.pdf, [accessed 28 May 2018];
[2] John Paul II, God made man the steward of creation. General Audience.
Wednesday 17 January 2001; available at: https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-
ii/en/audiences/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_20010117.html, [accessed 28 May
2018];
[3] Pankow L., Bloki w sloncu. Mala historia Ursynowa Polnocnego. Poland,
2016;
[4] Ilmurzynska K., Green in cities. Shaping architecture as part of the urban
ecosystem in the design of Marek Budzynski, Builder, vol. R.20/3, pp 31-55,
Poland, 2016;
[5] Springer F., Zle urodzone. Reportaze o architekturze prl-u. Karakter,
Krakow, Poland, 2011;
[6] Budzynski M., not published materials, pp 4-14, Poland, 2016;
[7] Fiut I.S., The idea of Sustainable Development in the Perspective of Henryk
, Problems of Sustainable Development, vol. 4/2, pp 25-
48, Poland, 2009;
[8] Januszkiewicz K., A New Polish Architecture after the political and
economic changes in 1989. Towards a Critical Regionalism, Architecturae et
Artibus, vol. 6, pp 5-25, Poland, 2014;
[9] Sowinska-Heim J., Culture and Nature: The Language of Symbols and
Natura in the Oeuvre of the Contemporary Polish Architect, Marek Budzynski, An
Introduction to Sustainability and Aesthetics: Art and Design for the Environment,
pp 175-186, USA, 2015;
[10] -Heim J., A kurgan grave or an orange squeezer? A matter of
personal preference, Art Inquiry, vol. 12, pp 169-185, Poland, 2010.

20