“Art is not about decorating space. It is about filling the void, which means achieving freedom, infusing life into what is dead and alien. The blank canvas is dead, and space without objects is dead […]”
Józef Szajna, selected from the chapter: Various Thoughts in the publication “Szajna Gallery”, Wanda Siemaszkowa Theatre Publishing House, 1997

This quote does not directly concern architecture. Szajna referred to his set designs and conceptions of performances, but the affinity of these words with the architectural vision of space seems incredibly close, almost sisterly. If one were to replace the word “art” with “architecture,” this sentence would remain true and relevant. Why? The word “decorating” carries a pejorative connotation, suggesting some minor deception, a facade, while art, fundamentally, should be true, reaching the deepest, sincere emotions. This state cannot be achieved by affecting the viewer (or user, in the case of architecture) through superficial decoration. Something that is merely a decorative wrapping will not fill the void, will not achieve freedom, will not create its own consistent form, and will not infuse life into space; it will remain dead, which is unacceptable in the construction and completion of the urban fabric.

Urban Planning. In seeking the right answer for the form of the new municipal hall, we primarily wanted to avoid falsehood. We inherently rejected all historicizing ideas and, after several attempts, also the ultra-modern and independent ones, which, although they might captivate many with their superficiality, led to conceptual wilderness.
Walking around the old town of Rzeszów, we got to know the texture and color of old plasters, various details of window frames, rich spatial forms – such as the sculpted shape of the Town Hall, and admired the charming facades of small townhouses with their characteristic fragmentation. The genius loci whispered solutions that were delicate, soft, even discreet and modest, drawing from the surrounding scale. Hence, even though the plot has three facades, in our proposal there are many more. The fragmentation of the forms, their protrusion or indentation from the straight line of the building, complemented by independent, sloping roofs, gives the feeling of blending into the character of the Old Town. The rectangular, acoustic box of the hall is surrounded by spatial forms borrowed from the nearby townhouses, thus taming its considerable volume and spatial simplicity, which, if exposed externally, would not fit into the urban planning of the old town of Rzeszów. This “crumbling” of the building form also allowed us to fulfill another very important postulate – preserving the existing trees, which in today’s times should be an axiom of modern and conscious architecture.
In urban planning terms, it is undoubtedly the relationship with the Town Hall that stands out. This unique building, freed from the frontage of the market square, seems to be the most important neighbor both in terms of shaping the urban space and the fact that the new hall will support the activities of the City Hall.
From the market square side, the new form is shaped to leave as much breathing space as possible for the historic form: it partially recedes, partially overhangs, aligns its cornice with that of the townhouse frontage, and is decidedly below the height of the noble neighbor. A significant decision giving the final shape to the form and completing the spatial integration with the Town Hall is the cutting out of a large terrace equal in width to the three-axis risalit with turrets. This spacious “urban balcony” offers a fantastic view of the market square and the opportunity to admire the neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance details of the building up close, almost at arm’s length. It is also an ideal place to quietly “hover” above the bustling streets, listening to the bugle call composed by trumpet virtuoso Tomasz Stańko.
From Król Kazimierz Street, the building deftly transitions from the fragmented form of a townhouse (Lord Jack pub) to a slightly larger but still balanced scale. This part of the building is the lowest, additionally cut for the conference hall, a small terrace makes the different character buildings connect without dissonance. From the neighboring buildings, the municipal hall has borrowed square windows with light frames. Thanks to them, the architectural language merges into a common discourse that is contemporary but, crucially, not detached from history and the spirit of the place.
Besides seeking appropriate urban solutions, the plastic-material concept of the building plays a primary role. Due to the sculpted form of the building, we assumed a homogeneous, noble finish that would not be an additional stimulus or another thread. The dynamics of this form are shaped primarily by light and shadow – each of the individual blocks partially shades the next, stands out in the foreground, or recedes, shines with the glass surface of windows and structural glazing, or absorbs light with a heavy, solid wall.
Analyzing the surrounding buildings, we concluded that, like the Town Hall and nearby townhouses, the new building should also be finished in noble plaster. We assume that it will be selected from a historical palette both in terms of color, composition, and texture. We proposed a grooved plaster combined with prefabricated details of architectural concrete inside window reveals and frames. The roofs themselves would be covered with fiber cement, in a color perfectly matched to the facade, to further emphasize the integrity of the forms. Such a marriage of materials would underline the modernity of the building while freely and unobtrusively drawing from the surrounding historical buildings.

Function. Besides urban planning, a planned function is crucial. It determines the daily life of the building and its efficiency. In placing the program, we concluded that the location of the municipal hall would determine the character of the interiors due to its volume. We did not want to locate it in the underground part, caring for the intuitive accessibility of the space, similarly raising it above the ground floor would additionally destroy the urban planning assumption. As a result, the multifunctional performance hall, along with the foyer, became the keystone of two naturally shaped terrain levels.
A fairly significant difference in levels for such a small plot also generates two independent entrances: the main – almost obvious – closest to the Town Hall, visible from the market square, and the second, somewhat more discreet, in the southern facade among preserved trees. This duality of levels consistently shapes the common space surrounding the hall. In the northern part, directly by the market square, there is a small café with backroom facilities, a public elevator (also leading to the observation deck), representative stairs to the upper levels of the building, and direct access to the hall. High glazing by the stairs is also a great frame for the Town Hall.
The foyer area from the south, connected to the northern part by convenient stairs and a lift for the disabled, has a more universal function. It can become an extension of the café, a place for banquets, or a temporary exhibition in direct relation to events taking place on stage. The advantage of this part of the foyer is its height, which allows for the exhibition of even large-scale sculptural installations. From this area, right by the entrance, there is also access to the hall’s backstage along with a staircase and an elevator serving employees and dressing rooms and conference rooms with offices on the upper floors.
It should be emphasized that locating the multifunctional hall at the back of the plot, without the possibility of direct lighting, was a conscious choice resulting both from urban decisions and the desire to create a foyer that would become an intermediary space between the hall and the city, something that would be both an interior and an exterior (thanks to large windows), a kind of small town inside the building. The “townhouses” we built around the hall’s form created an unusual space with small nooks and corners yet coherent and vibrant with life. It seems that thanks to this treatment, the scale of the interiors is very human and warm, not monumental.
The municipal hall is a well-tuned instrument, playing purely in all keys. Whether it is a conference, an intimate concert, a cabaret performance, or a dance workshop, the hall, like a chameleon, takes on appropriate forms. Equipped with movable acoustic banners for chamber concerts, absorbing curtains for amplified concerts, movable walls allowing for division, and finally, a collapsible multifunctional audience and retractable stairs, it becomes a very effective tool serving the city’s promotion and its inhabitants. Nearly 240 seats for viewers and a small balcony accessible from the first floor make this performative space like a theatrical “black box” – it can host almost any creative scenario.
Its interior is finished in natural ash, giving a sense of peace and harmony. The dominant color is the natural shade of wood, but it is contrasted with stage black, which appears everywhere below the level of the entrance from the market square and also on the wall as the background for the stage in the classic setting. Two large windows, through the foyer filter, provide gently diffused natural light and, thanks to the repetition of the same windows in the building’s facade, allow the audience to see the hustle and bustle of Słowackiego Street. Importantly, the “viewing” works both ways. Passersby can also peek inside, and who knows, maybe they will be tempted to enter?
On the first floor, there is a temporary exhibition and a dedicated conference office block along with a coworking space connecting both functions. The second floor is entirely occupied by the exhibition space. Over 500 square meters with zenithal lighting and a structural drawing open the possibility for almost any arrangement of the exhibition. The layout of the walls, reflecting the urban decisions made in the first sketches (the hall surrounded by “townhouses”), encourages laying out a fluid and rich path for visitors. The space seems ideal for thematic division – the rooms are both separate and connected, open and closed, single-space and divided. An exhibition hall almost every museum professional dreams of.
The fifth facade of the building is one of the most important usable

spaces. The large, scenic terrace has been connected with the exhibition floor and provides additional opportunities for curatorial activities or urban installations. Finally, it can simply become a beautiful place to look at the city from a different perspective.
In conclusion, the new municipal hall is a public building, whose form, function, and the materials used not only refer to the historical tissue of Rzeszów, but through conscious and contemporary implementation, complement and revitalize it. It becomes an additional piece of the urban puzzle that, by closing the frontage, integrates the small plot and the surrounding buildings, providing the residents with a new cultural and urban space, filled with life.