Architektki
Honorable Mention in Design for Impact
Architektki is a research-led exhibition and public programme that uncovers, connects, and amplifies the overlooked contribution of women to Warsaw's built environment. Combining commissioned dialogues between experienced and emerging practitioners, archival research (an Atlas of Warsaw Women Architects documenting 41 female designers born before 1939), the project transforms architectural insights into a living pedagogy. The exhibition's displays and films make invisible careers visible, while mentoring and participatory workshops translate archival knowledge into practical skills and civic agency for new generations. Beyond interpretation, Architektki models sustainable exhibition practice. The show was produced almost entirely from reused materials and elements - from reclaimed plywood and concrete bricks to creative assemblage of exhibition systems - and demonstrates how cultural institutions can work in a sustainable manner without compromising visual quality. The project's reproducible format (archive + mentoring + public programme + low-impact production) offers a scalable template for other cities seeking to recover marginalised architectural histories and to embed social responsibility into design education and practice. The exhibition attracted over 5,000 visitors - a record-braking turnout for the ZODIAK Warsaw Pavilion of Architecture. Architektki is more than a story about architecture. It is a story of relationships, responsibility, and imagination.
Participant category: Individual professional
Country: Poland
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Client: Capital City of Warsaw
Team: Curators: Marta Wójcicka, Igor Łysiuk Exhibition Architecture: Miastopracownia: Barbara Nawrocka, Dominika Wilczyńska Ferwor: Aleksandra Gryc The full list of over 100 participants who contributed to the process is available on the website
Edition: 2026
Project status: Realised