ICE Krakow Congress Centre: A Masterpiece of Modern Architecture

Ingarden & Ewý + Arata Isozaki & Assoc. Create a Cultural and Congress Centre with a Twist

The ICE Krakow project was the winning entry in a competition for the design of a Krakow City congress centre. The architects' vision was to create a contemporary design that would harmoniously blend with the historical centre of the city. The result is a structure that not only meets functional and technological requirements but also offers free and open spaces, defined by curved lines and surfaces, with unconventional flows and divisions.

What sets the ICE Krakow Congress Centre apart is its dedication to culture. It boasts three main halls with 1915, 600, and 300 seats, respectively, and a multifunctional conference space. The building's most prestigious feature is its location opposite the Wawel Royal Castle. This influenced key design decisions, such as the spectacular glass facade, multi-storey foyer, and fantastic staircase, all offering panoramic views of historic Krakow.

The heart of the ICE Krakow is the Auditorium, a semi-vineyard type hall that permits optimal functionality and acoustics for all purposes. The construction is based on the division of the auditorium into terraced blocks and balconies, whose walls become sound reflecting surfaces. The hall, equipped with an adjustable acoustic system, is an ideal combination of purity and volume of sound, reverberation, and for conference purposes, clarity of voice.

The design of the ICE Krakow Congress Centre originated in 2007 as an entry to the international architectural competition announced by the municipal authorities of the City of Krakow. The design works took 3.5 years, the construction began in 2011 and was completed in 2014. The building is situated in the most prestigious location in Poland: opposite Wawel Castle, by the Vistula embankments, adjacent to the Grunwaldzkie Roundabout in Krakow.

The acoustical success of the ICE auditorium hall is a result of detailed research and acoustic tests. The research began with the creation of a computer model of the hall and testing selected parameters as loudness, distribution, clarity, reflections, and absorption of sound. Once the computer image was fairly clear, a physical model at the scale 1:50 was built, and further testing was conducted on it, comparing the results achieved experimentally with those taken from the computer modelling.

The ICE Krakow Congress Centre is a modern venue dedicated to cultural events: music, ballet and theatre performances as well as congresses – comprised of three main halls with 1915, 600, and 300 seats, and a multifunctional conference area of 550 sq.m. Designed at the highest standards of acoustics and mechanics, it surpasses international congress organization norms. An asset of ICE is also its unique location opposite Wawel Castle. The building boasts a glass façade facing the Vistula embankment with the multi-storey foyer offering a panoramic view of Old Krakow.

This Design was awarded Platinum in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2015. Platinum A' Design Award recognizes world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative designs that showcase unmatched professionalism, genius, and contribute to societal wellbeing. Awarded to the defining aesthetics of an era, they advance the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology, exhibiting transcendent excellence and making the world a better place.