Creative Research Lab is a space where we combine urban observation, dialogue with residents, and research experiments carried out directly in the city.
We invited students and professionals from the fields of art, architecture, and design to join us. The goal is to better understand architecture connected to complex historical legacies through creative and interdisciplinary approaches.

During the sessions, we explored urban spaces and the social relationships embedded in architecture, focusing on selected research sites. Together, we visited the former Administrative Center of the Lenin Steelworks—known locally as the “Palace of the Doges” or the “Vatican”—the former Światowid Cinema building (now the Museum of Nowa Huta), and the modernist Hotel Cracovia. Our guide was an expert in local architecture, a Nowa Huta resident, and an activist from the Poza Szlakiem Foundation.

Working closely with the team from Dom Utopii – International Centre of Empathy, participants were able to meet, collaborate, and experiment in its spaces. Over an intensive week, young artists explored the city’s architecture, experimented with generative AI, and attended a series of lectures.

The program also included a screening of the film Architecture and Urbanism of Nowa Huta and a discussion with its creator, Krzysztof Ridan. A key part of the week were meetings with residents of Nowa Huta, who shared their experiences and perspectives on daily life, as well as discussions with experts: Karolina Żłobecka (Museum of Nowa Huta), Małgorzata Hajto (OKN), Katarzyna Kobylarczyk, and Monika Szota (Archethics).