RADICAL IMPERFECTION. The revitalisation of Hotel Forum

Cracow Technical University (Politechnika Krakowska), Kraków

Idea projektu

Changing societal needs and the dynamic development of cities challenge us to redefine public space. With the growing number of unused buildings in city centers, a unique opportunity arises to creatively repurpose existing resources. These buildings, often burdened with historical and symbolic weight, have the potential to become the foundation for new, inclusive public spaces that address contemporary social, ecological, and cultural challenges. Each unused building tells its own story, and our task is not only to preserve their heritage but also to give them new meaning in a way that harmoniously connects tradition with modernity.

The Forum Hotel building is a multi-layered narrative of modernity. A symbol of progress and prosperity after a decade of crisis, Hotel Forum rose to the heights of its time by celebrating exclusivity fueled by automation, digitization, and motorization—markers of both its success and, ultimately, its downfall, which led to years of neglect and gradual decay. In envisioning the building’s future, we turned to its history, which helped us define the key directions for the revitalization of Hotel Forum and its immediate surroundings.

The title of the project, Radical Imperfection, represents a conscious embrace of imperfection as both an aesthetic and functional value. The project does not seek to hide the building’s past, but rather to expose and reinterpret it in a new context. As a symbol of 1980s brutalism, Hotel Forum is to gain a new identity as a space open to culture, community, and new forms of expression and participation—highlighting the dialogue between past and future.

Through this revitalization, Forum becomes not only a functional place, but also a manifesto of a contemporary approach to architecture—one that is sensitive to history, open to change, and that celebrates the unique character of existing spaces.

Popis projektu

Radical Imperfection is a design proposal that rethinks how we approach transformation in architecture—by listening, not erasing; by revealing, not replacing. Set within the shell of the iconic Forum Hotel in Kraków, the project reimagines a once-luxurious brutalist monument of the 1980s as a resilient, inclusive and open-ended civic platform. This is not a traditional adaptive reuse—it is a deliberate act of redefining space in a world where function is no longer fixed and permanence is a myth. Our design strategy began not with addition, but with subtraction. By selectively removing secondary architectural elements, we uncovered the latent spatial power of the original design. Brutalist geometry became both the backdrop and the protagonist.

The spatial transformation was guided by precision rather than spectacle. Vertical cuts and horizontal openings were introduced to let natural light penetrate deep into the building and to establish new visual and programmatic connections between levels. These incisions reorganize the building’s circulation, anchor social interactions, and allow the architecture to breathe. Existing structural scars—cracks, textures, material wear—were preserved and even highlighted, transforming imperfections into aesthetic and narrative assets.

Instead of assigning fixed programs, the project proposes a flexible, layered spatial system. The reimagined Forum offers a range of interwoven functions: gallery and exhibition spaces, co-working areas, artistic studios, public workshops, lecture halls, and communal zones for interaction, rest and participation. Importantly, none of these are permanent. The architecture invites adaptation, coexistence, and redefinition over time—empowering users to shape its meaning through use, not prescription.

The new insertions are designed with clear material contrast: lightweight, recyclable elements are visibly distinct from the original concrete mass. Natural materials, transparent panels, green pockets and reused elements from the demolition process mark the contemporary layer of intervention. The aim is not harmony through imitation, but resonance through contrast.

Sustainability is embedded not just in materials, but in the project’s philosophy. By radically preserving and activating what already exists, we reduce the need for resource-heavy construction and extend the lifecycle of architectural heritage. This project becomes not only a model of adaptive reuse, but a statement on circularity, memory, and design responsibility.

“Radical Imperfection” is not a finished building. It is a platform—an infrastructure for civic life, culture, and self-expression. In a time of ecological crisis and social volatility, we believe architecture must move away from fixed answers and instead offer resilient structures that host transformation. This project is our contribution to that shift.

Technické informace

The project “Radical Imperfection” is an adaptive reuse and revitalization of the former Forum Hotel in Kraków, Poland—a massive brutalist structure built in the 1980s. The intervention reimagines the 25,000-square-meter building as a flexible, hybrid urban infrastructure dedicated to cultural exchange, creative production, and community engagement. Rather than imposing fixed programs, the project introduces a spatial framework that can evolve over time. The architectural response is rooted in minimal interference, prioritizing precision over reconstruction.

Key functions within the building include gallery and exhibition areas, coworking spaces, creative studios, workshops, a public library, auditoriums, and food and beverage zones. All of these are conceived as modular and transformable spaces that can adapt to shifting user needs. Vertical and horizontal cuts in the original slab structure open up the building to natural light and visual connections between levels, while newly introduced voids serve as light wells and circulation hubs. Strategic insertions of greenery and soft materials enhance spatial comfort and support ecological resilience.

Structurally, the revitalization preserves the raw concrete skeleton of the original hotel, emphasizing its existing textures, cracks, and imperfections as historical testimony. New architectural elements are inserted in a clearly differentiated material language—lightweight, transparent, or recycled—to establish a respectful contrast. All interventions are made with a high degree of precision, using sustainable methods and materials. The project demonstrates a commitment to circular design, minimal material waste, and a low-carbon approach through the reuse of the existing building fabric.

By transforming the Forum into a resilient, inclusive, and multi-functional platform, the project redefines the role of architecture—not as a finished object, but as an evolving framework capable of hosting a diversity of activities and meanings over time.