Cancelled competitions, overestimated and suspended investments, projects lying in drawers for years after being selected for implementation. We know that there are many such cases, and that different factors are responsible for each particular turn of events. But sometimes it seems that some buildings are more fortunate than others, while other designers constantly have obstacles thrown in their path...

Immediately after the screening of the film “Building Bastille,” urban planner and popularizer of modernist heritage Mateusz Parużyński will present his subjective selection of the greatest architectural mistakes – whether they result from overly exuberant ambitions that are not matched by real possibilities, a distorted image of social needs, or ideas that are fascinating but completely alien to the local cultural context, which have been attempted to be implemented locally. We will also learn about examples of mistakes that brought positive surprises – despite the reluctance of specialists, they appealed to the public's tastes. We will also attempt to determine whether, in the case of architecture, we can speak of a specific aura of a building or powers that cannot be explained rationally, which may attract or repel us.

The lecture is organized in cooperation with the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning.