Xylopolis Wood Art and Science Center in Białystok

The Xylopolis Wood Art and Science Centre will be a modern cultural facility that will combine educational, exhibition and recreational functions.

A realisation of the Xylopolis headquarters is a strategic project for the region, and its task will be both to create a cultural centre integrating the local community, as well as to promote the tradition, nature and brand of Podlasia in Poland and Europe.

The concept of the architectural form of Xylopolis came from an in-depth reflection on the relationship between man and nature — the common existence, the influence of man on the natural ecosystem and the responsibility that comes from it. In response to the ecological and social challenges of the future, we want to outline a perspective filled with conviction of human wisdom and the possibility of rational, responsible management of natural resources. Their sources can be found in the multi-generational tradition and history of the wooden culture of Podlasie, as well as the latest technologies of wooden construction created and practiced in the region today. The model for the architectural concept of Xylopolis was the project of the Polish Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, in which the exhibition of the Podlasie Center for Art and Wood Science was originally presented. As our implementation at Expo 2020, the Xylopolis Pavilion took the form of an upward-expanding, modular structure framed by a kinetic installation depicting a flock of birds flying and a metaphor for mobility — dynamic changes taking place in the world, the global flow of information and knowledge. We decided to use techniques that exhibit the aesthetic qualities of wood, which will be the main construction and finishing material of the pavilion. A wooden cladding of various textures and moving fragments of the facade will create an interactive spatial installation powered by air movements and the variation of light at different times of the day and year, thus transmitting the multifaceted contribution of natural phenomena in the feeling of comfort and harmony. A pavilion shaped in this way will be an exhibition in space, and at the same time — as an element of the landscape — experienced by different senses, an immersive setting for the Xylopolis program activity and the vibrant Podlasie culture.