Bialystok University of Technology students have created the Xylopolis exhibition project. Temporary exhibition presenting Podlaskie Province will be displayed at EXPO 2020 in Dubai

After reading the article you will find out:

– how the idea of the Xylopolis exhibition was born,

– how students of the Faculty of Architecture at BUT worked on the exhibition project for EXPO 2020 in Dubai,

– what they have learnt from working on the Xylopolis project.

There has never been such an exhibition and presentation before. After much brainstorming, the team of experts preparing the presentation on Podlaskie Province for EXPO 2020, a World Exhibition, decided that the Xylopolis exhibition will support the slogan “Podlaskie – fuelled by nature”. The Podlaskie Week planned for 15-24 October 2021 will promote local science, culture, tourism and economy. Students from the Faculty of Architecture at Bialystok University of Technology were invited to work on the concept of the exhibition. Inspired by the knowledge of experts from Bialystok University of Technology, the Marshal’s Office of Podlaskie Province, the Unibep Group Foundation UNITALENT, the University of Bialystok, and with the support of the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute, the future architecture engineers have created a project based on a fusion of primordial nature with modern technology. It is a vision of a silicon forest and clean economy, which creates an ecosystem of two interconnected organisms that mutually support and take care of each other on the principles of symbiosis with nature.

“We started working on the project in January 2020,” said Sara Kowalczuk-Fijałkowska. “The process was quite long. We had to make a lot of changes and adjust the project to the facility where our exhibition will be held,” she added.

Before the students started the designing process, they had to learn about the exhibition itself.

“Our task was to design an exhibition that would represent our region,” emphasised Agnieszka Skorulska. “We decided that it was best to start by finding what we commonly associate with our local Podlachian identity,” she explained.

Since they are architecture students, they drew attention to the unique local wooden architecture set in the natural environment.

“The plethora of forests, wetlands, rivers and Białowieża Forest are the core elements of our region,” explained Skorulska. Therefore, the students of BUT have made wood an important element of the Xylopolis exhibition, also incorporating the appearance of textures found in Białowieża Forest.

“Białowieża Forest and the richness of the natural environment of our region were crucial to us,” added Karolina Sobolewska. “We believe that it is impossible to present our local identity well without pointing out its roots in nature. In our project, we tried to introduce visitors to the atmosphere of the forest by using natural materials, textures or even large-format projections on the wall,” explained Sobolewska.

The students based their project on three immense trees that can be found in Białowieża Forest.

“The first tree will symbolise the gifts of nature,” said Jakub Kondracki. “Visitors will be able to use their sense of sight, smell, taste and touch to get familiar with the primaeval forest surrounding Podlachia. In the holes we called tree hollows, they will be able to see fragments of the primaeval forest. Inside the sliding drawers they will be able to touch grains and other gifts of nature and even smell the scent of the primaeval forest,” added Kondracki.

That way the architecture students want to move a fragment of the Podlachian nature to a completely different climate. The second tree will bring visitors closer to the development of the architecture and culture of Podlachia in relation to the surrounding greenery and forests.

“It will show the development of wooden architecture, different ways of traditional construction in Podlachia, various wooden details,” continued Jakub Kondracki. “Flora and fauna will also be presented, including recordings and live streams from Białowieża Forest,” he added.

The third tree in the Xylopolis exhibition symbolises a step into the future.

“The third tree symbolises an entry to the environment,” said Patrycja Lipska. “It surrounds a disassembled tree which has emerged from its primary shape. A hologram of the tree of the future will be placed in the middle,” revealed Lipska.

The third tree is intended to represent ecological building materials as a reference to sustainable development.

“The design composition is based on the idea to show three stages which present the past, the present and the future,” explains Lipska.

An additional attraction, especially for children visiting the Xylopolis exhibition with their parents, will be a table with specially designed wooden toys referring to the nature of Podlaskie Province.

“The three tree trunks we have designed, which are the main element of the exhibition, have an outer layer resembling tree bark, so as to resemble a forest as much as possible,” reveals Agnieszka Skorulska. “This can be a big attraction for visitors from countries without similar forest areas.”

The students’ design process was supported by the staff of the Faculty of Architecture at Bialystok University of Technology, including Assoc. Prof. Jarosław Szewczyk, PhD. Eng. of Architecture, Adam Jakimowiczoraz, PhD. Eng. of Architecture, Assoc. Prof. Halina Łapińska, PhD. Eng. of Architecture, Małgorzata Bartnicka, PhD. Eng. of Architecture and Katarzyna Asanowicz, PhD. Eng. of Architecture.

“This project has taught me that such tasks should be approached in an interdisciplinary manner. One study the region, get to know the identity of its inhabitants, and only then transfer this knowledge onto architecture, so that it is not empty but saturated with what is local and close to the hearts of the people from Podlachia,” summarised Agnieszka Skorulska.

“I am glad that I could take part in such a prestigious and global project already during my studies,” said Karolina Sobolewska. “I am sure that participating in this competition is going to be a good start in the direction of becoming an architect,” she added.

Podlaskie Province is already planning to establish a modern wood science and art centre – Xylopolis.

Author: Jerzy Doroszkiewicz