Awards & Recognition

Architectural Award for National Library Modernization Project

09 August 2023

We are proud to announce that the new project of modernization of the National Library with a number of facilities for the blind and visually impaired was awarded the GRAND PRIX of the 9th Architectural Award of the President of the City of Warsaw. The project was developed in cooperation with Studio Konior, SOKKA and Studio Blisko, whose founder is Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk, a School of Form lecturer.

School Of Form lecturer contributes to success story

One of the key elements of the project was the Visual Information System designed by Studio Blisko, founded by Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk, a lecturer at the School of Form, which is part of SWPS University and focuses on design and art courses. Studio Blisko has implemented a number of solutions aimed at meeting the needs of blind and visually impaired people. One of these solutions involved tiflographic maps – spatial maps that can be read with fingers by people with visual impairments. Other accessibility solutions included Braille signs, directional signs, information pylons, boards and semaphores.

The collaboration between Studio Blisko and Konior Studio began with an existing conceptual design previously developed by SOKKA. The team of architects and designers, with complementary skills and experience, worked to adapt the National Library to meet the needs of all users.

Studio Blisko

Studio Blisko specializes in wayfinding systems. They develop Visual Information Systems (VIS) for educational, cultural, commercial, office and residential buildings and facilities. Their main goal is to create coherent and functional information systems that improve accessibility, legibility and attractiveness of public and commercial spaces.

TThe founder of Studio Blisko is Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk, a visual information systems designer, architect, and lecturer at School of Form, who specializes in wayfinding. She is also a member of the board of the Association of Applied Graphic Designers (Stowarzyszenie Twórców Grafiki Użytkowej).

Interior of the National Library after modernization

foto: Jakub Certowicz, Robert Szaban

National Library map adapted for the blind and visually impaired people

foto: Jakub Certowicz, Robert Szaban

Designers

Konior Studio

Tomasz Konior
Dominik Koroś
Andrzej Witkowski
Marcin Piotrowski
Wojciech Przywecki
Michał Lipiec
Angelika Drozd
Mikołaj Zdanowski
Piotr Straszak

SOKKA

Katarzyna Sokołowska
Wojciech Sokołowski
Ewelina Bidzińska
Michał Latko
Marcin Maciejewski

Construction and installations

MES
Arkadiusz Jakubowski
PKBI
WhiteMoose
Eltrim Projects

Visual Information System

Studio Blisko: Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk

Investors

Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk

Anna Nowokuńska-Maksymiuk is a visual information systems designer, architect, and founder of Studio Blisko, specializing in wayfinding. She lectures at SWPS University’s School of Form. She often speaks at numerous conferences, including Element Talks, Design Ways, and Traffic Design. She is a member of the board of the Association of Applied Graphic Designers (Stowarzyszenie Twórców Grafiki Użytkowej).