The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center was commissioned to Nizio Design International, located in Bielsko-Biała, a city in southern Poland,  was officially opened in May 2024.

This new facility complex is a modern museum and theme park combined to bring to mind exhibitions by motion picture international studios. This holistic space approach is still fresh in the Polish design context.

Nizio Design International designed the complex as part of the Polish Animated Film Studio, as well as the renovation of the historic Roth Villa, and the development of the surrounding site.

Nizio Design International designed a minimalist façade made of concrete with film tape-like perforations as inspiration from Animated Film Studio heritage.

The construction of the new building appears to be “suspended” above the ground floor giving visitors the illusion that it’s supported directly by glass.

The power of harmony - comprehensive renovation of the historic Roth Villa combined with the minimalistic design of the new interactive centre creates dynamics like in an animated movie.

The green area design around the building includes a built-in auditorium for cartoon screenings, which also saves space for physical activity (facilities based on machines known from Polish films will be introduced there).

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz     El centro interactivo de animación y narración OKO, diseñado por Nizio Design International. Fotografía de Marcin Czechowicz.

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz.

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz     El centro interactivo de animación y narración OKO, diseñado por Nizio Design International. Fotografía de Marcin Czechowicz.

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz.

Project description by Nizio Design International

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center in Bielsko-Biała was officially opened in May 2024 and continues to attract the visitors over holiday period. Nizio Design International was responsible for the architectural design of this new facility, which is part of the Polish Animated Film Studio, as well as the renovation of the historic Roth Villa, and the development of the surrounding site. Modern museum combined with theme park brings to mind exhibitions usually located by motion picture studios abroad. The holistic space approach is still fresh in the Polish design market.

Founded in 1947, the Animated Film Studio in Bielsko-Biała is one of Poland’s most important animation centers. Iconic cartoons and characters were created here, entertaining generations: Bolek and Lolek (1963), Reksio (1967), and Professor Baltazar Gąbka with the Wawel Dragon and Bartholomew Bartolini (1969). The studio collaborated with outstanding creators like Zbigniew Lengren, Jan Szancer, Józef Szajna, Jan Brzechwa, Ludwik Jerzy Kern, Krzysztof Komeda and Krzysztof Penderecki.

The mission of the newly opened Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center is to highlight the phenomenon of the Animated Film Studio. One element that symbolically links heritage with modernity is the minimalist façade made of architectural concrete with film tape-like perforations.

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz     El centro interactivo de animación y narración OKO, diseñado por Nizio Design International. Fotografía de Marcin Czechowicz.
The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz.

Respect for tradition with a modern twist
In 2016, Nizio Design International studio won an architectural competition. The jury awarded the first prize for “accurate urban-architectural solutions, particularly: (1) the articulation of the corner of the urban space with a clearly defined entrance area, (2) the creation of an internal courtyard seamlessly transitioning into green recreational areas, (3) the appropriate proportions and scale of the new construction in relation to the historical building”.

The realization of The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center in Bielsko-Biała took over four years in total. It was divided into two stages: first, the historic Roth Villa, the headquarters of the Animated Film Studio, was revitalized. The next step was the construction of the new building along with a connector and the development of the surrounding site.

Apart from the mentioned façade, the unique construction of a section of the new building is also noteworthy. It appears to be “suspended” above the ground floor, giving visitors the illusion that it’s supported directly on glass, without any visible supports. Furthermore, the space appears optically enlarged, and the interior of the building is visually integrated with the outdoor space.

The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz     El centro interactivo de animación y narración OKO, diseñado por Nizio Design International. Fotografía de Marcin Czechowicz.
The Interactive OKO Story and Animation Center by Nizio Design International. Photograph by Marcin Czechowicz.

Multifunctional space in the capital of Polish animation
In the entrance area of the new building, the architects placed a hall, a souvenir shop, a reception, and a buffet. The ground floor also features a cinema hall with about 120 seats, where film screenings, multimedia shows, conferences, lectures, and cultural events will take place, both related to the educational path and the Center’s exhibition as well as independently organized ones. The main exhibition area is located on the first and second floors of the new building. The first floor also houses a digital materials archive. The second floor features a conference room and an animators’ room. On the same level, there is a passage between the buildings. The connector, with its transparent glass walls, provides an interesting viewpoint on the structures of both buildings and the adjacent streets and surroundings.

Power of harmony
In the existing historic building, the architects did not introduce significant functional changes. Construction and renovation works were carried out, primarily involving the replacement of (interior floors, some interior plasters, radiators, and the necessary range of sanitary installations, and lighting fixtures along with the necessary range of electrical and telecommunication installations), as well as comprehensive façade renovation.

"We aimed to create a harmonious connection between the new structure and the historic, decorated façade. I believe we succeeded in making a cohesive and balanced design that respects heritage while adding new quality. The same goes for fitting the minimalist building into the traditional urban setting: skillfully built contrasts add dynamism and make the project more interesting." 

Mirosław Nizio.

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Architects
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Nizio Design International studio. Lead architect.- Mirosław Nizio (project author), Bartłomiej Terlikowski (principal architect).

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Collaborators
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Structural engineer.- BDF Project Sp. z o.o.
Environmental & MEP engineering.- EL-Power Adrian Kyrcz, Ekotom Tomasz Nawieśniak, Asnet Serwis Sp. z o.o.
Lighting.- Lira Lighting.
Landscape.- Kass-Architektura Krajobrazu Krzysztof Kass.

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Client
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Animated Film Studio in Bielsko-Biała, Poland.

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Builder
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Bielskie Przedsiębiorstwo Budownictwa Przemysłowego SA.

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Area / Dimensions
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The total area of both buildings is 3,988 m² (including the new building: 2,350 m²), with a usable area of 2,834 m² (including the new building: 1,712 m²).
Built area.- 963m².
Site area.- 6,634m².

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Dates
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Design year.- 2017.
Completion year.- 2024 (2019-2024). Opening.- May 2024.

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Location
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Cieszyńska 24. Bielsko-Biała, Poland. 

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Budget
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€9,572,475.00 (41,000,000 Polish zloty).

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Photography
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Mirosław Nizio is an architect, a sculptor and an active patron of the arts. He is an expert with many years of experience in designing public spaces: architecture, museums, historical expositions, exhibitions, memorials, and complex concepts for the revitalisation of post-industrial areas and urban spaces.

He studied at the Faculty of Interior Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, majoring in Interior Design. In 1989, he founded his design firm in the United States, where he received several awards and honourable mentions, including Glenn Boyles Memorial Rendering and Design (1993) and the Educational Foundation for the Design Industries in Interior Design (1998).

In 2002 Mirosław Nizio moved his studio to a historic building in the Praga-Północ district of Warsaw. It is here that the Nizio Design International studio was established, as well as the Nizio Gallery and the Nizio Foundation, whose task is to support artists and emerging creators, present socially engaged art and organise meetings, screenings and other cultural activities, also for children and seniors.

Today, Mirosław Nizio is one of the best-known architects of public spaces in Poland. In 2006, for his work on the core exhibition of the Warsaw Rising Museum, Mirosław Nizio received the Golden Cross of Merit, and for his contribution to the creation of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, he was awarded the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2015).

The team of his studio, which is based in Warsaw in the post-industrial space of Inżynierska 3, is made up of first-class specialists. The studio has designed the architecture and core exhibition of the Mausoleum of the Martyrdom of Polish Villages in Michniów and The Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II in Markowa, as well as the revitalisation of the complex of the former “Julia” coal mine in Wałbrzych, where the “Old Mine” Science and Art Centre was established. Currently, Mirosław Nizio is working i.a. on the design of the architecture and permanent exhibition of the Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko Museum in Okopy and the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv.

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