PROJECT: "CRICOTEKA-Museum of Tadeusz Kantor"
AWARDS:
2014 Mies van der Rohe Award-Nomination 2015 International Biennale of Architecture Krakow –Special Prize by the Regional Chamber of Architects of Malopolska 2015 SARP Award of the Year for the best architectural object completed in Poland in 2014
Stanisław Deńko was born in 1943 in Dobczyce to a judge father and his school teacher wife. In 1948, the family moved to Krakow. Mr Deńko’s wife, Iwona Deńko, is also an architect, similarly to their younger daughter, Małgorzata, who also acts as the office’s partner.
Having obtained his diploma (in 1967), Stanisław Deńko worked at the Institute of Urban Studies and Spatial Planning of the Faculty of Architecture of the Krakow University of Technology, under the tutelage and in cooperation with Professor Witold Cęckiewicz (until 2000). Mr Deńko taught architectural and urbanistic design of residential complexes. The team that he made up together with his Professor and a group of other colleagues has been awarded a number of prizes and distinctions in a variety of competitions. One of their largest successes was the competition win (in 1973) and designing the seat of the Polish Embassy in New Delhi (India), commissioned for use in 1977. Another major distinction was the honourable mention in the UIA competition for the design of the government centre at Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), the entry having been prepared in cooperation with Krzysztof Lenartowicz, Zofia Brzykczyk-Lenartowicz and students of the Faculty of Architecture of the Krakow University of Technology.
In 1981, as a senior lecturer of the Krakow University of Technology, Stanisław Deńko took up the function of the head of the Academic Architectural Design Office (APA) within the “Żaczek” cooperative of the Krakow University of Technology and, together with the students, he started operating as a semi-independent architectural design office, long before Poland was to witness its political transformation.
The design office operates under his management until 1990. The youthful enthusiasts, initially mostly students and later increasingly mature architects, gather a constantly growing collection of design achievements to their names. Major ones include the design and completion of the Jewish Culture Centre in the Krakow’s district of Kazimierz as well as the terminal of the Kraków-Balice Airport. Meanwhile, Stanisław Deńko participates (as co-author and outside of his design office duties) in a competition for the rehabilitation of the city of Milwaukee (Wisconsin, USA) – the design received an honourable mention. APA also cooperated with the architectural and specialist office of N.K. Kothari & Associates in New Delhi (their partner during the project of designing the Embassy seat).
In 1990, Stanisław Deńko is engaged by the College of Architecture at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (USA), where he teaches for three years. His successes include the Award of Merit for particular didactic achievements and design work. In a student competition for adapting the military airport complex to serve as a civil aviation centre in Nashville, the student team headed by Stanisław Deńko is awarded the ex aequo 1st prize.
After coming back from the States in 1993, in cooperation with American architect Glenn Lewis, Stanisław Deńko sets up the architectural design office under the name of “WIZJA” Sp. z o.o. (limited liability company).
In 1995, “WIZJA” Sp. z o.o. participates in the preparation of a design project under the auspices of the Krakow Municipal Office, Representatives of the Senate in Berlin and the Urban Planning Office in Edinburgh under the title of “Kazimierz Action Plan”. For this, the office is awarded by the European Towns and Town Planners.
In 1995, Stanisław Deńko won the competition for the post of the Head Architect for the City of Krakow – he held it until 1999. His main tasks included designing the Krakow Transport Centre (managed formally and as far as the content base was concerned by Stanisław Deńko as the coordinator) as well as the Preconditions for a Study of the conditions and directions for spatial development of the City of Krakow. At the time, Stanisław Deńko also took over the function of Director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Krakow Municipal Office, which included the following units: the Spatial Planning Office as well as the Sections issuing the decisions on land development conditions as well as building permits.
Having concluded his cooperation with the Krakow Municipal Office, Stanisław Deńko comes back to design work at his own office. From 2000 onwards, he concentrates on cooperation with young architects. Initially, Robert Kuzianik acts as his partner. Major projects completed after 2000 include: extension of the International Terminal of the Krakow-Balice John Paul II International Airport (in cooperation with the APA – Czech, Duliński, Wróbel architectural office), AUCHAN supermarket in Sosnowiec, Auditorium Maximum of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (design selected as part of the investor’s architectural competition). Stanisław Deńko cooperates on these occasions with Professor Wojciech Leśnikowski and the HNTB (USA) and HOK offices (UK), mainly when compiling the development vision for the Kraków-Balice Airport; in the tender for extending the terminal he is awarded second prize. Also as part of cooperation of “WIZJA” Sp. z o.o. with other foreign partners, the project of adapting grain silos in Oslo as a multi-family residential building is completed (in collaboration with the Architekci Mikołajski & Wiese office and with the author’s participation of Stanisław Deńko).
Projects completed by the “WIZJA” Sp. z o.o. architectural office include inter alia residential buildings (SARP [Polish Architects Association] award for the building in Fabryczna street in Krakow, House Developers award for the residential and service building in Kazimierza Wielkiego street in Krakow, the award granted by Vasco company for designing the residential building in Wodociągowa street in Krakow and the particularly prestigious Stanisław Witkiewicz award granted by the Małopolskie Voivodship Marshal for a single-family residential building in Burów). In 2006, “WIZJA” Sp. z o.o initiates cooperation with the nsMoonStudio design office and, as part of the IQ Consortium, completes the following projects with the author’s participation of Stanisław Deńko: Angel City residential and service development complex in Pawia street in Krakow, office building for the seat of KPT in Czyżyny, Alma Tower office building in Pilotów street and the Tadeusz Kantor Art Archive Centre – Cricoteka Museum in Nadwiślańska street in Krakow (1st Prize in an international competition; nominated for the Mies van der Rohe award).
Since 2004, Stanisław Deńko has been teaching at the Faculty of Architecture and Fine Arts of the Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Academy in Krakow. He is a member of SARP, of the MPOIA (Małopolska District Chamber of the Architects of the Republic of Poland) Council as well as of the City, Voivodship and Chief Urban Planning and Architectural Committee. He has been the deputy president for creative matters at the Central Management Board of SARP, and the deputy president of the Krakow Branch of SARP for two terms. He also acted repeatedly as the chairman of the Competition Jury of the Krakow Branch of SARP.
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