The plans of the rebuilt and re-arrangement of the entrance to the main edifice of Muzeum Sztuki were dictated by the wish of opening the institution for the audience and meeting their expectations. The assumed effect is the rise of an consultative place, with “atmosphere”, where the viewers will stay after seeing the exhibition. Muzeum intents to create the atmosphere of hospitality which could not be attained in the current arrangement of the entrance (porter's lodge, narrow staircase, cloak-room). Our most important task , in view of the frequency of the planned temporal exhibitions and other events taking place after moving a part of the collection to the department located on the grounds of Manufactura, is the formation of the common space where the idea exchange could take place. The new and rebuilt entrance to Muzeum should invite potential viewers to see a modern, open and friendly place. The visual policy of Muzeum Sztuki is set by its exteriors. The front elevation will be enriched with neon lights which will create simple vertical sections between the windows on the ground floor. The effect of the neon lights will distinguish the museum from its surroundings, and indicate that the building hides something “different”, something that exceeds colloquial perception of the reality. After entering the gate crossing, the viewers will be lucidly showed the way to the exhibition (on the right) or to the café club (on the left).

An information point and a ticket office, a cloak-room and a pass issuing post will be located next to the entrance to the exhibition. This clear space arrangement will allow the viewers to use and understand these functions instinctively. The information point and the ticket office—designed in red color—will be a strong color counterpoint and will be located on the wall in front of the designed interior. The cloak-room and the pass issuing post will be connected by one large counter. Clothes left in the cloak-room will be kept in sliding wardrobes with glass fronts. This practical solution will preserve the clear design of the interior, and help to avoid the chaos. The use of two types of glass—white for the lover parts and transparent for the upper parts of the wardrobes—will diversify the front surfaces and at the same time will add the play of light in the room. The limited space will be optically enlarged by a mirror covering the whole wall next to the cloak-room.

The café club will consist of: a glass cubicle of the bookshop opened on the club, a bar counter, “chests” with café furniture, bar infrastructure, and restrooms. The café will be a unique place worth visiting also after the hours of the exhibition opening. That is why we planned a separate entrance to this part of the building. The “L” shape of the café will be emphasized by the bar counter, and the bar counter by the row of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. However, the originality of the space will be settled by the “chests”—a kind of separate smaller spaces. Their function will be not to divide, but to join given groups of guests. The “chests” distant forefathers are the boxes used for artworks transportation. Inside each “box”—of almost sculptural form—we planned two rows of three armchairs and a small cubical table. Characteristic for the project combination of light warm wood and various kinds of glass will contribute to the effect of a noble simplicity, delicacy and clarity of the spatial composition of the interiors.

The use of proper materials will certainly expose the beauty of the historic spaces of the palace. Sparse color motifs (the ticket office, café tables) will warm up the surroundings and allow to avoid monotony. All lines and forms in the project refer to Muzeum’s Collection of Art. Yet, the references are hidden and distant—clear only for the eye of a connoisseur—and for a regular visitor they are just a visual world of signs proper to the universe of artworks available at the museum.