a spiraling timber library by kengo kuma to rise in rzeszów, poland

A new public library with a stepping structure

Kengo Kuma & Associates wins a competition to design a new public library in Rzeszów, Poland, with a proposal titled The Spiral of Words, or Wir Słowa. The project is designed in collaboration with Polish studio Schick Architekti, Buro Happold and MASU Planning in a scheme that at once a building and a landscape to be explored by the public.

Set within a lush park, the timber structure takes the form of a rising spiral that organizes the entire program around a central, top-lit lobby. From the air, its faceted roof planes appear as a series of shifting terraces layered with vegetation and photovoltaic panels. At ground level, the volume sits low among trees for a humble presence while still drawing visitors inward through its sheltered public forecourt.

visualizations © KIN Creatives, © VIBSU via MASU Planning

kengo kuma arrives in Rzeszów, Poland

The jury describes Kengo Kuma & Associates’ proposal as attractive and formally innovative, highlighting its city-forming quality and the strength of its interiors. At its core lies a library space that coils upward around a luminous atrium to connect all floors through a continuous path. The architects design the spiraling promenade to operate as both circulation and spatial narrative. Readers are gradually guided upward through collections, study areas and gathering spaces.

Inside, timber surfaces define the atmosphere. Floors, ceilings and structural elements read as a cohesive material field, punctuated by perforated panels that temper acoustics and diffuse light. The atrium roof opens to the sky through a faceted skylight which casts a soft glow down into the lobby. Reading terraces step back from the perimeter glazing, creating places to sit along the edges while maintaining long views across the interior.

Kengo Kuma wins the competition to design a public library in Rzeszów, Poland

luminous timber interiors

The interior organization supports varied uses without fragmenting the whole. Children’s areas are integrated into the stepped landscape of shelves and seating, where low platforms double as informal stages and reading zones. Quiet study rooms sit behind fine mesh partitions, allowing visual continuity while providing enclosure. Event spaces, including a large hall finished in warm timber, are placed within the spiral so that public programs feel connected to the daily rhythms of the library.

In the performance space, suspended wooden elements form a dense ceiling grid that modulates sound and light. The geometry of the spiral is legible here as well, expressed through subtle shifts in wall planes and balcony edges. Throughout, the material palette remains restrained, allowing structure and daylight to shape the character of each room.

the building is organized as a rising spiral that connects all floors around a central atrium

Landscape as Extension of the Library

MASU Planning’s landscape strategy extends the building into its surroundings. At street level, a network of green islands frames the site, functioning as water retention areas and habitats while guiding pedestrians toward the entrances. Planting is designed to enhance biodiversity, introducing a layered ecology directly into the urban fabric of Rzeszów.

Rooftop gardens continue this approach upward. Each level offers an outdoor terrace that changes in character as visitors ascend, from sheltered reading gardens to open platforms with views across the city. Gauthier Durey, landscape architect and associate partner at MASU Planning, describes the landscape as an outdoor extension of the indoor facilities, offering space for play, culture, contemplation and relaxation in the open air. Together, the ground and roof landscapes form an inclusive public realm where nature and culture meet within a sequence of connected spaces.

a top-lit lobby brings daylight deep into the heart of the library