Our team has been creating award-winning architectural designs and concepts for major museum exhibitions in Poland for many years. The Interactive Centre for Fairy Tales and Animation OKO in Bielsko-Biała – for which we were responsible for the design of the new building, the revitalization of the historic Roth Villa, and the landscaping – has just been nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Award 2026.
Projects by Nizio Design International stand out for their coherent synthesis of architecture and storytelling, where space becomes a carrier of meaning and emotion, and form a conscious tool for reflection on humanity. The OKO Centre is yet another example of architecture in which we have interwoven multiple layers of meaning within a contemporary context. Located on the site of the former Animated Film Studio, the Centre pays homage to the heritage of Bielsko-Biała, the birthplace of Polish animation and home to beloved characters such as Bolek and Lolek, Reksio, and Professor Baltazar Gąbka.
A Dialogue Between Past and Present
The Nizio Design International team created a spatial composition based on dialogue between the past and modernity. The building, minimalist in form and made of architectural concrete perforated like a film strip, is linked to the historic Roth Villa, which has been restored with utmost attention to detail. A glass connector unites the two structures—serving both a functional and symbolic role as a metaphorical bridge between heritage and the future. The design reflects discipline of form and material awareness. Light plays an equal role to matter, structuring space, animating the perforated façade, and infusing the interior with a cinematic sense of narrative.
In Service of Context
The minimalist structure harmoniously integrates into the urban fabric of Bielsko-Biała, maintaining appropriate scale and proportion in relation to its historic surroundings. The new part of the complex houses a cinema hall, exhibition spaces, a digital archive, and educational and animation zones. The open courtyard features an amphitheatre-style auditorium, which has become a gathering place for the local community. The historic Roth Villa, once home to the Animated Film Studio, has also undergone a comprehensive revitalization, including modernization of infrastructure and preservation of the original functional layout. The overall composition demonstrates that contemporary architecture need not compete with history—it can allow it to resonate with renewed strength.
The OKO project, nominated for the EU Mies Award 2026, has already won the UN Design Award, a prize granted by the International Competition Association (ICA), which recognizes the most innovative architectural realizations worldwide.