Buildings for Music as the Icons of the Polish Cities’ New Architectural Identity

Over the last 20 years, a great number of investments related to cultural institutions can be observed in Poland, among which the houses for music – particularly stand out. The aim of the analysis is to indicate the common features of the mentioned buildings, and those which determine their exceptional architectural quality. These are: contextualism – a creative and symbolic reference to the local history and tradition; the use of innovative technologies; optimal acoustics; expressive interiors. In every case the goal was to create an iconic object and this was achieved thanks to the modern architectural form and the symbolic references to the cities’ history and genius loci.