Master’s thesis of a student of the Silesian University of Technology with prizes in prestigious competitions

As many as five awards and distinctions were awarded to the diploma thesis of Julia Wild - a student of the Faculty of Architecture. The title of the thesis is “Land of the Borderlands. The project, which implies that much more attention should be paid to the invisible,” describes the area of the East Roztocze not only in architectural terms, but also in historical, cultural, and social terms. The supervisor of the thesis was Dr Eng. Arch. Jan Kubec.

Julia Wild’s master’s thesis received

• the first prize in the competition organized by the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning entitled “Shared space is a value,”
• award at the international ICOMOS competition named after Professor Jan Zachwatowicz,
• first prize in the Competition for Young Architects, organized by Builder magazine,
• Grand Prix at the SARP annual competition named after Zbyszek Zawistowski "DIPLOMA OF THE YEAR",
• award at the International Young Talent Architecture Award 2025, organized by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe Foundation and the European Creative Europe program (shortlist).

- The thesis entitled  “The Land of the Borderlands" is a project which shows that much more attention should be paid to the invisible- explains the student. - It is a story about a multi-layered terrain of the borderland (East Roztocze). The idea is based on noticing and emphasizing the  lands specified on the title of the project, occurring in plural, in order to show the diversity of layers building the image of the Borderlands - taking into account, among others, the historical, geographical, socio-cultural context and the current state. The project is presented in seven parts: cerkwisko (an area where a church has once been but is no longer there), up to the forest, flowers, river, gardens, church, light – says Julia Wild.

These issues are a pretext for talking about universal values and the aim of the work was to indicate that invisibility does not mean absence.

- The designed places understood as memory boxes, storing stories, are to show the identity of the selected area - an important thread of the assumption is the memory preserved in the landscape and its elements (among others in trees, glades and what remains) observed from the perspective of hic et nunc (here and now) - explains Julia Wild. 

At the same time, the work emphasizes the importance of wandering in design and experience, broadly understood, places and places of remembrance, as well as the value in preserving their secrecy.  It points to the need to build the identity of space, also through awareness of its history. It highlights the role of voidness and the need to develop mindfulness practice.

Materials collected for the master’s thesis came from various sources.

- The most important for me were trips around the developed area, in situ research – conversations with the inhabitants of the developed area and people working to popularize knowledge about the region and historians. In addition, I gained knowledge from articles, books, documents from archives – says Julia Wild.

As the student points out, the choice of the place she described was not accidental.

- The chosen area is not only interesting for me, but also important in private. In addition, it abounds in spaces that for various reasons have gone into the invisible sphere – and that is what I wanted to deal with. Architecture, broadly understood, can be a relay of information, but such spaces also have the potential to talk about universal values – about which it is worth reminding – sums up the student.  

 Julia Wild, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology. Winner of national and international architectural competitions (e.g. Silesian Diploma of the Year 2021, ReUse Italy, International Velux Award). Participant of exhibitions, workshops, and conferences. Currently, she is a PhD student at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology, within the Department of Housing and Public Architecture Design.

photos private archives