Bryła Roku (Building of the Year) — the public vote that picks the best Polish architecture
Not every important award comes from a jury of experts. Bryła Roku is a public vote run by the bryla.pl website, in which readers help decide on the best home-grown project. For years it has functioned as a popular complement to industry verdicts — the voice of the "architectural street", set alongside the jury's opinion.
How the public vote works
The mechanics rest on two stages: first, nominations are gathered (the most interesting projects of a given year, submitted by internet users and the editorial team, among others), then online voting begins, accompanied by a jury assessment. The format combines a public vote with an expert component. Part of its history has also been the tongue-in-cheek "anti-title" Makabryła Roku — for projects that stir controversy. This sets Bryła apart from the Nagroda Roku SARP or the Property Design Awards and makes it a barometer of how architecture is received by non-professionals.
Winners — status to be confirmed
An editorial caveat is necessary here. The publicly available archive of the vote documents mainly older editions — including the 2017 one (among the winners, the Bałtyk office building in Poznań designed by MVRDV) and the two-year 2018/2019 edition. We have not been able to conclusively confirm that the most recent 2024–2025 editions were held or what their results were. In keeping with the principle of accuracy, we do NOT attribute names or projects to unconfirmed editions — the winners of the latest edition remain to be verified before publication.
Why the public vote matters
Even with the ambiguous status of its recent editions, Bryła Roku remains an important point of reference as the voice of the public. For developers, a popularity-based vote carries different information than a jury verdict: it shows which projects capture the audience's imagination and stir emotion — and the success of a development often hinges precisely on the perception of the wider public.
An editorial piece by Method Press based on public industry sources, market data and legal acts. Accurate as at the time of publication — data, regulations and dates may change.