Adam Pryzwara is an architectural historian and curator with a PhD from the University of Manchester. In this lecture sponsored by the Department of Architecture, he will introduce his first book, currently under review with the University of Pittsburgh Press.
“Circular Reconstruction” tells the story of a distinct form of architectural production that emerged in Europe in the 1940s, at a time marked by economic crisis, material scarcity, and widespread destruction. Drawing on a wide range of previously unpublished visual and written sources, the book examines how more than 40 million tons of rubble left in Warsaw after the Second World War became the material basis for rebuilding the city. By following the actions of residents, construction workers, architects, engineers, and politicians, it shows how practices of reuse, recycling, and landfilling were organized on a massive scale.
The book therefore offers insight into what can be understood as a fully developed circular economy in postwar construction. Finally, Przywara will connect this historical case to the present, when architecture once again faces large-scale destruction caused by war, as well as growing material shortages linked to the climate crisis.
About the speaker
Przywara holds an MA in architectural history and theory from The Bartlett, University College London, and a PhD in architecture from the University of Manchester. His doctoral thesis received two of the most prestigious awards in the field: the Theodor Fischer Award (2024) and the SAH David B. Brownlee Dissertation Award (2025). He has curated numerous architectural exhibitions, including the major historical show “Rising from Rubble: Warsaw 1945–1949” at the Museum of Warsaw in 2023, which received the Architectural Prize from the mayor of Warsaw.
Pryzywara is finalizing his first monograph, “Circular Reconstruction: Reuse, Recycling, Landfilling in Postwar Architecture” (forthcoming in 2027). In Basel, he is developing is second book-length project, which explores how, since the mid-19th century, the built environment has come to serve as a sink for industrial residues and pollution.