Piotr Hejdysz

About

Piotr Hejdysz is a Part 2 Architectural Assistant and graduate of the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, where he was awarded First Class Honours for both his MArch and BSc. His work is underpinned by a deep interest in how architecture can operate beyond physical form - acting as a platform for dialogue, negotiation, and civic agency. Blending a strong conceptual foundation with technical precision, Piotr’s design approach challenges conventional typologies, reclaims materials and meaning from overlooked structures, and seeks to make space for public discourse within the urban fabric.

His academic and professional trajectory spans adaptive reuse, circular design, and the architectural expression of diplomacy and heritage. Whether working on large-scale civic schemes or smaller, material-focused investigations, Piotr’s projects reflect a sensitivity to context, history, and social narrative, underpinned by rigorous modelling and visual communication.

Achievements

RIBA Bronze Medal Nomination | 2023
Open Diplomacy, a speculative embassy for Uruguay in Rome, reconceives the diplomatic building as an accessible civic space embedded within the historic Campo de’ Fiori. The project integrates traditional Roman typologies with contemporary materials and sustainable construction methods, blending public functions such as a cultural centre and café with private diplomatic areas. The scheme was nominated for the RIBA Bronze Medal for its civic ambition and refined spatial strategy.

AJ Student Prize Nomination | 2023
The same embassy project received a nomination for the AJ Student Prize, recognised for its balance of form, function, and symbolism. By situating diplomacy within the everyday urban experience, the design foregrounds cultural exchange, national identity, and ecological responsibility.

Chair of the WSA Show: (un)fold | 2025
The 2025 exhibition, themed (un)fold, explored architecture as a layered and evolving process. The event featured over 500 student works and introduced, for the first time, a purpose-built outdoor pavilion that extended the exhibition into public space. The show celebrated both the final outcomes and was featured in Architects Journal.

Research & Publications

Material Memory: The Ministry of (De)Construction | 2025
Located in central Berlin, this design thesis reimagines the ruins of the former GDR Ministry of Construction as a civic centre for material reuse. The project challenges the tabula rasa tendencies of Critical Reconstruction by preserving and repurposing the existing fabric as a spatial archive. Salvaged elements—beams, slabs, columns—are reorganised to form new public spaces, highlighting reuse as both a cultural and ecological imperative. The scheme proposes a hybrid institution for education, exchange, and material innovation, where architecture becomes an evolving artefact that reflects Berlin’s fractured history and future potential.

Publication: Villas, Palazzi, and Urban Rooms in Rome | 2023
This collaborative publication examines the spatial logic of diplomacy and power in the urban history of Rome. Rather than focusing on typologies, the research traces the relationships between piazze, villas, palazzi, and churches—framing the city as a sequence of ‘urban rooms’ shaped by centuries of negotiation between authority and civic life. Through cartographic analysis, sketch studies, and morphological comparisons, the work reveals how architecture has long mediated visibility, ceremony, and public encounter in Rome’s political landscape.

Contact

hejdysz.piotr@gmail.com
+48 723 888 808
+44 77 6222 60 95