Jakub Szczęsny is an architect, artist,
designer and author based in Warsaw,
Poland, where he is also running his studio
SZCZ (www.szcz.com.pl).
He started his career as
illustrator in late 1980-ties working for,
between others, Polish edition of Playboy,
Nowa Fantastyka sci-fi magazine and
Young & Rubicam advertising agency.
After a decade in advertising he left art-
director’s work for the one of an architect
starting a multidisciplinary platform called
Centrala with which he won a number of
competitions, including Bieruń Sporthall
and OHEL, a temporary pavilion of the
Museum of Polish Jews.
In 2014 his project of Keret
House dubbed “the narrowest house on
Earth” was included in the permanent
collection of MoMA in New York. His
portfolio includes a number of temporary
and permanent public commissions, such
as Gustaw Zieliński square in Astana,
The 5th Space installation in Tel Aviv’s
Lieblinghaus and UFO Chicken Coop in
Saint Louis Science Center. In 2013 he
started his adventure with branding by
co-creating Simple House, a company
producing prefabricated houses. Since
than he’s been working for such brands as
GE Appliances, Red Bull, BMW and Aura
by Yeti. He is teaching at Warsaw Institute
of Technology Faculty of Architecture and
is an avid promotor of knowledge about
architecture. He is publishing books,
such as “Welcome to a world without
architects” and writing educational TV
programs for DOMO+ and TVN. In 2021
he also appeared as judge in an IKEA-
sponsored content TV format entitled
“Design Dream” in Polsat TV.
In 2022 he was appointed Head
of Innovation for Paged Group where he
is also advising the board of directors.
Jakub is also idea creator and art director
of Alter Ego Collection.
Rendering of the interior of Keret House in Warsaw.
Illustration for the book “Project Better
Future” to be published by Modern Art
Museum in Warsaw in 2023.
Jakub Szczęsny
51
alterego.paged.pl