Transformation of industrial heritage in Warsaw
In 1922, the Dutch electronics concern Philips N.V. opened its first production facility in Warsaw Poland on a plot on Karolkowa Street (Wola). In 1930 a modern concrete building was erected on the complex for the production of electrical light bulbs. This building, named after Róża Luksemburg, had been engineered according to the principles of its ‘sister-buildings’ of Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The building featured ground breaking Philips philosophy, to optimize working conditions. That means a vertical factory (many production floors on top of each other), with high windows, boosting a lot of natural daylight and views for the employees.
The building survived the war. After a long production period, Philips stopped production in the building in the early 1990s. A Polish developer attempted to transform the building to modern office space for banks in the nineties, but they didn’t succeed and abandoned the idea. The condition of the empty factory became worst, making it an ideal place for urban paintball in the first decade of the 21th century.
In an attempt to preserve the cultural heritage, Piotr Szczesniak (Bygg Architecture) developed a master plan in 2008 for the transformation of the complex with a mix of functions. “Rosa Luxemburg” would host loft apartments and in the additional new volumes a mix of retail, offices, apartments and gastronomy have been planned.
The added volumes create high urban density, while maintaining a visual connection to the cultural heritage. The urban plan offers chances for the creation of urban public spaces, each with a different articulation. New towers are aligned to the towers in the existing building. The new towers are connected with three story high sky bridges which provide additional floor space and provide intimacy to the semi-public spaces underneath. In addition, the nearby located Uprising Museum, which is housed in a former gas factory, is provided with a new entrance square, which can be used for ceremonies concerning uprising anniversaries.
A very important aspect of the plan is formed by the treatment of the public and private outdoor space, which is unique for Poland. Typically, new developments are gated and inaccessible to the general public. In the master plan, public space is accessible and has clear borders with ‘collective space’, which is accessible by bridges over water features. The site is therefore very green and welcoming.
Despite attempts to make a transformation possible, the municipality decided to demolish the building in 2011, mainly due to contamination by mercury and other hazardous substances. Paradoxically, Bygg Architecture is located in ‘twin-building’ Anton in Eindhoven since 2013, which has been successfully transformed into a new urban hot spot in 2012.
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