Adaptation of the former industrial buildings on Szwedzka Street in Warsaw’s Praga district.
This was the studio’s first large-scale regeneration project, as an extraordinary 18 years elapsed between the start of the design process and the completion of construction.
In 2007, following the success of an international architectural competition, the practice was commissioned to implement the entire mixed-use development for a Catalan developer. When construction was suspended in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, the historic complex remained unused for many years, unfortunately contributing to its deterioration. Market conditions also changed, requiring the subsequent investor to revise the original programme. The pre-war buildings of two joint-stock companies—the Brünner Brothers, Hugo Schneider and R. Dietmar Lamp and Metal Products Factory, and the “Praga” Chemical Products Factory—had been combined just before the war into a single large complex belonging to the Schicht–Lever Fat Industry cosmetics factory. We once again adapted the historic complex into a mixed-use development. The project combines office buildings and commercial and service functions with a predominant residential programme, offering somewhat unconventional solutions for contemporary Warsaw in the form of lofts and soft lofts.
The composition of contemporary buildings erected in place of the demolished, non-listed structures of the post-war “Pollena” cosmetics factory emphasises the historic layout of the original industrial development while responding in scale to the surrounding Praga tenement buildings.The resulting recreational axis of the development, conceived as a linear park for residents, has been harmoniously integrated with a publicly accessible passage lined with commercial and service spaces located on the ground floors of both the historic and newly introduced buildings. Running parallel to Szwedzka Street, the two routes intertwine between the buildings like yin and yang, creating a dynamic spatial relationship.The new architecture draws on the site’s post-industrial heritage while remaining in scale with the historic urban fabric of Praga. Through its detailing and architectural language, it emphasises the character of the place while simultaneously providing a restrained backdrop for the historic factory buildings.
The project as a whole responds to the revitalisation programme for Praga-Północ, the district where the largest concentration of Warsaw’s historic urban fabric has been preserved. The development will contribute to safeguarding the area’s vulnerable historic fabric while also fulfilling an important social role. The revitalised urban block, conceived as an urban “implant”, is already having a significant impact on the regeneration and renewed image of Old Praga. It is the largest investment of its kind in this part of the city.
We wanted to emphasise the character and identity of the place not only through the arrangement of the buildings, their massing, tectonics and façade detailing, but also within the communal areas of the newly designed buildings. Here, the aim was to create a clear dialogue between the identity of the place and contemporary architecture, rooted in the specific character and context of the location.
The site development plan provides for the elimination of private vehicular traffic within the residential development. All parking spaces are located in multi-level underground garages accessed from the surrounding streets, Szwedzka and Strzelecka. The spaces between the buildings are designed as pedestrian routes, playgrounds, landscaped green areas and public spaces.
Project Contributors
Master Plan, New Residential and Office Buildings, and Main Historical Building Adaptations: Grupa 5 Architekci
Adaptation of Boiler House, Glycerine House, and Glycerine Warehouse: SUD Architekt Polska/Kallan Architekci
Adaptation of Brewery and Chimney Building: Kallan Architekci
Structural Engineering: LGL, PKBI
Installations: ISK Michał Lewiński, Krzysztof Jerzykowski
Landscaping: TOPOSCAPE Justyna Dziedziejko, Magdalena Wnęk
Photography: Adam Grzesik, Marcin Czechowicz
The project was awarded a distinction in the “Unbuilt Projects” category for its original residential-service complex concept in the Polish edition of the 2017 Brick Award.