Nowa Fabryczna

• location: Poland, Łódź, ul. Składowa / Nowowęglowa
• architects: Przemo Łukasik, Łukasz Zagała
• associate architects: Justyna Siwińska-Pszoniak, Paulina Adamczyk, Mateusz Skalski, Konrad Basan, Maciej Spiess, Tymon Czyżewski, Damian Langer, Seweryn Wróblewski
• construction: figura.team
• industries: Elsanteam (water and sewerage), eNNpro (electrics), WN-PROJEKT (hvac), BZB Projekt (administrative procedures)
• investor: Skanska
• floor area: 21 300 sqm
• design: 2015
• realization: 2017
• photographs: Rafał Tomczyk, Skanska’s materials
• awards: distinction in the competition “Object of the year in Aluprof systems”
• certification: LEED · Core and Shell (v2009) · Gold

Łódź, like Silesia, is an industrial substance characterised by moderation, universality, typification and pragmatism. Looking for a simple yet functional idea for the façade of the building that was to flank the new Łódź station square, we reached for a repetitive module of cable trays. We decided that the functional use of these elements in the design of a simple office building would work perfectly in Łódź, a city that is full of examples of solid, functional and pragmatic architecture. The openwork form of the perforated troughs made it possible to introduce a play with light, while at the same time providing an opportunity to optimise the cost of the building façade itself.

We used a material – an object that had not been used in such a context before. It turned out that the lightweight yet rigid form of the factory-galvanised elements was perfect for this type of application. The perforated structure and the uneven rhythms of the modules will reflect light once and seep through again, constantly changing the appearance of the building.

The use of brass-coloured trays made it possible to ‘dress’ the simple block in a customised package, giving it a completely new, noble expression.

The walls on the courtyard side, in turn, were finished with standing seam sheet metal in a brass shade that was reminiscent of the external façade.

The courtyard itself, on the other hand, was to be user-friendly for the building’s users and open to the people of Łódź. We have introduced greenery into it, seats on the stands, electrical sockets in them, but also a summer cinema screen. All this means that by realising the Nowa Fabryczna building we have given the city’s residents an attractive space and a new quality.