The former police station in Lodz will undergo a metamorphosis. The building, which has been abandoned for several years, will cease to haunt, creating a new office space for public administration. How will it be adapted to modern needs and solutions? Where is the line between reconstruction and creation? Krzysztof Goszczyński of the Boom Architekci office will talk about this.
The history of the building dates back to the late 19th century. The edifice first served as a place for the tsarist army, only to change its purpose many times later. In recent years it has served primarily the Police, who have left the building. The competition for its reconstruction was won by the Boom Architekci studio.
Krzysztof Goszczynski of the Boom Architekci studio talks about what will change in the building, what the design process was like and what was important in the building's reconstruction.
Wiktor Bochenek: The building we're talking about was abandoned by the Police Department in 2015. What condition was it in?
Krzysztof Goszczynski: The building, or rather the complex of buildings that made up the plot, was heavily devastated and neglected. Not only due to the passage of three years, during which it was not in use, but also due to the neglect of the previous user. The last major renovation took place in the 1970s, so the building had been in operation for almost forty years without repairs. While the structure and major installations were in working order, the finishes were in terrible condition. Plaster and terra cotta in the toilets were falling off, floors and ceilings were cracked, and windows were leaking. Worst for the current condition was the leaking roof. Water dampened the structure and the rooms. A sad curiosity was the clogging of the connections draining rainwater from the roof by tar leached from the roofing over the years. After cameraing the connections, it turned out that there was no way to repair them and they would have to be removed.
this is what the building with the square looks like now
© Google maps
Wiktor: It was important to refer to the history and character of the building. How did the historical context influence the project?
Christopher: The project consisted mainly of the reconstruction of the existing fabric. The new volume is only the connection between the two buildings (front and outbuilding), and the superstructure on the outbuilding section is also new. Demolitions included secondary additions of one-story outbuildings deep in the plot and in the gatehouse added in the 1970s to the side of the front building. The history and character of the existing buildings were the starting point for the project. It was important to restore historic elements: details of the front facade, balcony, gate, staircase portals, which are visible from the courtyard, as well as the functional layout, preserving the staircases with a connecting corridor in the middle of the building.
The inspiring place in the building was a gate passage with an arched vault, which originally served as the entrance and entry to the site. In order to separate car traffic from pedestrians, the passage was converted into a representative entrance in the form of a lobby with glass in place of the entrance gate. The entrance for cars was moved to the corner of the plot in place of the demolished gatehouse.
Two elements were the most difficult in the project. The historic design of the front building assumed a frontage development, and therefore the construction of another building on an adjacent plot. Therefore, the side wall was made without windows or any decoration. As a result of a later change in the division of plots and the construction of a complex of detached multifamily buildings next door, it is no longer possible to continue the frontage development. Therefore, new windows were made in the gable wall in such a way that, on the one hand, they would not compete with the front elevation, and on the other hand, they would match it. The levels of the lintels and the different heights of the windows for each floor were maintained. On the other hand, the number of glass elements has been increased, so that the facade does not pretend to be historic.
The multi-family housing complex consists of four free-standing buildings, the first of which is visible from the street and has completely changed the character of the quarter. The buildings are contemporary, modernistic and in no way correspond to the historic buildings along the street, even in terms of building lines. Also, the urban layout of this mini-neighborhood is completely different - they are free-standing buildings with greenery between them. Regardless of their alignment with the neighboring buildings, the complex looks interesting, the buildings have good proportions, and most importantly, they are a quiet green enclave in a strict downtown development. The idea behind the composition of the gable wall of the front building and the facade of the outbuilding was to "merge" the historical buildings with the contemporary ones.
Not only was the facade of the building changed, but also its immediate surroundings
© Boom Architects
Wiktor: What did the remodeling consist of, what is authorial and what is restorative in this building?
Krzysztof: The remodeling consisted of adapting the headquarters of the Tax Chamber to its new function. Since the last function of the building was police offices, the building did not require much transformation. The only thing that was difficult was to bring the premises up to modern standards in terms of installations, acoustics and welfare facilities. A new element in the buildings is to adapt them to the needs of people with disabilities - an elevator and an elevator have been designed. Ceiling levels are different in the front building and the annex, which is why the elevator is located in the connector, it is pass-through, allowing to connect all levels of the building.
It seems to me that it is difficult to separate the author's elements from others. The decisions themselves to leave or transform given building elements are also creative and sometimes not at all obvious. The most interesting thing for me was capturing the character of the place, so that the development unifies this part of the street.
Wiktor: How did you come up with the idea to restore the balcony?
Krzysztof: The balcony, along with the gate opening, was the main compositional element of the front elevation. Removing it in the 1970s was an architectural mistake. Since photographs survived, it was possible to recreate its size and appearance. The details were consulted with a preservationist. An additional aspect is the intangible history associated with this balcony, including a speech by Jozef Pilsudski, which I heard about from the owner of a neighboring building, and she from her parents or grandparents.
The building is to be adapted to people with disabilities
© Boom Architects
Wiktor: What will be in the building and its immediate surroundings?
Krzysztof: The main buildings will include offices along with social and technical facilities. A gym for employees will be made in a section of the basement. The canteen has been located so that it is in contact with the greenery in the courtyard. On the other side of the courtyard is a one-story garage building partially converted into shelters for bicycles and scooters. The center of the courtyard is an open parking lot punctuated by a green belt with trees and a recreational area with greenery. The view closure of the courtyard is formed by multi-family buildings on the adjacent plot. Looking at the whole quarter, it is a typical downtown development: residential tenements, office and service buildings.
Wiktor: How was the solution introduced from the side of energy efficiency and matching with pro-climate solutions?
Krzysztof: Already at the competition stage, the investor assumed that this was to be an innovative and energy-efficient building. Thermal modernization, installation of ventilation with recuperation, external blinds to protect against overheating and photovoltaic panels will be carried out. Rainwater stored in retention tanks will be reused. The pro-climate solution is also to encourage employees to use bicycles instead of cars. Bike shelters are designed, along with a charging station for electric bicycles and toilets with showers.
Wiktor: How else will the building accommodate people with disabilities?
Krzysztof: A main elevator will be constructed, as well as an additional elevator to allow access to the part of the building that the elevator does not serve, and properly adapted to ilets. This assumes both the ability to receive people with disabilities as customers and to employ them. Adequate parking spaces will be provided in the parking lot, and the leveling of sidewalks and building entrances will also be facilitated.
A space for bicycles will be located next to the building
© Boom Architects
Wiktor: What was the most difficult part of this project, and what are you most proud of?
Christopher: In the redevelopment of historic buildings, usually the most difficult part is bringing them up to current regulations. It was also a challenge to ensure that the buildings could continue to function well on neighboring lots due to access to light, noise restrictions and structures. Further difficulties are yet to come, they will probably appear at the construction stage. In such developments it is never possible to predict everything. The excavations carried out during the project never show the entire complex structure of the building, the mistakes that were made during the erection, remodeling and renovation.
I am most pleased that it was possible to transform an abandoned and degraded place into an interesting piece of development in a place where history and political and spatial changes have left their mark. It seems to me that it is very important to understand that a symptom of the life of a city is its constant transformation, the constant search for new values while respecting existing elements. I hope that in a year and a half this will be visible not only on paper.
Victor: Thank you for the interview!
