“We proposed repurposing the building for a different use. ‘It’s our baby, so it was only natural that we wanted to look for solutions that could save it ,’ says architect Maciej Zuber, owner of Archas Design—the firm that designed the building — regarding plans to demolish the JSW office building in Katowice.
Will the JSW office building in Katowice be demolished?
© Archas Design
After 13 years, the distinctive Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa office building in the Paderewski-Muchowiec neighborhood of Katowice is set to be demolished. These are the plans of the Kraków-based company Mercator Estates, which purchased the property at auction.
The sale of the building was part of JSW’s restructuring plan. The state-owned mining company’s difficult financial situation led it to decide to sell off some of its assets. The new owner has filed an application for a demolition permit. In its assessment, continuing to lease the building is not very profitable. Mercator Estates is not yet revealing what might be built in place of the office building — a new concept has yet to be developed.
Józef Stachów: Archas Design is the firm behind the JSW office building, which will most likely disappear from the Katowice skyline. From your perspective, shouldn’t a new use have been sought for it?
Maciej Zuber: We proposed redesigning the building for a different use. We know all the details of this project inside and out—its structure, functional layout, and potential. It’s our brainchild, so it was only natural that we wanted to find solutions that could save it.
At the initiative of JSW’s management at the time, a working group was even formed, and students from the Silesian University of Technology also joined the conceptual work. Unfortunately, following further changes in the company’s business profile and organizational restructuring, efforts in this direction were not continued. Today, everything depends on the new owner’s decision and on what future they envision for this plot of land.
Will the JSW office building in Katowice be demolished?
© Archas Design
Józef Stachów: How do you look back on working on this project?
Maciej Zuber: I look back on that time with great fondness. It was one of those projects that clearly shaped the future direction of our firm. In a sense, it defined Archas Design’s distinctive approach to architecture, which was later evident in many of our projects.
Work on the project lasted over two years, and the building was completed in the first quarter of 2013. We designed an A+ class office building intended to serve as the prestigious headquarters of Polski Koks S.A. — a company affiliated with the JSW Capital Group, which later operated as JSW Innowacje. Ultimately, the JWS headquarters was also to be relocated here from Jastrzębie. Hence the use of state-of-the-art technological solutions for that time, as well as a large, publicly accessible space. Inside, the building features a spacious atrium with an evergreen tree, which underscores the building’s prestigious character.
Will the JSW office building in Katowice be demolished?
© Archas Design
The client wanted a building tailored to specific needs and a defined layout of office spaces. A minimalist, cube-shaped structure proved to be the best solution for this program. We designed a landmark building that is clearly visible from every angle. Large, horizontal glazed sections provide occupants with a view of the nearby Valley of the Three Ponds.
The design also includes direct references to the owner and the nature of their business. Graphite dominates the facade, while the orange elements symbolically evoke the glowing flame in a coke oven.
Will the JSW office building in Katowice be demolished?
© Archas Design
Józef Stachów: From today’s perspective, would you have designed this building differently?
Maciej Zuber: Probably yes, because thinking about office buildings has changed significantly in recent years. Today, we place much greater emphasis on functional flexibility, the building’s adaptability to other uses, and its entire life cycle. Let’s remember, however, that this change was influenced not only by the passage of time but also by the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed how quickly users’ needs and ways of working can change.
Since then, there has been much more discussion about optimization, functionality, operating costs, and how the building will age over time. When designing today, we would likely plan from the outset for greater flexibility in converting an office building for other uses. Let’s remember, however, that a great deal depends on the investor’s expectations.
Will the JSW office building in Katowice be demolished?
© Archas Design
Nearly 20 years ago, when planning began for the construction of the Polski Koks headquarters, the investor placed the main emphasis on the building’s prestige rather than on maximizing the efficiency of the office space. Today, in the private sector, the most important factors are the ratio of usable space to total floor area, maintenance costs, and the ability to respond quickly to market changes. In the public sector, these criteria are still sometimes less obvious —for example , in the design of large infrastructure projects, such as train stations, where prestige often takes precedence over subsequent operational efficiency.
Józef Stachów: More than a dozen years after the completion of this project, Archas Design is in a different place—the studio has grown from a small firm into one of the most important in southern Poland. How have the architecture and construction industries changed during this time?
Maciej Zuber: The entire market environment has changed. First and foremost, many companies have emerged in Poland—mostly family-run—that are now capable of carrying out bold, large-scale projects. They have expanded into large architectural firms, construction companies, investment firms, and real estate developers. We, too, started out very modestly — we took our first steps in the basement of a single-family home, and today we’re involved in projects at major construction sites across the country. This illustrates the scale of the changes that have taken place not only in our firm or the industry, but throughout the entire country. We’re discussing plans to demolish the JSW office building, but today no one is surprised anymore that, for example, in Warsaw, buildings or entire sections of the urban fabric are regularly demolished, and new structures are built in their place. This is a natural process, although just a dozen or so years ago, such a rapid pace of change was difficult to predict.
Will the JSW office building in Katowice be demolished?
© Archas Design
Józef Stachów: Is demolition the only option?
Maciej Zuber: No, new technologies are emerging, the expectations of clients and investors are changing, and cost optimization, energy efficiency, and the ability to use renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important. And more and more often, we ask ourselves whether a building really should be demolished, or whether its life can be extended by repurposing it for other uses. This is one of the most important challenges of contemporary architecture, one that we, too, are facing.
