The Old Brewery in Poznań on Półwiejska/Kościuszki street
The design of the Cultural and Commercial Center is located in the center of Poznań, a city of 600 thousand inhabitants situated in the western part of Poland. The design is a partial adaptation and development of the 19th century Hugger brewery located in the very center of the city. The existing industrial buildings of the brewery had brick walls decorated with subtle details, and cast iron and timber frame of a finesse shape. This form was the key to maintain the characteristic atmosphere in new spaces.
The basic assumptions of the design:
- the urban space/the interiors
- the development of the urban quality of the assumption based on the classical composition of the interiors, the passages, and atria aims at the maximum integration of the large project of the Center with the surrounding city by means of partial coverage with roof lanterns,
- 50% business – 50% art
- combination of commercial functions with art: the 50/50 project, the creation of spaces for arts, dancing, theatre, and film integrally linked with the commercial part,
- inspiration – continuation – atmosphere
- creation of architectural forms connected with the existing elements of the brick and cast iron construction of the brewery buildings,
- combination of the modern and traditional technologies to obtain the effect of cohesion, and the permeating of both technologies instead of contrasting,
- consequent use of the natural materials: brick, granite, marble, steel, timber, glass,
- the park as an art museum
- the opening of the Center to the green park that is designed to be the future space for art: a park of sculpture and modern art museum below.
The first part of the investment concluded in 2003 is of a nostalgic character and refers to the elements of the industrial architecture of the existing buildings. In the course of the project development, we systematically removed the traces of modern times and added the elements and fragments originating from the tradition. More and more bricks, towers, the hall of arts, cast iron columns, granite, timber, and cobbles. The thinking according to classical town planning: a square, tower, corner. The hall of arts and clock tower are located in the center of the assumption. Concentration of the exhibition and entertainment functions, the space open to the park.
The presented second part is the trade gallery in the form of a passage joining the central square that constitutes the focus of the whole assumption with the Ratajczaka Street. The image is completed by the art-hotel located in the building of the former military prosecutor’s office that is under construction now.
The basic composition elements in the building of the passage:
- spatial elevation
- the space of the elevation is filled with mobile, steel sculpture completed with a spectacle of light after dusk,
- metal curtain as the gate
- the park atrium connecting the building with the park through a glass wall emphasized on the elevation with symbolic metal curtains organically mingled into the green,
- the tower
- the tower, the staircase and information stand: ferroconcrete and steel abstract sculpture in the center
- the yard
- a canopy over a part of the art yard that creates an elliptic space open to the park, and separated from the rest of the space with glass mobile walls open in the summer.