Construction of an office and retail complex on the site of the former Norblin Factory in Warsaw's Wola district is coming to an end. Although the investor likes to use the word "revitalization" in this context, the effects of the redevelopment could illustrate dictionary examples of "gentrification" and "concrete".
photo by Kacper Kepinski
At the beginning of September, the 46-month-long redevelopment of the Norblin Factory officially ended - the complex received an occupancy permit. Over the next months, more of its parts - office, cinema, retail, restaurant and museum - will be opened to users. PRC Architekci studio and Capital Park architect Piotr Blaim are responsible for the architecture of the modernized factory. What does this quarter of Warsaw's Wola district look like after what the investor calls "revitalization" measures?
Concretization or greening
photo by Kacper Kępiński
The investor officially boasts about the new "green face" of the Norblin Factory. However, it's hard to see it from pedestrian level. Of the 106 trees planted in the area, only 22 are in the publicly accessible part of the complex. Some of them are heavily shaped plants that will not reach impressive size. Only the four tallest trees will be kept in their natural trunk form, and their crowns will not be regulated. However, they do not grow in the permeable, biologically active pavement, but grow out of the concrete and stone floor of the walkway. To soften the image of the concrete desert are perennials, shrubs and vines. Perhaps when the latter grow, the effect will be more satisfactory. For this, however, we will have to wait a few years. Inaccessible, though green, will be two patios located in the superstructure of the factory. The RS Landscape Architecture studio is responsible for the landscaping concept.
Construction of Koneser
photo by Kacper Kępiński
Similar effects can also be observed in another recently completed complex. Located in the Praga district of the city, Koneser also does not knock you off your feet with the amount of greenery. The fact that underground parking lots have been located underneath almost the entire quarter doesn't make future greening any easier either.
blurred proportions
photo by Kacper Kępiński
The ratio of green areas to built-up areas is not the only problem. In the completed project, the new part definitely dominates the historic buildings of the factory. The distorted proportions can be seen above all from the side of Lutska Street. Above the one-story wall of the former buildings an office, multi-story "overhang" has been added. The impression of alienation is heightened by a completely windowless floor located directly above the historic brick halls. On the more representative side of Prosta and Zelazna Streets, this floor is finished with a different material, colorfully alluding to the brick. The back of the building is now just a drab gray wall. The finishing elements of the upper floors are also kept in this burly shade.
Photo by Kacper Kepinski
The brick buildings have been completely absorbed by the new creation, partly becoming an internal setting for retail and service spaces, which is reminiscent of treatments from classic shopping malls. The strip mall along Prosta Street, surrounded by historic buildings, on the other hand, lacks functional-spatial links with its surroundings. Pedestrians can access it through narrow passageways, often further limited by elements of the arrangement and exhibits of the factory museum scattered throughout the area.
photo by Kacper Kepinski
attractions for the rich
The gentrification rather than revitalization efforts are also indicated by the functions that will be found inside the buildings. Instead of a local vegetable market, the Norblin Factory will invite a BioBazaar. Retail, service and entertainment space will be located on levels -1 to +2. Poland's first market with certified organic food will occupy nearly 2,000 sq.m. of space in one of the factory halls in the western part of the complex. The bazaar's new arrangement was designed by Kacper Gronkiewicz, who was to draw inspiration from the traditions of Polish bazaars, starting with Warsaw's "Różyc" or Jarmark Europa, as well as other world-famous markets. In reference to the BioBazar's ecological theme, the architectural materials used for the stands and interior design are to be natural and environmentally friendly - including wood, formaldehyde-reduced MDF boards or colorful laminates that are a mixture of paper and resin.
photo: investor press materials
Meanwhile, the launch of the KinoGram multiplex has been announced for September 10. The cinema, under the auspices of the Polish Directors Guild, is to offer, in addition to film screenings - concerts and meetings with artists. One of the Rooms is to present an original statue donated by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek's Oscar statuette, which he received for his music for the film "The Dreamer." Straight to the armchairs and two-seater sofas, snacks and drinks will be ordered from the cinema bar. Not only the marketing environment is to be prestigious, but also the prices. Those willing to pay for a ticket for a screening at KinoGram will have to pay (depending on the time of day) from 35 to 55 zlotys. "Chamber" seven-screen cinema is expected to accommodate more than half a thousand viewers at a time.
ambiguities in reprivatization
Jan Spiewak recently reminded the public about possible irregularities related to the history of the factory's collapse in the 1990s and the reprivatization of its assets. At the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau even conducted operations on reactivated, pre-war companies. It was this operation that made it possible to seize the factory's assets along with plots of land in Wola. The irregularities, according to investigators, were said to be related to carrying out the process of reactivating these companies, restoring them to the registers and obtaining compensation for the nationalized properties belonging to these companies before the war. The management of Capital Park, which was preparing an investment on the factory site at the time, issued a statement saying that the CBA's actions had nothing to do with ArtN.
In Warsaw, as in this photo: monuments to trash, or as shoddy scenery for consumption and offices. In the foreground, a continuously set fire to a historic building and in the background the gutted and overbuilt Norblin factory.
- Jan Spiewak (@JanSpiewak) September 2, 2021
What the PO has done to old Wola is a real crime on the city. pic.twitter.com/5v9AjFoIfs
