A compact and unified block with splayed angles and a screen-like facade is the Krakow office building Farminy, designed by CAVU Architekci. We talk to architect Jaroslaw Wilk about the design inspiration, the structure, the materials used and the demanding investor.
The office building is located in Krakow at the intersection of Lipska and Wiślana Streets - about 500 meters from the Mały Płaszów streetcar terminus. The building, built on a plot of land with a regular shape similar to two prosagons, is a functional continuation of the existing industrial and warehouse buildings, where Farmina used to operate.
The shape and color scheme of the building refers to the company's business profile
© CAVU Architects
Dobrawa Bies: What is the origin of the shape of the Farmina building, what were the inspirations and design assumptions?
Jaroslaw Wilk: The shape and color scheme of the office building refer to the company's business profile (pharmacy), but are in stark contrast to the surrounding buildings. We designed the building in the form of a unified block - a "tablet" combining two separate functional parts: a six-story office part (22 meters high) and a four-story production part (15 meters high). In the office part, in addition to the primary function, there are - a representative hall, reception and conference room (on the first floor) and an employee canteen with access to a spacious terrace on the fourth floor. Vertical communication is provided by one staircase and a passenger elevator. The production part includes pharmaceutical production and maintenance rooms and warehouses. The technology itself was not the subject of our project.
first floor plan of the Farminy building
© CAVU Architects
Dobrawa: Please tell us about the materials used and the construction of the building.
Jaroslaw Wilk: The building was made in reinforced concrete construction with masonry infill. The openwork part of the roof and the substructure of the wall cladding is a steel structure. We designed the front elevation in the form of a screen - a seamless, structural aluminum facade. On the other hand, we used sandwich panel cladding on the side elevations. The facility was provided with a modern heating and cooling system. We used gas-fired, reversible heat pumps from a reputable Italian company with very poor representation in Poland (I do not recommend). There are no classic radiators in the interiors, the system works by heating and cooling the air, the whole is controlled by the BMS.
The front facade was designed by the architects in the form of a screen
© CAVU Architects
Dobrawa: What is behind the name Farmina and what design requirements did the developer set for you?
Jarosław Wilk: Farmina is a group of pharmaceutical companies with Polish capital managed by a charismatic president, and it was the president's charisma that was the biggest design challenge associated with this investment. Design changes were made by him on an ongoing basis, during implementation, and concerned such "little things" as the layout of partition walls, the height of suspended ceilings, installation equipment, etc. In spite of this, the building managed to be completed and put into use with a slight delay of several months and within almost the assumed budget.
Dobrawa: Thank you for the interview!
