Architects in general - because there are exceptions - are not treated by investors as partners, but rather as compliant contractors, and sometimes even a necessary evil. As long as the trust of investors in architects does not increase, which is not the case all over the country at the moment, not much will change," says Marcin Kozikowski, owner of the KD Kozikowski Design studio, to whom investors commission projects in downtown Gdansk in large numbers.
Ewa Karendys: There is probably no architect in Gdansk who has designed more new buildings in Downtown in recent years than you have.
Marcin Kozikowski*: I don't know if this assessment is correct, because in Gdansk there are a lot of projects designed by different architects. And often not only Tri-City ones.
Ewa Karendys: But yet none are so often chosen by investors. Why is that the case?
Marcin Kozikowski: I don't know if anyone has done such compilations. On the other hand, my studio, in the 32 years of its existence, has designed about 20 projects in Downtown, one of the first was the conversion of a former thermal power plant into the headquarters of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic.
I think I have one of the largest architectural studios in the Tri-City, and investors, when commissioning large projects, choose architects with experience and the right design team. There is another important aspect - we have a lot of experience in the realization of buildings built in very difficult ground conditions, and such are found in the center of Gdansk. Thanks to our successive realizations, we have gained a lot of experience in this regard, and it seems to me that for investors this is a very important aspect of investment implementation, because it has a huge impact on the budget and quality of the project. Moreover, since various private, independent investors are commissioning more projects from us, perhaps the architecture we offer suits them? Besides, we also have realizations in Gdansk outside the city center, as well as in other cities such as Sopot.
Hotel Puro on Granary Island
© KD Kozikowski Design
Ewa Karendys: When I asked about the popularity of your studio among investors, they pointed to the maximum squeeze of PUM and favorable development costs for the investor. Do you agree with that?
Marcin Kozikowski: We try to maximize the possibilities of development plans, because land in the center is not cheap, and investors are interested in making the desired profit, however. This is nothing more than their pure market and business activity. And indeed there is such an opinion about the studio that we manage to interpret local plans in favor of the investor. But it seems to me - probably also to the benefit of the city space. In terms of implementation costs, thanks to our experience we are able to optimally design technologically costly elements. On the other hand, we cannot be accused of making any savings in facade materials or interior finishing elements.
Ewa Karendys: Allegations about the facade have appeared, for example, in some of the granaries of Deo Plaza on Granary Island. Today the entire northern promontory is built, the plots on the southern promontory have also been filled in, your studio had a big part in this. Do you like the result?
Marcin Kozikowski: First of all, I think something very good has happened: thanks to the policy of the City, which passed local development plans, practically on the whole area of Granary Island, there was a chance to create practically a new downtown of Gdansk in a relatively short time. Finally, Gdansk has turned to water. We have our share in this, but it is by no means a decisive share. In a very short time, the Island, which had been a "place of shame," turned into a vibrant city center, a magnet for tourists visiting Gdansk.
Ewa Karendys: There are no more ruins and brushwood, but it's not a place to live either: we have horrendously expensive apartments, the Granary Island lacks social functions. There's a reason the place is maliciously called "Booking.com Island," because instead of permanent residents there are anonymous guests in rooms rented by the day.
Marcin Kozikowski: Neither I nor other architects have any influence on this. Prices are regulated by the market, and the functions of the facilities: local plans and national legislation. If apartments are selling at an express pace for horrendous rates, this proves that they are well priced, attractive and profitable. It is sad, but such are the facts that the downtowns of attractive cities are ceasing to be places where people live permanently and are becoming tourist areas. This phenomenon is common in very many European cities. And if this were to change, regulations would be necessary, not the actions of architects.
Ewa Karendys: We don't learn from our mistakes. Quite a short lease has already had residents of Barcelona taking to the streets to protest against it. You don't feel that by designing in the Downtown mostly buildings intended for such rentals, you are participating in this practice?
Marcin Kozikowski: We, architects, design in accordance with the local plan and the investor's order. And since there is legal permission for this, such functions are carried out there. We have no influence on whether the investor will later sell the premises to people who will live there permanently, or whether they will end up in the hands of investors who are engaged in short-term rentals.
Marcin Kozikowski, owner of KD Kozikowski Design
private mat.
Ewa Karendys: Where is the responsibility of the architectural profession in all this?
Marcin Kozikowski: There are countries where the role of the architect is completely different. For example, in Germany, an architect gets an order from an investor and is supposed to design a building, build it and take all the responsibility for it. So he doesn't just draw the design, but supervises the construction process from start to finish. If this were the case in Poland, then architects would be able to influence the function of the building, its expression, structure and the dimensions of the development. But today in our country such a relationship between investor and designer is utopia. Architects in general (because there are exceptions) are not treated by the investor as partners, but rather as subservient contractors, and sometimes even a necessary evil. Until investor confidence in architects grows, which is not the case throughout the country at the moment, not much will change. We will not be able, being bound by a contract for design work only, to influence the project in a way that would make us really fully responsible for the realization of the investment.
Ewa Karendys: Do you mean to say that an architect who would try to persuade an investor for better solutions will lose a commission?
Marcin Kozikowski: This is a more likely scenario. In addition, for the last 2-3 years I have seen a huge problem in the architectural business. The reason is the extremely protracted administrative procedures. Obtaining a building permit used to take a few, several months. Today it is a horror story, the time has extended to 2-3 years. And at the same time you have to run the studio, without receiving any revaluation of the salary. On the other hand, there are a lot of young architects who come in with dumping prices, hoping to get the first project and expand their business. I understand this, because you have to start somehow. But these two phenomena often make the economic sense of running a studio questionable.
New Motlawa
© KD Kozikowski Design
Ewa Karendys: Nearly seven years have passed since the settlement, an urban planning and architectural competition for a new development on the site of the iconic LOT building. What future awaits this project?
Marcin Kozikowski: In the competition, settled in 2017, in which we took second place [the first was not awarded - editor's note], we were invited to implement the project. Later there were arrangements with Agnieszka Kowalska, the then Pomeranian conservationist, as well as with the Provincial Council for the Protection of Monuments. The project underwent far-reaching changes compared to the competition proposal. But not in terms of dimensions - because these are very precisely imposed by the local plan - but in terms of architectural expression. In the end, this amended project received a positive opinion from Ms. Agnieszka Kowalska, a conservator.
The design for the new development at the LOT site by KD Kozikowski Design was selected in a competition
© KD Kozikowski Design
The trouble is that the investment was later blocked by her successor Igor Strzok, claiming that the building that exists today, devoid of any aesthetics, is worth preserving, and that if the LOT is demolished, the Danziger Hof should be "recreated" in this place. This is one proof that Mr. Strzok's tenure, in my opinion, were lost years for Danzig and our province. This thinking was contrary to my and the investor's views, as I am definitely not in favor of restoration, building open-air museums and dummies. Yes, if a valuable historical building is preserved somewhere, it is absolutely necessary to preserve and maintain it. On the other hand, if the building is not there, then there is no point, in my opinion, in going back to old photo messages. We should build according to modern architectural trends, respecting local plans and recommendations, not preservation orders. We should be aware that architecture, as well as the whole world around us, is changing, we should understand this and not be afraid of the new, trying to somehow resurrect the past that does not materially exist.
Ewa Karendys: What's next for LOT?
Marcin Kozikowski: I don't know if at this point the investor will want to hold talks with the current conservator Dariusz Chmielewski on the basis of my revised project, or if he has other intentions. On the other hand, no development in such a place will satisfy everyone. It will not satisfy supporters of reconstruction, nor will it satisfy those who see ultra-modern buildings here today.
Ewa Karendys: Your competition project caused considerable controversy - among some and others. There was criticism of the mishmash of materials on the facade, the large share of glass. Controversy arose over how the building tries to fit into such demanding surroundings.
Marcin Kozikowski: This project in its next version differed strongly from the competition design. I myself quickly decided that quite significant changes should be made to it, including the share of glass. And this I did. It is up to the investor to decide whether this significantly altered design with a positive opinion will be officially disclosed. On the other hand, one important fact must be kept in mind: the local zoning plan is very precise for this area, it gives a small possibility to reduce the volume. There are precise provisions for the level of the cornice and the height of the building, this means that the scale of development shown in the competition works will not change, well, unless the local plan is changed.
Ewa Karendys: A good solution to this stalemate, would be a new competition.
Marcin Kozikowski: This is the investor's decision. However, the key question is whether the result of this competition will be binding for the decision-makers, including the conservator and the city architect. We have examples of competition juries, in which conservators sat, and yet later the winning works - at the stage of agreement - were changed or completely rejected.
Ewa Karendys: Would you enter such a competition again?
Marcin Kozikowski: If I were invited, I would certainly compete. I have changed my views in many aspects and would be happy to present a new vision. But as I say: the investor would have to be sure that the result of this competition would be respected. Otherwise, it's a waste of time, money and discussion. To sum up, unfortunately, I am skeptical, and I think that in the near future there will not be an implementable design for a new building in place of the LOT, ours or any other architect.
Ewa Karendys: Which of your projects are you most proud of?
Marcin Kozikowski: As far as the adaptation of existing buildings is concerned, it seems to me that we did well with the Baltic Philharmonic, especially when it comes to the interiors. It was a very difficult building, we had to fit into the existing framework of a building listed in the register of historical monuments, and on the other hand the investor required the hall to accommodate 1,000 people, which forced such, and not a different layout of the auditorium. As for new realizations, I think these are the ones that are still ahead of us. And of the unrealized ones, I think the one I regret the most is the project of a high-rise dominant, which could have been a skyscraper on the very tip of Polski Haka.
Polish Baltic Philharmonic
© KD Kozikowski Design
Ewa Karendys: Your projects often cause discussions in Gdansk. Which ones are you least satisfied with?
Marcin Kozikowski: I'm trying to gain humility and there are some projects where I would change something, but there are also some that I think are still defensible. Maybe I would design parts of Deo Plaza's facade differently today, I would propose different color materials for Waterlane Island. But, for example, in the Puro Hotel, Two Motlawa or New Motlawa, or Unique in the Young City - I don't know if I would change anything.
Hotel Puro was a challenge, the first development on the northern tip of Granary Island. The tall, though conforming to the local plan, narrow block was built on empty lots and met with criticism from many people because of its size. In contrast, he showed, firstly, the scale of development allowed on Granary Island by the new local plan, and secondly, we managed to propose a contemporary expression of the building in the historic urban fabric. I hope that this building was the first to create a later trend for the entire Island to be contemporary in expression and to reject the thinking of pseudo-historicizing restoration. Today, with the Puro building, it has gained a neighborhood - it blends in with the development that is being carried out around it. Among the projects we are looking forward to is, among others, the ongoing Marriott Hotel on Granary Island - designed by us in the former granaries of Great and Little Groddeck, taking into account the two extensions to their massing.
Ewa Karendys: This project is also under fire from critics. Prof. Piotr Lorens, the Architect of the City of Gdansk, said that "it is not the right architecture for this place" and regrets that the project could not go to his approval. The project was not coordinated with the office of the city architect, because it was proceeded long before the city government created the position of city architect in 2021.
Marcin Kozikowski: In this project, the idea is clear: we expose the preserved granaries through the facades of new buildings with a contemporary expression. It's easy to criticize. I wonder what kind of building the professor would have seen in this place if he had designed it himself. I would very much like to talk with him about it and possibly come to a compromise version.
The design of the hotel in the granaries Great and Little Groddeck on Granary Island
© KD Kozikowski Design
Ewa Karendys: You design a lot of new development in Downtown, but do you live in the district yourself?
Marcin Kozikowski: No, I live in Stara Oliva. In my opinion, it is by far the best neighborhood to live in in Gdansk. Besides, our studio is located in the same neighborhood.
***
Marcin Kozikowski, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Gdansk University of Technology, and since 1992 the owner of the author's architectural studio KD Kozikowski Design. He has a track record of residential, office, public utility, hotel and revitalization projects. He has designed investments including: Deo Plaza, Waterlane and Waterlane Island, Grano Residence, Youniq, Smolna Sopot, Amber Tower, Puro, Nowa Motlawa, Dwie Motlawy, Nowa Grobla, Baltic Towers, Sloneczne Wzgórza and Bursztynowa Zatoka estates. His studio's projects also include the conversion of a former thermal power plant into the headquarters of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic and the headquarters of Radio Gdansk.
