The facade adorning the newly opened Museum of the Polish Army at the Warsaw Citadel is unique in terms of architectural concrete in the world. Designed as monolithic concrete, with a very precise 3D structure, colored in the mass and achieving very large and uninterrupted surfaces, it was a major challenge for designers and contractors.
The project called for the facade to be built using a system of lost formwork on one side, with the other side of the formwork lined with RECKLI's individual concrete matrices. These flexible formwork inserts allowed the concrete to be seamless and the military chevron pattern to be transferred to its surface.
Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw
© Reckli
The concrete structure is 16 mm deep. RECKLI supplied matrices measuring 120×735 cm (L×H), which were glued into special PERI formwork, and such sets went to the construction site. One of the challenges was to make the structural matrices in such a way that the divisions of the formwork could not be seen on the facade. We managed to do this thanks to the experience and commitment of our technologists and the subcontractors performing these reinforced concrete walls - the B37 Group company.
Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw
© Reckli
Another curiosity is the corners of all the walls with structural concrete. The architects from the WXCA studio chose the most complicated way to make the corners, consisting of a "sharp" finish, where the structure passes smoothly at 90 degrees. RECKLI provided the die in this case, which had two 120×735 cm surfaces connected at 90 degrees. Casting the die itself was very involved, not to mention using it on site. However, RECKLI's experience and proven technical solutions made it possible to achieve a unique aesthetic effect.
Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw
© Reckli
As RECKLI, we are very proud of this project. Despite the fact that we have more than 55 years of experience in the production of architectural concrete matrices, tens of thousands of realizations around the world, the MWP project was a challenge for us, which showed that we can meet the requirements set before us by architects from the best Polish architectural studios and offices.
For more information, visit the company's {tag:Manufacturer} page on the A&B portal.
