Soon, in the very center of Lodz, next to Piotrkowska Street, a new, exclusive New Iron apartment building will be built by the REFORM Architekt studio. The design-challenging plot located at the intersection of Struga and Wólczańska Streets influenced the triangular shape of the building, the body of which resembles an iron.
The area designated for the construction of the apartment building, with an area of more than 1,100 square meters, is characterized by a characteristic narrowing, iron-like shape - hence the name of the New Iron building under construction on it. The project is also a nod to the Flatiron Building in New York by Daniel Burnham, commonly known as an iron.
The apartment building is being built on a very narrow plot of land
© REFORM Architect
lodz iron
The building will consist of six stories and three different heights of 26, 22 and 18 meters. Such height variation is due to the need to comply with the provision of the local plan and to relate to the neighboring architecture. It is noteworthy that the building is formed by only two elevations connected by an embankment, which is not a common solution for apartment building projects.
As architect Marcin Tomaszewski explains:
I designed the rounded corner of the building at the intersection with Wólczańska Street as a glass block running from the second to the sixth floor of the building. On the first floor, the continuation of the glass tube is a circular column supporting the overhang. The last, highest floor of the building is glazed and forms a single block with the corner. This treatment is intended to emphasize the shape of the plot and accentuate the zone of increased height.
The building consists of six floors and three different heights
© REFORM Architekt
In addition to the challenging shape of the plot, a design complication was that the apartment under construction on Struga Street is located in a conservation zone, so it was necessary to take into account the historical division of the plot on the building's facade. The architects reflected it in the construction of the block by introducing a structural expansion joint at the site of the division, as well as on the facade, dividing it into two stylistically coherent parts.
graphite facade
decorative elements in the form of vertical pilasters appear on the facade
© REFORM Architekt
The architects also decided to use graphite stone, which finishes the frames dividing the building's facade into smaller spaces, and decorative elements in the form of vertical pilasters protruding in front of the building's facade. Decorative elements made of metal were placed in the spaces between the windows. The planes between the stone frames will be finished with plaster and alucobond facade cladding.
apartments in the center of Lodz
The rounded corner has been designed as a glass block
© REFORM Architekt
Thirty-seven apartments with a total area of 2,963 square meters will be built inside the building. The building will feature one-bedroom apartments measuring from 26 to 35 square meters, two-bedroom apartments from 40 to 51 square meters, and three-bedroom apartments starting from 75 square meters. There will also be luxury penthouses measuring 124 square meters with private terrace access. The apartment building will be enriched by a striking foyer, commercial premises located on the first floor and parking on two floors. Construction of this design-intensive building is scheduled to begin in April/May 2021.
