Many Polish cities could draw an example from the way Bydgoszcz has been developing in recent decades. Great projects are being developed here in large numbers, the issues of blue-green infrastructure and the development of the Brda River, on which the metropolis is located, are exemplary. For years the dominant feature of the downtown was the stepped silhouette of the Nordic Haven apartment building. Now, on the other side of the river, a complex of buildings is being built, which together with Nordic Haven will form a river gateway to the city. Meet the New Port designed by the {tag:pracownie} studio.
city facing the river
The Brda waterfront in Bydgoszcz is one of the more functional and beautiful waterfronts in Poland. You'll find everything from 18th-century granaries to the modernist edifice of Opera Nova, the postmodern headquarters of mBank by Andrzej Bulanda and Włodzimierz Mucha, the Nordic Haven apartment buildings designed by Nizio Design or the Przystań Bydgoszcz by Tomasz Rokicki, the banks of the Brda are filled with good architecture. Now the BBGK Architekci studio is adding its contribution to Bydgoszcz's river identity, having designed the Nowy Fort estate on behalf of the AWZ developer.
Bydgoszcz's Grakona tool factory
Photo: Wikibenchris © CC B Y-SA 4.0 | via Wikimedia Commons
from steamships to files
The area where the New Port buildings grew up has an industrial history. It was started by Leopold Zobel, a German master locksmith, who, along with two employees, opened his shop in a small tenement house in 1879. They began by repairing sewing machines and making mangles, but quickly switched to products of much larger dimensions - initially steam boilers, then ships (they launched at least 12 of them in a shipyard specially built for the purpose, including the massive rail ferry "Swibno" and the tanker "Petrolea"), and eventually steam locomotives, of which more than 100 were built in total. All this, naturally, could not be accommodated in a small production facility in a tenement house, so as early as 1885 Leopold Zobel purchased half a hectare of land at the intersection of what was then Fischerstrasse and Petersonstrasse, i.e. today's Marcinkowskiego and Obrońców Bydgoszczy streets. It was here, almost 140 years later, that the New Port was built, which took its name from the shipbuilding episode of Leopold Zobel's plant.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: Krystian Dobosz
The master locksmith's business went bankrupt shortly after his death in 1912. However, the plant did not lie fallow, continuing the industrial history begun in the previous century. The products of the local factories, however, never again reached the size of steamships and railroad depots - in the interwar period the plant was purchased by Gustaw Granobs and Henryk Kozlowski, who opened the "Grakona" file and tool manufacturing plant here. After the war, the nationalized factories were renamed. Befana (from the first letters of the words Bydgoska Fabryka Narzêdzi), referred to by some as "the pride of Bydgoszcz," satisfied a significant part, and in some years even the entire domestic demand for tools. Surpluses were exported to countries all over the world, including outside the communist bloc. The famous Befana still operates today, only in a different location - in the Bydgoszcz Industrial and Technological Park, where a unique kindergarten was recently opened for the children of employees. Today, not much remains of the factory on Marcinkowskiego Street - mainly a pre-war brick production hall and an office building, built in the spirit of eclectic architecture. Today these buildings form the core of the new establishment designed by the BBGK Architekci studio.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: AWZ Deweloper
New Port in Bydgoszcz
The construction of New Port in Bydgoszcz was divided into four stages. The implementation of the first one was completed this year, and in September the developer obtained an occupancy permit. Seven new buildings were constructed on the site located at the intersection of Marcinkowskiego and Obrońców Bydgoszcz streets, which fit into the surroundings of existing buildings - three 19th-century factory buildings and a tenement house on the side of Obrońców Bydgoszczszczy street. The result is a compact quarter with two courtyards separated by a tall residential building. A green path intended for the residents of the estate runs through them.
Nowy Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: AWZ Deweloper
Nowy Port in Bydgoszcz currently offers 177 apartments, office and retail spaces. Subsequent phases will see the construction of buildings in the eastern and southern parts of the site, with a green avenue between them, lined with a double row of trees. Referring to the history of the site, the new street is to be named "Nad Portem." It will handle vehicular traffic (all parking spaces are to be located in underground parking lots) and, above all, provide a scenic route with a perspective on the nearby Opera Nova building.
Breakfast at Befana
The construction of the New Port began by tackling the former Befana buildings. These consisted of three buildings. The most imposing, three-story office building was built in 1899 from a design by Paul Bohm. Next to it stands a slightly older, one-story production hall from 1885. The developer conducted a survey of the existing architectural fabric - the results showed that the condition of the buildings varies from section to section, and not all of them will be suitable for adaptation and reuse.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: AWZ Developer
The tallest, office part of the building was saved in its entirety. Minor changes have been made to its structure, reflecting the original design intent that was lost due to redevelopment. The single-story manufacturing section required partial demolition. The original front façade was preserved and restored, while the internal structure of the building was created from scratch, after consulting with the preservationist. A superstructure regulated by the Local Development Plan additionally appeared above the brick block, lined with weathering steel, corresponding in color with the brick facade. The side wall has been given an interesting finish with a mosaic of bricks projecting above the face of the wall.
Nowy Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: AWZ Deweloper
Bydgoszcz's river gateway
Two 11-story buildings 36 meters high dominate the complex. BBGK Architects designed the facades of their slender masses minimalistically, but certainly not sparingly. The modulus here is a near-square shape. Window openings and spacious terraces were crammed into the squares. They are housed in frames of light architectural concrete, delineated by polygonal pillars and gently undulating cornices. Although it would be a strong misnomer to call the facades baroque, BBGK's buildings have something of both austere classicism and bold 17th-century execution. The designers, in turn, point to the inspiration of Art Nouveau architecture, of which there are plenty in Bydgoszcz.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: AWZ Deweloper
An accusation sometimes directed toward buildings is their height - in this case, quite unusually, in Internet discussions one can hear voices saying that the towers of Nowy Port are too low. The context here is the Nordic Haven building, which with its 55 meters and rather bulky body towers over downtown Bydgoszcz. At present, the towers of Nowy Port may seem inconspicuous against its background, but it should be remembered that with further stages of the investment two more landmarks will appear, which will optically "thicken" the space above the AWZ plots. The height of the buildings, moreover, is provided for by the local zoning plan.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - design: BBGK Architekci
photo: AWZ Developer
cities have layers
It's worth noting that the entire premise has a well-thought-out structure not only horizontally, but also vertically. The architects have vertically divided the New Port development into three "layers." The lowest of these consists of 2- and 3-story post-factory buildings. Slightly higher are the buildings, which by their size refer to the downtown buildings of Bydgoszcz. In this case, the design team decided to prepare concepts for buildings with heights ranging from 4 to 6 stories. The highest layer is made up of high-rise buildings - currently two, and eventually four 11-story buildings. Thanks to this layout, the quarter seems to "climb" upwards, starting from the ends of the plot and ending in the middle.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: Krystian Dobosz
quality above all
The hallmark of Nowy Port is the quality of construction. The choice of materials and workmanship are among the most frequently "slimmed down" elements of a project during the investment process. They do not translate into PUM, the materials used are often not precisely regulated by planning documents. In the MPZP for the area, there were only statements about "high quality materials," which allowed a fair amount of discretion. In this case , however, the developer did not compromise - the BBGK project received an appropriate setting. Bright slabs of granite and sandstone were used to finish the facades of the buildings, corten appears in places, and in the case of historic buildings red brick was used for revitalization. Bright architectural concrete forms the setting for the terraces, and the window frames located in their depths were made of solid wood.
New Port in Bydgoszcz - proj.: BBGK Architekci
photo: Krystian Dobosz
green finish
New Port is also green, both in the inner courtyards intended for residents, and in the spaces in front of and between the groupings of buildings. The green and blue infrastructure was created by the RS Landscape Architecture studio, which accommodated 20,000 plantings between New Port buildings. Trees play an important role here - and they're not small saplings that might have trouble surviving next summer, as New Port has seen an abundance of several-meter-high, overgrown plane trees. The MPZP required planners to cover at least 30% of roof areas with greenery. Here, too, the architects and the developer decided to come out ahead, because except for two high-rise buildings and part of the revitalized Befana buildings, all the structures were covered with green roofs. Is this the last bold move for New Port? Let's hope not, because there are still quite a few buildings to be completed as part of this project, and the first phase of the project has set the bar really high.
