The City Forum shopping complex - now called Pasaż Podwale - in a key location for the city, opposite the railway station, opened in 1998. Today it is a poor showcase for Gdansk, and the City is wondering how to make the area more attractive and green. However, the investor is dashing hopes for a new development and announces that it is preparing for revitalization.
The design of one of the first modern shopping centers in Gdansk has stirred emotions from the beginning, although it was chosen in a competition. Architects at Podwale Grodzki designed not only a shopping arcade, but also a building with a multi-level parking lot and a new development, where the Krewetka cinema later operated for years. The winning design was that of the FORT studio from Gdansk .
Today it is safe to say that the complex has not stood the test of time. Pedestrians are condemned to inconvenient traffic solutions, the square, where city life could be vibrant, is neglected and filled to the brim with concrete cubes. Over time, the former City Forum began to be abandoned by successive tenants, to which the construction of the giant Forum Gdańsk in the city center also contributed, and later the pandemic. Now the City is bent on analyzing the future of the area.
Podwale Passage. An area that needs change
It all started with a discussion of the future of the City Forum, or more precisely, the square lined from edge to edge with concrete cubes right next to the bus stops. The councilmen's clubs and the mayor's college decided to conduct analyses of what could be done with this area, how to make the space more attractive, green. We started our work by analyzing the history of the transformation of this place, and in a way we rediscovered the pre-war solutions," Prof. Piotr Lorens, Architect of the City of Gdansk, told AiB in March.
Several trees will appear on level -1
Pameni Polska
The result is a study of the history of the urban transformation of the Western Front of downtown Gdansk, as well as an animation that shows the pre-war downtown. After the publication of the film, there was no shortage of opinions that a post-war big-city frontage should be recreated in the place of the Podwale Passage.
- We can discuss whether the existing buildings - a relic of the early 1990s - should remain, or are we ready to discuss replacing them? This also raises the question of whether the model of shaping space adopted in the early 1990s continues to meet contemporary expectations. If not, then the next question arises is: what would this space look like? - added Prof. Piotr Lorens, Architect of the City of Gdansk.
He pointed out that the solution presented in Pawel Mrozek's film - due to the post-war realization of the transportation system - even if we make an assumption about its certain narrowing - is unfortunately impossible to recreate.
It should be remembered that the historical frontage of the buildings in front of the station ran more or less in the place where the streetcar track is now," said Prof. Lorens.
What future awaits the area? Although the center's glory days are long behind it, the investor is now dispelling hopes for new development.
Concept for the renovation of the Podwale Passage, in the background on the left: the Gdańsk Zieleniak
Pameni Polska
- We have no plans to build a new building today, media discussions on the subject are over the top, admits Malgorzata Gdanietz, director at Pameni Polska - the company that owns the Podwale Passage. - On the other hand, the building is already years old, we want to make it more attractive, we are preparing for revitalization. There are 24 tenants in Pasaż Podwale today, but new tenants will soon appear. The function will not change, we will remain a multifunctional facility: with gastronomy, retail and services.
The former City Forum. Investor announces facelift
The investor had already floated plans for revitalization several years ago, but they were slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic. The redevelopment concept was developed by TBI -Architecture&Engineering studio from Barcelona, with the participation of architects from Studio Kwadrat Beata and Pawel Jurago from Gdansk. In the fall of 2023, Igor Strzok, the then Pomeranian Regional Monument Conservator, issued recommendations for the project. The final decision, based on the project prepared by the investor, will rest with Dariusz Chmielewski, the current PWKZ.
Consent for the facelift of the Podwale Passage must be given by the Pomeranian historic preservationist
Pameni Polska
We plan to replace the window woodwork, leave the clinker as the main accent of the facade, add wood-like cladding and anthracite colors. Greenery in pots will appear in the main plaza on the side of the streetcar stops. In addition, we plan to expand the food garden area on level -1, and there are new trees - acacia robinias. We are also planning greenery in the enclosed part of the arcade. Coherent signboards are appearing, designed in accordance with the recommendations of the conservator of monuments and the landscape resolution. In order to tidy up the facades of the building, external air-conditioning equipment and installations will be hidden," enumerates Malgorzata Gdanietz.
Soon the area of the city where the Podwale Passage stands will be somewhat civilized with the construction of an over-ground passage through Podwale Grodzkie, opposite the railway station in Gdansk. Work is already underway, and the repeatedly postponed investment is expected to be ready by the end of November.
