Small, historic, in the high downtown fabric. When building next to such buildings, the developer and architect should show a lot of sensitivity and talent. So much for theory. In reality, the desire for profit tends to rule . This is happening, for example, in the Old Town in Poznan. Here the city agrees to bizarre investments, and the development plan will be another "plan for the past."
We have already written about the problems, potential and plans for the important historic Garbary Street in Poznań several times. The two-kilometer-long rather narrow tract cutting through the Old Town on a north-south axis is transforming itself slowly and experiencing an intense onslaught of investors. As one trouble disappears, another begins or materializes. This time on the northern section of the street. For the past fifteen years, residential buildings have taken the place of former warehouses, factories and facilities of the defunct river port here. After realizations of a rather standard form, the time has come for "combined " projects - on plots with small historic buildings. And so: over the one-story former harbor master's office will appear the heavy overhang of a new block (102 Garbary Street). And right next door - behind the historic exhibition pavilion (96 Garbary Street) a new office block is to be squeezed in. The first project is already underway. The second - in more distant plans, but - according to the seller of the property - with a building permit.
Garbary street in Poznań - visualization of Kapitanat Garbary (in the middle at the bottom of the illustration) surrounded by developer investments and TBS from the last 20 years, Kantor Krzyznowski on the right by the Casa Verona building, in the background: Ostrów Tumski and the cathedral
©Proxin, source: captainatgarbary.pl
just such conditions
Both projects are quite controversial. In the first case, the general issue is the far too large scale and proportions of the new building. Not only will it overwhelm the historic building, but - standing in a frontage of reasonably uniform height - it will surpass its neighbors by reaching as much as 28 meters (nine stories). Finally, the previous developer, Virke, demolished (instead of dismantling for later reconstruction) the facade of the warehouse along Szyperska Street. Thanks to the reflexes and determination of community activist and neighborhood councilman Tomasz Dwork, construction work was halted for several years, and the investor was fined by the MKZ Office (the fine amounted to 50 thousand zlotys). Eventually, the damaged façade on Szyperska Street is to be reconstructed and "pasted" into the body of the new building, but already by another investor. This is now the Proxin company .
Garbary Street in Poznań - visualization of Kapitanat Garbary, corner of Szyperska and Garbary Streets, the reconstructed wall of the warehouse along Szyperska can be seen
©Proxin, source: kapitanatgarbary.pl
The scaled-down project was based on development conditions, because there was and still is (!) no local zoning plan for the extremely important area between Warta and Garbary Streets . So why did officials and preservationists agree to a building taller than its neighbors? After all, it is neither the closure of the scenic axis, nor the corner of the quarter. About this and about the opinion on the bulky overhang of the building above the captain's house, the media questioned officials several times. The answer was evasive. It was said that such a dominant feature was allowed by the development conditions issued by the Magistrate in 2012, and then subsequent "vuzettes" repeated this solution.
Garbary Street in Poznań - former captain's house between new residential buildings; the house being built on the premises of the captain's house will be higher than them
photo: Jakub Głaz
In addition, the director of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of the City Hall, happened to be positive about the "bold" project. Who is responsible for it? Poznan's "Gazeta Wyborcza" has identified the next authors of the project. They are Piotr Napierała (the first version from five years ago) and the DEMIURG studio (the second version). However, they do not want to be associated with the final appearance after the recent amendments (although, in principle, the body is still similar in character). And, indeed, the project is "bold", which does not mean that it approaches at least a little in quality to similar good solutions in Poland and the world. It is closer to the greedy creativity native to Zakopane, a far cry from Kraków's Cricoteka.
Garbary street in Poznań - visualization of Kapitanat Garbary, view from the northwest, on the right a fragment of the currently restored Old Slaughterhouse building
© Proxin, source: kapitanatgarbary.pl
stucco without breath
The second controversial case is the filigree and highly ornate Kantor Krzyzanowski, separated from the Kapitatgarbara by a sizable residential building from 2013 (Casa Verona, designed by Jerzy Gurawski). The Cantor was built in 1882 as an exhibition pavilion for a company that produced building stucco. One could see them inside (through windows larger than today) and outside - in the form of densely proportioned decorations. The pavilion survived an attempted demolition by road-builders nearly 50 years ago and has been a historic landmark since 1979. Its small scale, form and location on a street that was busy and narrow at this point pose a challenge to subsequent owners, who did not quite manage to give it a meaningful function.
Garbary Street in Poznań - Kantor Krzyżanowski at 96 Garbary Street
photo: Jakub Glaz
Until a few years ago, Kantor belonged to the investor of the aforementioned Casa Verona building (100 Garbary Street). Today it is in the hands of the company Mieszkania w kamienicach. Tomasz Dworek noted and reported that the partially restored building was put up for sale with the permission to build a new building. He also writes on his Facebook profile that, among other things:
The building permit for the Garbary 100 building was issued taking into account the plot on which the Krzyzanowski Pavilion stands, after the investment was handed over, the plot was sold and Garbary 100 does not meet the development conditions today [issued for the entire site - editor's note] .
Therefore, regarding the approval of this development, he recently sent a letter to the City Hall and is waiting for a response from officials. On the basis of rather conventional visualizations, it is difficult to give a positive opinion for the new project. There is no denying that it has been forcefully squeezed to the rear of the pavilion and thickens the already too tightly woven space. This is all the more important because right next door, on the other side of Garbar, the adaptation and expansion of the Old Slaughterhouse has begun . Every scrap of free space will therefore be worth its weight in gold in the future .
Garbary street in Poznan - visualization of the office building at the back of Kantor Krzyzanowski, view from Garbary street, Kantor on the left.
source: otodom.pl
mustard after dinner?
In both cases, the forms of new development illustrate, first and foremost , the desire to make as much profit as possible from an investment in a lucrative location. It is difficult to see in them care for the harmonious shape of the transformed neighborhood, about which one should first of all hold a grudge against the city decision-makers. It is scandalous that an area that is difficult to develop and important for the inner city is not included in the local plan. Work on this document began only... in 2021 - among other things, on the initiative of Dworka.
Garbary Street in Poznań - vacant land at the back of Kantor is to be developed, view from Piaskowa Street towards Garbary
photo: Jakub Głaz
Thus, without a plan , four large residential complexes have been built since 2005, one large office building , and building permits have been issued for the two buildings we described here. Recently, construction has also begun on another building on the Warta River itself (the former river port) being erected by the Wechta company, which invested here earlier (the investor does not show the visualization of the building by the Archikwadrat studio). The adaptation of the Old Paper Mill for the University of Arts, described by us, is also nearing completion .
Garbary Street in Poznań - parking lot in the wedge between Piaskowa and Garbary Streets, in the background behind the tree - Kantor Krzyżanowskiego
photo: Jakub Głaz
The area is therefore basically invested - with the exception of the substandard buildings of the District Court on Piaskowa Street and the squalid parking lot between that street and Garbary Street. It is therefore difficult to talk about planning anything and hope for even a small piece of green square, which would be useful here by the very busy and noisy Garbary (e.g., in place of the parking lot). So we are getting ready for another "plan for the past" in Poznan . Its main task will be to sanction administrative decisions that have already been made (this has happened before in the Jeżyce district, among others). The city should have exercised its right to decide on the future shape of this space two decades ago, but gave the field to private investors. This raises sad questions about the reason for such long-standing omissions, the sense of the current efforts of planners, and whether Poznan's space has been managed in recent years by people who are adequately competent and determined.
