The {tag:studenci} from Bydgoszcz University of Technology is the author of the Experimental Exhibition Center in Gdansk. Her project, which could stand in Gdansk's Downtown, is a space without limitations, a place adapted to the multidimensional exhibition of works from different fields of art, focusing on the promotion of artists.
Agata Loj's project is a master's thesis carried out under the supervision of Dr. Małgorzata Kaus at the Jan and Jędrzej Śniadecki Faculty of Construction, Architecture and Environmental Engineering at the Bydgoszcz University of Technology.
The southeast side of the Exhibition Center
© Agata Łój
Contemporary art has expanded its artistic field into many aspects of life. The frame of the work is no longer just a wooden rectangular form, but also the air, which carries beams of light, the walls of the facades of buildings, which are the backdrop for murals, as well as human skin displaying tattoos. Since artistic activity has reached such a rich spectrum of activity, how to make it possible to present it while realizing the vision of the creators? - wonders Agata Loj.
promotion of art
The author's main idea was to present a vision of a building adapted to a multidimensional exhibition of works from different fields of art. The architect decided that the building she designed would be like an instrument tuned to the needs of a particular exhibition, and the authors of the exhibitions could also be the creators of the arrangement of the exhibition space.
The building's surroundings include lots of greenery and urban furniture
© Agata Łój
By promoting artistic activity, the building is intended to create conditions for professional exhibition of creative thought for beginners or advanced artists. The location of the building is supposed to make the urban space more attractive, diversify leisure opportunities for residents and tourists, and support social integration, the author adds.
interpenetration of forms and space
The idea behind Agata's design of the building was the phenomenon of interpenetration of forms and space - the building and its layout became a composition made of different structures. As the author says, the phenomenon of interpenetration is also a symbolic reference to the influence of art on human life.
The building is located in the northern part of Downtown in Gdansk
© Agata Łój
The Exhibition Center has been placed in the northern part of Downtown Gdansk on Wapiennicza Street. The south side of the plot is the foreground for the front elevation of the building and its main entrance. In this part there are paved areas intersecting with the biologically active area. The fragment of the project was supplemented by the architect with urban furniture and low plantings. Meanwhile, large surface divisions and the introduction of a shallow sheet of water promote the display possibilities of outdoor exhibitions.
The main entrance to the designed building
© Agata Łój
The eastern part of the plot runs along Karpia Street. Existing deciduous trees line the avenue, which has been connected by straight lines to the paved portions of the designed area. Through the continuation of pedestrian trails, the protected waterfront of the Radunia Canal has been preserved, and existing trees bring tall greenery to the plot. The western side of the site places the designed building in the compact urban fabric, introducing yards of low greenery. The southern section of the site is mainly a biologically active area with a separate rest area and an off-road staircase leading to the alley on Karpia Street.
exhibition center
The Center's exhibition spaces are connected to circulation zones so as to reduce the number of permanent partitions. Windbreaks connect the indoor and outdoor spaces giving the opportunity to organize events of different nature.
interior of the atrium
© Agata Łój
Theopen lobby on the first floor of the building makes it possible to arrange an exhibition from the very entrance to the building. The designer's introduction of a showroom-type function makes it possible to broker the sale of exhibition works, resulting in the Exhibition Center's ability to generate additional revenue.
First floor and first floor of the Exhibition Center
© Agata Łój
Thefirst floor of the building is a continuation of the exhibition spaces located on the first floor. Above the lobby is a mezzanine overlooking the Baltic Philharmonic, the World War II Museum and interior design elements. Agata Loj also proposed a snack bar as a resting place inside the building.
The building's underground consists of three segments: technical and storage, public access and a parking zone. The parking zone includes a bicycle room with sanitary facilities, automatic parking for eighteen cars and maneuvering space for delivery vehicles. The public area includes two art studios with sanitary facilities and locker rooms for workshop participants.
Also read about the creative work space at the El Gallery by Julia Zubka and the Center for Minimalism in Kashubia by Joanna Szulfer.
