A {tag:studenci} from the Faculty of Interior Design at Krakow's Academy of Fine Arts took on the theme of the deteriorating Peterseim Factory Complex in Krakow, transforming the former industrial hall into a recreation and relaxation PORT. Its users could relax by inhaling the brine, listening to the soothing sounds of the water and drifting in the flotation pool.
Theadaptation of an industrial hall from the former Peterseim Factory Complex in Krakow into a Recreation and Rest Port, as this is the full name of Emilia Grzesik's project, was created as part of her master's thesis in the 4th Interior Design Studio, at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, under the direction of Prof. Beata Gibała-Kapecka and Kai Czajczyk.
On the site of the former factory, the author proposed, among other things, a brine graduation tower
© Emilia Grzesik
former factory and now a recreational space
The Petersheim factory complex in Krakow selected for development by Emilia Grzesik is a historic factory complex from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, located in the Second Grzegórzki district between Powstania Warszawskiego Avenue and Żółkiewskiego Street. The factory buildings were built for the Imperial-Kingdom Privileged Machine Factory and Foundry of Marcin Petersheim, which operated in Krakow since 1860 and produced agricultural machinery. Prior to World War I, Peterseim's plant employed 200 workers and was one of the more significant factories in the city. Production of agricultural machinery was carried out until 1930. Beginning in 1928, the Erdal shoe polish factory began production in the buildings and, as the Erdal Labor Cooperative, operated until 2006, when it moved out of the city and sold the complex of factory buildings to an Irish investor who planned to convert them into lofts. The residential development never came to fruition. In 2015, the new owner of the site announced plans to convert the post-factory buildings into a hotel, luxury stores or a car dealership.
The project is located in the Peterseim Factory Complex in Krakow.
© Emilia Grzesik
The concept I proposed for the Leisure and Recreation Port is a response to the problem of the office work environment - a space where the vast majority of people spend long hours in a sitting position, and the feeling of discomfort is compounded by staring at monitor screens for hours on end. The Port's space would be designed for employees working mainly in the IT industry, in companies with branches on the site of the former Petersheim Factory complex , the author explains.
the element of water
The Port interiors created by the architect can be divided according to the functions arranged there - each of them responds to specific needs and challenges. The author based her search for solutions on the basic pillars of employee well-being: physical health, mental health, and a sense of human community. The decision to make such extensive use of water, which interacts with the slender, continuous and uniform shape of the brick facade, was based on the results of a survey.
The flotation pool is filled with brine
© Emilia Grzesik
It is water, through its infinite circulation, that proved to best reflect this immutability. In addition, this element has a tremendous power to affect our senses - this aspect was equally important to me in the context of creating an interior that would be a place to synthetically experience the space itself and what it offers. The emphasis was placed on the phenomena related to the sense of hearing, since the perception of the sounds around us often takes place on a subconscious level and can significantly affect both the improvement and deterioration of our mood," says Emilia Grzesik.
floating trance
A separate floating space in the Port is the answer to the above issues. Its main idea is to provide those who use it with tranquility and deep relaxation. It is a place where one can release stress, both mental (pressure, fatigue) and physical (muscle tension). The water used has a very high concentration of brine, which contributes to the buoyancy force that makes it easier to stay afloat without much effort.
Such conditions stimulate the formation of theta waves in the brain, responsible for a sense of calm and relaxation, the author adds.
The division of the basin is dictated by the construction of the building
© Emilia Grzesik
The division of the basin is imposed by the uniform construction of the building, resulting from the original layout, characteristic of industrial buildings - vertical elements mark a certain intuitive boundary, separating smaller spaces. In the concept, the designer envisioned the use of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel as the cladding of the reinforced structure. Its reflective ability provides more daylight, diffusing it and adding shimmer. Sloping structures that support a section of the upper floor separate entrances to bathrooms or conceal seating between them. The warm-toned wood-like material has been juxtaposed with raw brick, which is a foundational building block, testifying to the clear identity of the place.
Narrow glazing illuminates the pool
© Emilia Grzesik
The non-obvious structures suspended above the pool are a continuation of what remains in the building -- the mostly demolished ceilings have left a "shell" and designated levels. These elements, running upward at different angles, create a glazing in the slope of the roof that is the main illumination for the pool, and these in turn are bounded by vertical planes along the lines of Japanese shoji walls , the designer says.
A consumption zone combined with a bar
© Emilia Grzesik
relaxation and rest
To make it possible to establish relationships, within the walls of the former factory in the aforementioned hanging structures, the designer proposed a bar, a consumption zone and a zone for individual relaxation. The bar splits into two wings: the larger, openwork one encompasses the consumption zone, along with appropriately integrated seating. From this perspective, it is possible to both participate in social life and observe the water body located on the first floor. A duplication of this structure can be found in the bar itself - a form suspended above the counter, reduces the distance overhead, giving a sense of "domestication of space."
individual rest area
© Emilia Grzesik
Thesmaller wing is the individual rest zone, which is also an integral form, like the seats. These are small enclaves-cocoons where you can hide, and, assuming a comfortable position, wrap yourself in twilight with the sounds of the simulator. It is up to the user to decide what intensity of noise and water sounds will help him or her relax and disconnect from the world.
brine graduation tower
© Emilia Grzesik
brine graduation tower
The last designed space is the graduation tower. A more open space, where water falls down a glass structure, finding its way into a larger tank. A staircase leads to it, an extension of which is a footbridge - while walking on it, one can simultaneously inhale the steaming brine from the sloes placed between the windows. Reflecting the entire condensation process is the lighting used in the form of small glass balls strung along the footbridge, scattered and uneven like water flowing down the sloes.
Read also about the "Fama" furniture factory, which Michal Rzepka decided to transform into a museum of communist Poland design , and the design of Kseniya Makala's Jododajnia in the Old Railway Station in Katowice.
