Do we need new buildings? While it may be extremely difficult to give a clear answer to this question, some argue that we have built enough of them, and that we should limit architectural activities to the adaptation and modernization of existing buildings. An example of a project that fits this idea is the renovation of a tenement building on St. Barbara Street in Warsaw, which was carried out by Grupa 5 Architekci on behalf of Zeitgeist Asset Management.
Although not every building can be properly modernized, refraining from erecting a new volume in many cases turns out to be the most responsible choice from the point of view of caring for the environment. There are studios that, despite their well-established position and innovative designs, allocate a significant part of their capacity to the modernization of existing buildings that have fallen into disrepair over the years or are no longer compatible with modern requirements. One such studio with a track record of many successful modernizations, adaptations and revitalizations is Warsaw-based Grupa 5, which has brought back to life buildings such as the office building at 22 Solec Street in Warsaw, which began to serve as a dormitory, or the Warsaw Pollena factory in Praga, where the BOHEMA residential complex was built. Recently, work has been completed on another modernization under the supervision of Group 5 - a tenement building at 6/8 Barbary Street in Warsaw.
Modernization of the tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw
photo: © Grupa 5 Architects
in a telegraphic nutshell
The tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw was built in 1960 as part of the expansion of the Telecommunications and Telegraph Office Building, completed in 1933 to a design by Julian Puterman-Sadłowski. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, an additional wing was added to the building along Nowogrodzka Street, and at the rear of the complex, on St. Barbara Street, a tenement house was built, which became the object of renovation carried out thanks to the work of Group 5.
Modernization of the tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw
Photo: © Group 5 Architects
The tenement house at 6/8 St. Barbara St. is an example of rather formally frugal construction, so in order to give it the right expression while preserving its original form, the architects had to focus on the meticulous renovation of the few elements of this building that distinguish it from the surrounding buildings. Special attention was paid to metalwork - the designers restored the original entrance gate leading to the courtyard at the back of the building.
Modernization of the tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw
Photo: © Grupa 5 Architekci
As 6/8 St. Barbara St. is an example of a galleried building, the balustrades protecting the individual galleries girding the building from the backyard were treated in a similar manner. Identical railings were used to protect the balconies and terrace on the highest floor of the building. All elements were painted with glossy black lacquer, which elegantly stands out against the background of pastel pink plaster, referring to the plaster originally covering the walls of the building.
Modernization of a tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw
Photo: © Grupa 5 Architekci
modernistic crown
Although most of the work on the modernist galleried building on św. Barbara Street was in the nature of renovation and adaptation to modern requirements (related, for example, to the replacement of the elevator shaft, which was not part of the original design), Group 5 architects decided to make two significant interventions in the building's original form.
Modernization of the tenement at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw
Photo: © Group 5 Architects
In accordance with the interpretation of the Swiss pontiff of modernism (and the possibilities determined by the Local Land Use Plan in force in the area), the roof area of the building at 6/8 St. Barbara St. was appropriately developed. An additional story with terraces was created on it, which was set back from the perimeter walls, giving it the form of a light superstructure or pavilion, covered with a flat roof with generous eaves. In this part of the building, the glazing has a slightly larger surface area than in the historical parts, and it was also decided to change the color of the plaster, which is white here, which helped make the superstructure visually lighter and less intrusive to the original architectural expression of the building. The top of the added floor was surrounded by an additional truss, which obscures the installations located on the roof. Thanks to the additional floor, the building gained a height equal to that of the neighboring tenement at number 4.
Modernization of the tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw.
photo: © Grupa 5 Architekci
tenement open to the surroundings
The second change from the building's original form occurred at the corner of the building. The ground-floor corner has been fully glazed and opened to the street, and space has been organized for a commercial or retail establishment. The interference allows a greater integration of the building with the street and visually relieves its mass.
An important intervention in the body of the building was the transformation of the first floor of the corner into a service establishment accessible directly from street level from the adjacent square. The corner exterior walls of the building were demolished, and the plinth line was scrolled over the glazed corner storefront of the premises. To this end, on the west wall of the building the existing terrazzo plinth strip rises in a ribbon form and surrounds the corner storefront. It then moves to the other corner wall and lowers, transitioning seamlessly into the existing terrazzo strip of the south wall.
- write the architects on their realization.
Modernization of a tenement house at 6/8 St. Barbara Street in Warsaw.
Photo: © Grupa 5 Architekci
Changes at św. Barbary
The exact future of the buildings of the quarter between św. Barbary, Poznanska and Nowogrodzka Streets, which from 2019 belong to Zeitgeist Asset Management, is under consultation. We can already observe the effects of the renovation of two buildings on St. Barbara Street - the 1960s building described here and the tenement at number 4, which stands right next door. The Tolwinski tenement survived the war, but during renovation in the 1970s its facade was stripped of its neo-Baroque detail. Now the rich ornamentation has been restored, although it differs somewhat from what we can see in period photographs.
Modernization of the tenement house at 6/8 Św. Barbary Street in Warsaw
Photo: © Grupa 5 Architekci
