Few projects on the Motlawa River look as good as the Riverview, built four years ago, with its brick, slender buildings, reminiscent of Danzig townhouses. After negotiations that dragged on for as long as three years, the conservator finally gave the green light for more buildings to be erected on the site of the former Meat Plant in Gdansk. Will the effect be as good?
Just a few years ago, new housing estates on the Motlawa River were scarce. Today, one after another is being built, expanding the previously bypassed areas of the city center with new places for walking. However, this is happening with mixed results - lauded projects boasting good architecture and a good fit with the historic environment are still exceptions on the investment map of Downtown. Riverview is one of them - on the Motława side, characteristic blocks with sloping roofs and red brick facades have been built. The minimalist and unobtrusive facades are a welcome change from the elevations that were created nearby, as part of Deo Plaza, on the northern tip of Granary Island.
Riverview's windows offer a view of the Motlawa River
© Vatsint
Riverview estate - there will be a continuation
But appreciated in competitions (including the European Property Awards 2000-2021, or the Best Gdansk Architectural Realization), the new development of the {tag:pracownie} project is only the beginning of the changes planned for this part of Downtown. Because ultimately, nearly 700 apartments may be built on an area of 65,000 square meters. However, the road to the construction of the second stage of the development is leading uphill. It took as long as three years to agree on the project with the Pomeranian Regional Monument Conservator (yet another proof of the investment paralysis in the office managed by Igor Strzok, the previous conservationist).
The approval obtained includes the reconstruction of three historic buildings of the former Meat Plant in Gdansk and the construction of eight residential buildings with 387 apartments.
The project envisages the creation of a quarter development with courtyards in the form of gardens. An additional advantage will be the historical buildings created in the Neo-Renaissance style, in which spacious apartments have been designed , according to Vastint.
The grounds of the former Gdansk Meat Works
The development will continue on the grounds of the former meat factories, characterized by a well-thought-out layout of buildings, whose roots date back to 1894. According to Gedanopedia, the complex was entered in the register of monuments in 1983, and at that time it consisted of 20 buildings. The existence of the plant came to an end in 1989 with a poorly executed privatization, and three years later Gdanskie Zakłady Mięsne was liquidated. The abandoned buildings began to quickly disappear from the city's space, with only the ruined front buildings and a few former buildings deep in the area remaining. Plans for the new development call for rebuilding the administration and stock exchange buildings (with a restaurant) in their former form.
However, the investor, Vastint, has taken water in its mouth, and intends to talk about the details of the investment only after obtaining a building permit. Unfortunately, this is still a common practice in Gdansk - investors show projects - including those being built in the most valuable locations - only after obtaining building permits. And then there is no more room for discussion in the public space. Let's hope Riverview II does not deviate from the first stage, and that the traces of the 19th-century former meatpacking plant buildings live to see a worthy commemoration. The design - and this time - was created by the APA Wojciechowski Architekci studio.
The first stage of Riverview from the Motława River
© Vastint
