The investmentboom is in full swing, and developers are outdoing themselves in offering buyers more residential and commercial units. There is a growing discussion about how to build in order to create quality urban space of appropriate scale and multifunctional character. However, in the capital of Malopolska like mushrooms after rain, residential projects are springing up that are far from these ideals. Do Archicom and Echo Investment, with their latest Cracow project, hiding under the name WITA, have a chance to change this state of affairs?
The area located between the Rakowicki Cemetery and Wita Stwosza and Rakowicka Streets in Cracow has had no luck recently in terms of new residential developments. The architecture emerging here is mainly a maze of residential buildings squeezed together on small plots of land, copied like stamp reflections one next to the other. The new developments increase the market value of the apartments on offer, "parasitic" on the existing infrastructure, which is primarily cultural in nature - for in the areas to the west of the transfer center are located the headquarters of the Home Army Museum and Krakow's MUFO Museum of Photography. The neighborhood's proximity to the Old Town and the Bus and Train Stations is also of considerable importance for its attractiveness. As a result, most of the available building lots in the area have been flooded with dubious quality housing. The symbol of this not necessarily successful metamorphosis of the area seems to be the several-story apartment building on Wita Stwosza Street, which like the biblical Tower of Babel towers over the surrounding buildings. Is there still a chance for better architecture between the Rakowicki Cemetery and the Krakow Railway Station?
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex near the Main Railway Station in Krakow.
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
It turns out that yes - preliminary construction work is currently underway at Wita Stwosza Street in Cracow for a new mixed-use development being developed by Archicom and Echo Investment. The project, promoted under the name WITA, came out of the studio of the architectural office Mofo Architekci MA Sp. z o.o. Sp.K, which in Cracow is responsible, among other things, for the quite successful revitalization of the complex after the former Lubicz brewery, where residential architecture inscribed in the urban fabric was found. We talked about the realization with Krzysztof Wużyk, one of the authors of the project.
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex near the Main Railway Station in Krakow.
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
apartments in the fortress
In the case of the complex on Wesola Street, the architects were tasked with dealing with already existing buildings, which were modernized and enriched with new structures. At WITA, however, it is different - the new complex will be built on an undeveloped plot of land in a place where, so far, only the foundations of the former buildings have been located. The city's Historic Preservation Officer has stated that they have no significant historical value, so there is no trace of the foundations, and it would seem that the MOFO architects design team has a free hand in developing a new concept. However, this is not the case, as the urban environment is not one of the easiest - on the one hand there are 19th and 20th century buildings scattered around. On the one hand, scattered around the area are 19th- and 20th-century buildings connected with the former buildings of the Krakow Fortress, such as the headquarters of the Home Army Museum or the impressive, though falling into complete ruin, building of a cannery, and on the other hand, a monstrous, 43-meter-high cascade apartment building, which completely dominates the neighborhood with its dimensions. As a result, the work was carried out in close cooperation with the City and the preservation office.
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex near the Main Railway Station in Krakow
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
referring to history
How do the investors and designers from MOFO architects plan to get out of the difficult situation? As can be seen from the visualization of the project, the authors decided to integrate the planned development with the historical architecture on the site. Spread over an area of 3 hectares, the multifunctional complex will consist of five four-story buildings, with offices, residential units and commercial and retail space planned. A different spatial layout has been prepared for each building, conditioned by the function it will serve, the shape of the plot and the way the land between the buildings is shaped - so there is no question of stamp buildings, of which there are plenty on the surrounding plots. The facades of the planned buildings will be covered with red brick, which will refer to the history of the site and the already mentioned buildings of the Home Army Museum and the former cannery. This is not the only element of the investment, tying it to the history of the location in which it will be built - in the common spaces between the buildings there are planned boards with a description of the history of the Army Provisioning Center and historical events related to the regaining of independence in Cracow, the recreational areas will be planted with so-called " fortress greenery", i.e. greenery from the fortress. In turn, the recreational areas will be planted with the so-called fortress greenery, i.e. plant formations consisting of native species, characteristic of 19th-century defensive buildings.
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex next to the Main Railway Station in Krakow.
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
philosophy of destinations
WITA in Krakow is not only about the volume and its shell, which refers to historical architecture. The investors describe the planned complex as a "destinations" project. What is hidden under this term?
Behind the idea of destinations projects is our philosophy of creating multifunctional quarters that fit the needs of the city and that support its sustainable development. We want to create tailor-made projects in which people and their needs are important. The WITA development harmoniously blends modern architecture with the historic urban fabric to create an intimate development in the city center. WITA will create quiet corners and lively common spaces, inviting everyone: tenants, residents, visitors. We are building a quiet enclave in the historic center of Krakow, where you will be able to spend time with everything at your fingertips ," says Rafal Mazurczak, Chief Operating Officer at Echo Investment.
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex next to the Main Railway Station in Krakow
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
a city within a city
Thespace to be created by WITA is to have the character of a micro-district integrated into the urban fabric, which will offer residents access to the most necessary infrastructure on site. Thus, there will be not only 176 apartments, but also nearly 27,000 square meters of office space and 8 commercial premises. The latter will be located, among others, in the spacious, rising three-story high arcades of one of the planned residential buildings. The entire complex will be organized along a wide pedestrian alley, equipped with recreational infrastructure and tall greenery providing shade. The alley will end with a green square.
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex next to the Main Railway Station in Krakow.
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
WITA will provide office workers and residents with access to a playground, numerous parking spaces, bicycle racks and electric vehicle charging stations. The plot will also include 7,000 square meters of green space, within which 150 new trees will be planted. The Rakowicki Cemetery area and the Chestnut Garden of Krakowians, located just above the Railway Station, are also in the immediate vicinity, so residents won't lack for greenery. Paradoxically, despite the short distance to the Railway Station, which is the main transport hub of Krakow, there are voices concerning the biggest potential problem of the new development - the nearest bus stop near the Armii Krajowej Museum is serviced by one bus line, and residents will be separated from the other stops by a longer walk, which in the case of the road to the Station will not be one of the most pleasant. Whether this problem will be solved, and whether the transportation infrastructure of the immediate area will withstand the influx of new residents and employees, we will find out at the end of 2025, when the construction of all the buildings comprising the complex is to be completed.
WITA in Krakow - Echo Investment and Archicom will build a new office and residential complex next to Krakow's Central Station.
vision: MOFO Architekci | © Archicom + Echo Investment
new investment formula
The visualizations and descriptions provided by the developer paint a picture of an investment that, unlike other complexes in the area, will offer a multifunctional space that is pedestrian-friendly and open to the city. WITA is not the only city-creating investment by Archicom and ECHO Investment - the Modern Mokotów complex under construction in Warsaw presents itself in a similar way, having been designed on the basis of the ULIM process, which assumes close cooperation between the developer, the City and the residents of the immediate vicinity. If WITA in Cracow presents similar value, the Rakowicka Street neighborhood will be enriched not only by new usable space - for right next to each other will stand complexes that will serve as an example of two completely different philosophies of designing new investments.
