Commercial incarnation of historical facilities

Investments based on the adaptation of historic buildings for commercial purposes can be observed throughout the country. There are not many projects of this type. They are a rather exclusive supplement to the market offer. The efforts of investors who take up the implementation of these unusual and challenging projects are now leaning towards the creation of multifunctional complexes. According to the experts from Walter Herz consulting company, such facilities are combining a variety of features and complementary solutions, which are likely to increase the convenience of use.

The revitalization of old factories, industrial complexes, power plants and breweries is enticing companies not only with the extraordinary potential of old, often historic buildings, but also their excellent, often central location. With prestigious location comes responsibility, so the investors  make sure the modernized facilities attract with its unique character, both in terms of design and utility. They believe that a greater effort will be appreciated by connoisseurs of exceptional space and tenants looking for custom properties, and the investment will pay off in the long run.

For the retro modern

In Warsaw, the areas of Wola, Praga and Powiśle create the most opportunities for revitalization - suggest Walter Herz experts. In these areas, many of the planned modernizations are still waiting to begin. Capital Park Group has been working on a project of revitalization of buildings the former factory Norblin by Żelazna Street for eight years. The investor hopes to start the construction work by the beginning of the next year, after the completion of the designing phase. The company intends to implement solutions with specific zoning in the complex and recreate distinctive atmosphere of the factory in 11 historical halls. Detailed studies on the restoration of walls, each window and a piece of the roof are still being prepared. The beginning of construction is being delayed by, among others, the need to shift one of the buildings and hang the other, to be able to build a car park.

The ArtN investment is expected to provide more than 64 thousand sq m of office, retail, commercial and cultural space with parking space on four underground floors. The unique brands,  so far unavailable in Poland, are supposed to attract customers to the "retro modern" post-industrial interiors.  In the renovated buildings, apart from offices, there will be boutiques by popular fashion designers as well as independent designers, exclusive culinary concepts and a deli. The complex will also host an high-end fitness club from as well as sporting goods store. There will also be a Health & Wellness center offering procedures from the field of aesthetic medicine, cosmetology and SPA, as well as a High Tech zone, new technologies will be presented for the first time in our country. Crucial part of the project will be Norblina Street, that is an open public space with shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants. Moreover, a museum, which will include 44 vintage machinery and factory equipment, will also be an attraction.

Success of gastronomy

Walter Herz experts enumerate Warsaw Hala Koszyki as an example of a successful revitalization. The project included the renovation of a historical building located on Koszykowa Street, which has retained many of its original structural and finishing elements. The original function of the facility, that is, trade and gastronomy has been preserved. The very opening of the facility showed that it will be one of the most popular culinary concepts among the residents of the city. The newly constructed buildings in the complex will offer office space.

Another mixed-use project in Warsaw, based on modernization of historic buildings, is Centrum Praskie Koneser. The complex is located on Ząbkowska Street, and is advertised as a lifestyle center of the capital. It is undoubtedly one of the most original parts of the city. The adaptation of the historic buildings as well as construction of new ones, was inspired by the post-industrial buildings on a 5-hectare site of the former Warsaw Vodka Factory, and took place in stages. The facility includes residential, retail and service, cultural and office space (approx. 25 thousand sq m), where Google Campus Warsaw located their headquarters.

New apartments were built in the historical buildings of the Mint of Poland from 1897, as well as in the new industrial style buildings. The complex will also include a hotel, restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as a multimedia Museum of Polish Vodka. Construction of the commercial part of Koneser began in autumn 2015, and its completion is scheduled for the end of 2017.

Locomotive on the town square

Walter Herz experts also mentioned offices and apartments, which are to be built at the site of the historic Powiśle Power Plant, located between Dobra, Leszczyńska, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie and Zajęcza Streets in Warsaw. Apart from office and apartment buildings, there will also be a shopping zone, adapted in the historic building of the power plant located in the central part of the facility. Specialists note that the project has been in preparations for almost 10 years now, but after the recent change of the investor, the project has a chance to accelerate. The complex will also include four public squares. The findings show that on the grounds of one of the squares there will portrayed a footprint of the railway track and the shape of the chimney. A historic locomotive will also make its home at the site. According to the preliminary assessments the modernization of historic buildings, which will include the restoration of the original features as well as the construction of new elements, is expected to begin in 2018.

Another planned revitalization in Warsaw is Pollena factory, located on Szwedzka Street. Bohema multifunctional complex is to be connected by a passage to Szwedzka metro station and an exits to Strzelecka Street. A particular retail and service complex, which will host among others, a food market ( referring to the tradition of Praga district fair) will be constructed on the basis of historical buildings. The residential section will consist of newly constructed buildings. Inside the complex there will be open urban space with restaurants, shops and a designated space for organizing cultural and social events. The expected completion date of commissioning the first apartments and the modernization of the historic buildings is planned in 2018.

Only for the brave

Walter Herz representatives emphasize that the great challenge for investors will surely be the announced revitalization of Modlin Fortress, located in Warsaw, at the confluence of two rivers - Vistula and Narew. The spectacular investment will be carried out on the grounds of the fortifications located in the area of 58 ha, which will turn into Warsaw Modlin Smart City. Grupa Konkret company, which bought the property from the Military Property Agency has a plan to turn the area into a city of smart solutions. The company announced the construction of a spectacular complex that offers many functions. The project includes the construction of a large convention center, hotels, buildings with apartment, office and retail space.

Old printing house on Gdańska Street in Łódź is currently undergoing modernization. The building will be transformed into a six-storey office building with 5 thousand sq m of modern usable space. Apart from offices, which are to be leased mainly by the tenants of the IT industry, it will provide retail and service area. Construction  work in the revitalized facility will be completed in April 2017.

Offices in OFF

The initial stage of the construction work related to the implementation of two office buildings - Sepia Office and Teal Office - located in OFF Piotrkowska Center in Łódź will soon begin. Both buildings will be a part of a large project of revitalization of Franciszek Ramisch old cotton factory located at Piotrkowska Street.

Sepia Office project will be based on a deep revitalization of the nineteenth-century building, the interior of which will include the original walls of crude sandblasted brick and carefully restored, historic details. The industrial character of the place will be enhanced by the renovated old factory components, including cast-iron columns supporting the ceilings, exposed wooden ceilings, historical divisions in the windows, steel beams and long-standing roof structure with a cupola crowning the old water tower. The modernized building will also offer technological solutions that are required in the highest standards of office facility.

Teal Office will be a modern Class A office building, harmoniously integrated into the fabric of the historic space. It will be constructed on an empty lot by Roosevelt Street. According to plan, the construction of the two facilities is expected to start later this year. Today OFF in its characteristic neo-Gothic interiors with red brick of the former weaving, spinning mill, engine room and carpentry hosts bars, restaurants, clubs, design studios, concept stores. It brings together ‘representatives of the creative industries’ and is a fashionable address on the culinary map.

EU funding

Łódź City Hall also wants to the revitalize monuments. Factory buildings by 61 Sienkiewicza Street and a tenement at118 Piotrkowska Street in Łódź will get a second life. The buildings will provide 3 thousand sq m of retail space and 3.5 thousand sq m of offices as well as 800 sq m of living space, which will be available in the building at Piotrkowska Street. The plans involve puncturing the outbuilding and creating a passage connecting Nawrot Street with Komuny Paryskiej Square. On the roof of the building by Sienkiewicza Street there will be a an open green terrace, thanks to the elevator mounted on the side of Schiller passage. The property will be revitalized with EU funds. The construction will begin next year.

Nowa Stajnia project is currently under construction in Cracow. Modern office space is to be blended into the historic interior of the old stables and coach house located at Sokołowskiego Street. The investor wants to give the old buildings a modern character, while at the same time not depriving them of the charm of rural buildings. The inspiration for him are British residences, which are transforming their economic clusters into the cozy business centers known as "office courtyards", in which the historical substance is complemented with modern solutions.

Multifunction boulevard

The revitalization of 6 out of 14 mostly historic buildings that make up the boulevard buildings, located in the city center at Jana Pawła II Square, at the intersection of Św. Mikołaja and Podwale Streets, in the buffer zone of the Odra River and the moat is currently taking place in Wrocław. The variety of styles and different history of each facility adds to its uniqueness. Plans for the modernization of Bulwar Staromiejski include creating architectural complex with developed residential and commercial infrastructure. The project is implemented on a total area of 2.5 hectares. Part of the area in under continuous archaeological work, which soon will cover the entire boulevard.

Bulwar Staromiejski currently offers four residential and two commercial buildings. One of the facilities with the commercial space is arabesque The Place, which will include office and retail area. The second facility will be an energy-efficient, seven-storey class A office building with retail points on the ground floor.

Offices in a brewery

Walter Herz specialists also mention Archicom’s project among Wrocław revitalizations. The developer intends to develop the site of the former Piast Brewery by Jedności Narodowej Street. The plans include, among others, offices with retail and service function. The two remaining brewery buildings by the main gate, a chimney and small barn located behind it, as well as storage facilities will be adapted for this purpose.

The construction work is scheduled to begin in the second half of the next year. The infrastructure will be prepared by then. The whole project occupying an area of 5.8 hectares is to be divided into several stages and should be completed in 2022. In total, there will be a dozen buildings. The investor is also thinking about a mini brewery with a restaurant.

In the former piano factory in Kalisz emerges Hampton by Hilton Kalisz hotel, offices and retail facilities. Hotel and business center Calisia already has a building permit. Outside the hotel part of the project will also include office and retail space with a total area of 4 thousand sq m. The complex will complement the revitalized courtyard of the factory, which will become a public green space available for residents, where they will be able to take up on the offer of restaurants and showrooms.

Gdańsk’s Spichrzów Island is still waiting for its come back in the new multi-function style. Plans to revitalize the northern headland of the island are already clear. Between Chmielna Street, a wooden promenade over Motława river, Zielony Most bridge and Deo granary there will be a four-star hotel, restaurants, cafes, luxurious apartments and commercial and retail zone.  The investor announced the completion of the project in two years.