A classic of modernism: the building of the Mining Technician Club NOT in Tychy

The building was designed by architect Marek Dziekoński. The Mining Technician Club NOT building is located in Tychy. Its modernist form, which was an architectural novelty in Tychy in the early 1960s, is unique

It is one of the most original buildings in the city. The Mining Technician Club NOT building was constructed between 1963 and 1964. At the time, it operated as a café combined with a reading room, to which access was restricted. Members of the Association of Mining Engineers and Technicians, which was part of the Supreme Technical Organisation, could use the space

In order to open up the building to residents who were not members of the Association, three shops were opened on the ground floor. Upstairs there was a library. A very impressive staircase led up to the bookshop. Architect Marek Dziekoński designed it as a glazed spiral staircase, complete with balustrade bars. The club for members of the Association was located in the second part of the building. Club rooms, a billiard room, games rooms, a cloakroom and office space were designed there. The reading room was built on the first floor

Marek Dziekoński completed work on the design of the modernist building in 1961. The architect decided to implement the then popular modernist ideas in every element of the building. He designed a ground floor that was narrower than the ground floor, with folded side elevations and protruding corners that gave the building a dynamic form

A major plus point is the façade. The outer walls were constructed from special reinforced concrete frames, the shape of which is reminiscent of the letter H with a double cross-bar. The prefabricated elements were assembled side by side and filled with windows, creating a heavily glazed wall for the entire floor. Dziekoński also designed the building’s interiors, and to collaborate on the exterior he invited the visual artists Henryk Bajdur and Zdzisław Stanek, who prepared the ceramic decorations

In the 1960s, the modernist building enjoyed considerable recognition. It was awarded by the Association of Polish Architects (Katowice branch) and won the Miastoprojekt Nowe Tychy award. It also competed for the title of best new building in Poland

Unfortunately, today the building does not look like it did in the 1960s. What has changed? The arcade leading to the patio has been built over, the colour scheme of the building has been changed, and the division of the windows has been altered. It is best to see for yourself what it looks like. The building is located at 15 Education Street

Architect Marek Dziekoński was born in 1930 in Warsaw and died in 2002 in Wrocław. He graduated from the Wrocław University of Technology, where he later taught. Among the buildings he designed are the Panorama Racławicka building complex in Wrocław, the Winter Stadium in Tychy, the “Orbita” hall in Wrocław or the Mining Electronics Plant in Tychy. We described the latter building HERE

photo: Zygmunt Kubski, from the collection of the Municipal Museum in Tychy(www.muzeum.tychy.pl)

source: UM Tychy, “Twoje Tychy” issue of 2 July 2019

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The photographs published below were taken between 1963 and 1965