Dominant is a viewing tower on the St. George roundabout in Gorzów Wielkopolski, which was built in 2007. The unconventional structure immediately aroused considerable controversy, and Gorzów residents christened it ‘The Spider’ (the official name is Info Glob). Indeed, the aggressive form of the steel structure resembles a giant arachnid with its abdomen raised high.
The dominant feature was created as part of the redevelopment of the Old Town Bridge. The structure was designed by the “Format” Design Studio (Małgorzata, Waldemar and Mateusz Kłosowscy). The construction of the roundabout itself was completed in 2006, and the observation deck on the tower was handed over a year later. The building was officially opened for use on 18 July 2008.
The observation tower and the cathedral tower. Photographer: mamik/photopolska.eu, Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
the 20-metre-high tower consists of an openwork sphere surrounded by an observation deck, a glass cylinder with a spiral staircase leading from an underground hall to the terrace, and eighteen bent supports. The walls are covered with the names of various cities indicating their distance from the ‘Pajak’ and the names of partner cities cooperating with Gorzów Wielkopolski. A three-metre-high electronic board has been installed on the building, displaying city news, temperature, announcements of mass events, etc. Two underground entrances lead to the tower.
The structure has been adapted to serve as a shopping mall with 10 rooms. In the middle of the hall, a spherical fountain set on a mosaic depicting a wind rose has been installed. When the city authorities decided to build the tower, they planned that it would be a harbinger of what would be created in Zawiercie – a modern district that would usher Gorzów into new and better times. Unfortunately, the effect is quite different from the original lofty intentions.
The controversial site has received much criticism. The Dominant was awarded the Macabrela anti-award for the worst building of 2007. The structure has been commented on many times by public figures. However, it is one of the most characteristic buildings of Gorzów Wielkopolski and an icon of Polish architecture of the 2000s. In 2012 (and later in 2016), Gorzów Wielkopolski councillor Jerzy Wierchowicz gave a proposal to rebuild the peculiar building. However, the project did not come to fruition.
Source: bryla.pl, architektura.muratorplus.pl, appformat.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | City | Sculpture | Curiosities | whiteMAD on Instagram
