The District Court in Gdynia is one of the city’s iconic buildings. Its extension is to retain its modernist spirit. The project was designed by the AA Architectural Studio and the work will be carried out by Warbud.
It is a difficult project because it is based on historic fabric. The court building, located at 5 Constitution Square, will be expanded. The structure was built between 1935 and 1936 and was entered in the register of monuments in 1988. The body of the building is an interesting example of modernism among Gdynia’s public buildings.
The concept, which was prepared by architects from Pracownia Architektoniczna AA from Gdańsk, assumes the creation of new parts, which will be built among the old fabric. The project will be carried out by Warbud.
The seven-storey building with a total area of 2,228 square metres and a net usable area of 2,054 square metres is located in the city centre, in a courtyard surrounded by buildings under the supervision of the conservation officer. Thenew courthouse will have six above-ground levels and one underground level, and its construction will require downright surgical precision, Warbud reports.
The District Court in Gdansk today consists of part A (at 5 Konstytucji Square and 57 Jana z Kolna Street) and part B (at 55 Jana z Kolna Street). It will soon be enlarged by two new areas.
The architects had to design a connector to allow easy movement of employees. Prepare a design for the redevelopment of building B with its revitalisation, retaining the modernist style and the concept of extending the building from the side of the market hall and a single-storey extension withdrawn from the face of the building.
In order to achieve the desired effect, the two-storey building deep inside the plot must be demolished. It will be replaced by a new wing of the B building, which will have six storeys above ground and two below ground. The entire work is being supervised by the provincial and municipal conservationists.
When designing the extension, we were keen to clearly distinguish the contemporary parts of the building from the historical fabric of the building, while at the same time referring to it in proportions and divisions and taking into account the context of the place. One of the most difficult elements of the extension will be the construction of a two-storey underground part due to the direct contact with the existing part of building B and the high level of groundwater,” reads a statement by Andrzej Błażko of Pracownia Architektoniczna AA, which was published on the gdynia.pl website.
The building will be constructed in the “design and build” formula. Warbud has 36 months to complete the project.
design: Pracownia Architektoniczna AA
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The front of the building as seen from the railway station:
