In the centre of Katowice, an investment project called Kwartał Dworcowa is underway, covering the historic buildings on Dworcowa, Dyrekcyjna, Mielęckiego and Staromiejska Streets. The work is already at a very advanced stage, as can be clearly seen in the photographs. Once the entire project is completed, the complex, consisting of several tenement houses, will include hotels and commercial premises.
Kwartał Dworcowa in the context of Katowice
Currently, advanced work is underway on the construction site to build a new hotel and office complex. The works include deep excavations, ground reinforcement using the jet grouting method (i.e. creating cement columns in the ground) and the erection of new elements in the immediate vicinity of the preserved tenement house facades. Such operations, carried out in a dense urban environment, require precise coordination and extensive experience. The investor behind the project is the Katowice-based Epione Group, Konior Studio is responsible for the design, and Chemobudowa-Kraków SA is the general contractor.
Project implementation technology
The method adopted for the Kwartał Dworcowa investment was to preserve the historic façades of the tenement houses while removing almost all of the degraded interiors. After securing the façades, the old ceilings and internal walls were demolished in stages. This was to enable the construction of completely new reinforced concrete structures. Although this measure may seem controversial, it allows the historic setting of the buildings to be preserved, which remains visible in the street space. Often outdated and non-functional interiors, on the other hand, gain technical parameters that meet the contemporary requirements expected of a hotel or office.
The Dworcowa Quarter and its purpose
The investment includes the construction of two hotels operating under brands from the Marriott International portfolio, which will offer a total of 243 rooms. They will be accompanied by office space and commercial premises located on the ground floors of the tenement houses, accessible directly from the pavement. The entire project is complemented by an underground car park for 80 cars and bicycle parking spaces. This combination of functions is intended to breathe new life into this degraded part of Katowice’s city centre.
Tenement houses reclaimed for the city
The core of the Dworcowa Quarter project is a complex of 11 tenement houses from the second half of the 19th century, originally built for the needs of the railway administration. Over the years, the buildings have been modernised many times, losing valuable details and the clarity of their original form. Architects from Konior Studio analysed the available archives, which allowed them to develop a reconstruction of the façades, cornices and balconies. The contemporary superstructure, planned as an element on a scale corresponding to the neighbouring group of tenement houses, will replace the unsuccessful modifications made years ago. The corner with its soft, rounded line will play a particularly important role, emphasising the former urban dominance of this place.
The Dworcowa Quarter as urban regeneration
The Dworcowa Quarter is part of a larger process focused on tidying up and bringing life to the area of the former railway station in Katowice. In recent years, neighbouring buildings have been renovated, restoring their Viennese Art Nouveau details and giving them city-forming functions. The ongoing investment continues in this direction, proposing a model of revitalisation based on respect for history, while offering the highest quality architecture.
Design:Konior Studio
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Tenement houses in the centre of Katowice at the beginning of the 20th century and until recently. Photo: inventory and Google Maps
Dworcowa Street at the beginning of the 20th century and until recently. Photo: inventory materials and Google Maps
Before reconstruction and in the future. Photo: Bartek Barczyk and Konior Studio
The corner of Dworcowa and Dyrekcyjna Streets until recently and after the renovation. Photo: Google Maps and Konior Studio
