Waves of ‘Styrofoam horror’ have been sweeping across Poland for a good 30 years. In their wake, historic buildings disappear beneath a layer of plastic, whilst brick façades, decorative features and all their former charm fade into oblivion. The examples from Gdańsk, Bytom and Szczecin cited in this article show how easily thoughtless insulation work can destroy a building’s most valuable features. Admittedly, energy saving is necessary and important, but does it have to mean spoiling the appearance?
Gdańsk, 27 ZielnaStreet– the house has become bulky and unsightly
The houseat27 ZielnaStreet in Gdańsk was probably built in the interwar period. This is suggested by its structure, the shape of the roof and its understated decorative features. Until recently, it stood out thanks to its red brick bands interspersed with light-coloured plaster and its strikingly designed corners. Whilst the building’s façades did require repair, those managing the property took a completely different approach. After the building was completely clad in a thick layer of polystyrene panelling, the texture of the brickwork disappeared entirely, the windows were set in absurdly deep recesses, and all of its century-old charm vanished into thin air. The decision to insulate the house in Gdańsk’s Olszynka district was issued on 21 July 2014 in favour of the housing association. The work was completed shortly afterwards. The result? Words fail me.
Bytom, 48 Brzezińska Street. Farewell, brick!
The house at 48 Brzezińska Street in Bytom dates from the late 19th century. The building was erected for Upper Silesian workers and their families, who flocked en masse to work in the burgeoning heavy industry in Rozbark. The property’s decorative features included brick lintels, ornamental bands between the storeys and an impressive cornice beneath the roof. Thanks to the skilful laying of the bricks, the façade had depth and rhythm. Following the insulation work carried out around two years ago, all this intricate craftsmanship by the bricklayers of yesteryear was covered by a flat surface in two shades of grey. A darker vertical strip above the entrance introduced a new division, completely unrelated to the original design. A historic cross still stands in front of the desecrated tenement. The sacred was respected; the architecture was not.
Szczecin, 22 Powstańców Wielkopolskich. A ban on ornamentation and history.
The Szczecin tenement house at 22 Powstańców Wielkopolskich Avenue was built around 1890, when the city was experiencing a great period of prosperity and a construction boom. The building’s architecture was characterised by decorative window frames, relief ornaments and cornices emphasising the division into storeys. After the Second World War, the property fell into disrepair and lost much of its original charm. However, its façade still bore a number of decorative features and, interestingly, old German inscriptions, serving as a memento and testimony to Szczecin’s history. It was decided, however, to effectively conceal all these traces of beauty and the past beneath polystyrene. Renovation work on the building began in 2019, and by June 2020, the tenement house at 22 Powstańców Wielkopolskich Avenue was unrecognisable. The ornate décor was replaced by simple borders and white stripes against a garish orange background. It is hard to agree with the slogan promoted by the Szczecin authorities about restoring its ‘former beauty’. That beauty is now a thing of the past.
The horror of polystyrene is sweeping across Poland
One building loses its cornice, another its brick façade, a third its decorative window and door frames. The very form of the joinery fitted nowadays is another alarming and extensive topic, which we have addressed HERE. Returning to ‘Styrofoamitis’ – with each successive layer of plastic applied, the whole street becomes less diverse, and beneath the identical, drearily flat render, the regional differences between Silesian tenement blocks, houses from Pomerania and the buildings of Lesser Poland’s villages disappear. Everywhere, the neighbourhood begins to look the same. There are understandable reasons behind this insulation: cold flats, high bills and façades in need of renovation. The problem arises when this popular, readily available method is applied regardless of the building’s age and architectural value. An extreme example of this practice could be seen in Chochołów, when in 1998 even… a 19th-century stone church. Although the insulation has since been removed, the parish priest of this small village in the Tatra Mountains demonstrated that this ‘Styrofoam epidemic’ transcends all moral and aesthetic boundaries.
You can insulate sensibly
Thermal modernisation does not necessarily mean covering up façades. First, you need to check where the building is actually losing heat. Insulating the roof and ceilings, repairing joinery, modernising the heating system and eliminating the causes of damp can all help. In some houses, it is worth considering insulating from the inside, although this requires a professional design and a damp survey. It is the task of designers, auditors and property managers to present suitable options. Simply replacing polystyrene with wool will not save the building’s character. Residents have the right to warm homes, and historic buildings deserve renovation that leaves behind more than just fresh plaster on a dreary, smooth façade. Let’s not do this to our landscape, which has already been sufficiently impoverished over the last 100 years.
Source: bytom.pl, wiadomosci.szczecin.eu, samorzad.nid.pl
Photos: Google Maps
See also: Architecture | Façade | Tenement house | Historic building | Interesting facts
