From NOT Tower to UNITY Centre
The building of the Krakow skyscraper was originally created as the headquarters of 49 regional associations of engineers and technicians of Poland - Naczelna Organizacja Techniczna, NOT, hence the working name NOT Tower. A competition was announced, and the proposal from Zdislav Arkt's team won.
NOT Tower was supposed to be 24-storey, 92 m high. The two lower floors were planned to be used for commerce and a food court, as they would say now. A congress hall for 500 people was supposed to be located here. Floors 3 to 14 — administrative and classroom offices; 15th and 16th - restaurants with observation decks, higher - a hotel. An underground parking lot for 154 cars was planned. In principle, the concept is relevant even today, with the exception of the clearly insufficient number of parking spaces.
NOT Tower in Krakow
In 1975, the construction of the 92-meter skyscraper began, and the 24-story frame was removed in four years. But in 1979, an economic crisis broke out in Poland, which turned into political unrest, which eventually led to the introduction of martial law in 1981. Since then, the concrete skeleton of the building has maintained the status of one of the tallest buildings in Krakow and even received the vivid name Skeleton (Szkieletor - Polish name the villain from the comics "Masters of the Universe").
Attempts to revive the building were made several times, but most of them failed due to the complex legal status of the land or the high cost of adaptation. The skeleton worked as a giant billboard. In order to increase investment attractiveness, in 2007 it was proposed to increase the height of the building from 92 to 130 m. German architect Hans Kollhoff was invited to participate in the reconstruction - to bring to mind the construction of the hotel for Euro-2012. However, the project was rejected because the increase in height would disturb the historical landscape, including the species characteristics of objects included in the UNESCO heritage list.
UNITY Center in Krakow
The local authority agreed to a compromise height of 102,5 m. In 2011, the project of the DDJM studio was approved, which provided for the completion of the Skeletor (plus 3 floors with accommodation on the top two restaurants with an open terrace) and the construction of several low-rise buildings next to it. The ambitious goal of creating here a Polish Manhattan, the business center of Kraków, has expanded significantly.
UNITY Center, as its creators assume, will allow not only to engage in entrepreneurial activities, but also provide leisure and entertainment. The main building of UNITY Tower, as originally conceived, offers office space with a restaurant on the top floor.
The complex will also have two smaller office buildings, one residential, with luxury apartments, and another hotel. The architecture of UNITY Tower and the complex as a whole is based on the pre-war traditions of Krakow architecture. DDJM designers drew inspiration from the historical achievements of the eclectic direction and art deco style.
UNITY Center is designed to become the business center of Krakow
"If you think about how an object conceived as an icon of a modern business center, which is Krakow, should look like, you must also remember its rich historical traditions. Hence the conclusion that the object must be eclectic. Like most of the buildings in Kraków known to me, we wanted ours to subtly fit into the panorama of the city. At the same time, the UNITY Center should be recognizable and proud, like the skyscrapers of New York", - describes the concept of DDJM architect Marek Dunikowski. In 2017, the Austrian engineering company STRABAG began the implementation of the UNITY Center, which included the completion of a high-rise building and the construction of four more office and residential buildings.
When creating the facades of the UNITY Center, the architects were inspired by Art Deco and, in particular, the Maccabees Building (Detroit)
In UNITY Tower, the frame was preserved, but the ceilings were removed and replaced. Much attention was paid to engineering, in particular, to accommodate modern equipment in the structure created more than 45 years ago, transformers with extremely reduced dimensions were made to order. Almost 90 million euros were invested in the complex of works. Three out of five passed have already received LEED GOLD.
UNITY Tower was put into operation in 2020, the rental department is open in the fall. While the selection of residents is underway, the complex works as a platform for cultural festivals — Wodecki Twist Festival, Transgrafia 2.0 and others.
"Cudby Hotel" is the highest unfinished building
Economic difficulties and politics caused another ambitious project to become a long-term project — the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang. The impressive and capacious triangular "pyramid" with a height of 330 m, designed by the North Korean company Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers, began to be built in 1987. The building consists of three wings, each measuring 100 m in length and 18 m in width, with a slope at an angle of 75 degrees to the base.
The building is topped by a truncated cone with a width of 40 m, consisting of eight floors that must rotate, and six more static floors above. Initially, it was planned to place five revolving restaurants in the pyramid and, according to various sources, from 3 to 7 thousand. numbers
Ryugyong Hotel was to be completed by the 80th birthday of President Kim Il Sung in 1992. If it had opened on time, it would have become the tallest hotel and the seventh tallest building in the world. However, after the collapse of the USSR, North Korea experienced significant difficulties, construction was frozen, and the empty concrete box stood until 2008.
The 330-meter pyramid of the Ryugyong Hotel is topped by a truncated cone of eight floors that must rotate, with six more static floors above
And in the late 1990s. The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea inspected the building and came to the conclusion that it cannot be restored - there were questions about the quality of the concrete and problems with the alignment of the elevator shafts, which, according to some sources, were "crooked".
But in 2008, an investor was found: the Egyptian Orascom Group invested 215 million dollars. In 2009, the Chief Operating Officer of Orascom Group, Khaled Bichara, noted that "there were not too many problems" with solving the specified structural errors, and even the revolving restaurant will eventually be launched.
By the summer of 2011, the exterior work was completed and North Korean officials announced that the building would be ready by the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung. Pictures of the hotel's interiors were published, and an operator was found - Kempinski Hotels. However, in February 2013, North Korea conducted nuclear tests, after which the hotel operator abandoned its plans.
Political crises twice stopped the implementation of Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang
Now, the construction fence around the "Destiny Hotel" has already been removed and improvements have been made, but its status remains "political" and the question of when and in what format the hotel will start operating is within the competence of the DPRK government. While the building works as the largest advertising, or rather, propaganda medium in the world: 100 are installed here. LED panels. For example, the skyscraper looked very effective as the composition core of May Day fireworks.
Symbols of overcoming the crisis
Dolgostroy appear as a result of crises. Completion of such
project — general joy, similar to the recovery of a good friend from a long illness. The resuscitation of objects that have been idle for years is an extremely complex, systematic task, including the entire range of issues, from changing the concept to adapting the structure to the increased requirements. One of the most striking examples in our country is the Kudashevsky Center (Dnieper), which was completed DAYTONA GROUP and opened at the end of 2019.
"The building stood derelict for 11 years. When we came to the object, first of all we analyzed its condition, strengths and what needs to be changed," says Andrey Orlov, DAYTONA GROUP.
BC "Kudasevsky" has an ideal location - in the city center. The authors of the project (NPP "Studio-7 LTD") proposed a comfortable, commensurate height - 7 floors. The total area of the building is 31,2 thousand square meters. sq. m, offices occupy from the second to the seventh floor, in total - 16,5 thousand. sq. m.
The concept of BC "Kudasevsky" (Dnipro) is a self-sufficient mini-city for productive work and impressed
The first floor is intended for retail, a food court and services. The underground parking is designed for 130 parking spaces. The highlight is a yard of 1,2 thousand square meters. sq. m. The original concept involved creating a self-sufficient mini-city for productive work and impressed, and the team that picked it up in 2019 managed to do it.
"The buildings of the business center have very good, "expensive", high-quality facade solutions. But at the time of our entry, there was a complete absence of any communications — no sewage, no water, no ventilation, no lighting, no fire safety," Andrey Orlov briefly describes the state of the facility before the renovation. The object was frozen already at the glazing stage. DAYTONA GROUP experts conducted an audit of all aluminum profiles and double-glazed windows.
The renovation of the project included the adaptation of the building to the increased requirements for energy efficiency, inclusion, fire safety, engineering
"It was necessary to conduct a full audit of the window system, and according to the audit, perform a number of time-consuming measures to bring the entire glazing system to working condition," says Orlov. And so in each direction - after careful analysis, a plan was drawn up to achieve the required quality with optimal means, and tasks were assigned to contractors.
"We formed a general contracting structure and tested contractors here, taught them to work as a team. The audit of the object took 2 weeks, from the moment we started work to the opening, 3,5 months passed - this is the result of coordinated work with contractors," says Andrey Orlov.
Particular attention was paid to how to adapt the building to modern requirements for energy efficiency, inclusion, fire safety, engineering, etc. "The building was designed a long time ago, since then new construction standards with higher requirements have been adopted. In addition, many shortcomings in the design of supply and exhaust ventilation had to be corrected, which is a critically important issue for the operation of business centers. "Practically all tasks were solved manually," explains Orlov.
The renovation of the project included the adaptation of the building to the increased requirements for energy efficiency, inclusion, fire safety, engineering
The DAYTONA GROUP team managed to adapt the building to the new requirements. "It was very important to ensure the entrance of the fire truck to the territory. We even conducted tests, estimated the turning radius of the car on the spot. Our task was to offer such solutions that would meet the standards and harmonize with the existing architecture. Some sections of the road had to be widened, a ramp appeared, it is not very noticeable, but it became both the entrance group to the business center and the entrance to the courtyard. Function and aesthetics must always be in harmony with each other," says Andrey Orlov.
Parking became a huge difficulty. "Initially, the parking lot was designed for 90 cars. We increased the number of parking spaces to 130 by changing the movement scheme and some planning decisions. We had to redo the runs, many project marks were changed," Orlov shares. Plus, they created street bicycle parking for 120 spaces on the protected territory of the complex.
The courtyard of the "Kudasevsky" BC has become a point of attraction for residents of the business center and residents of the city. There is a lot of green here with enough shade and lighting. It is attractive both during the day and at night. The yard is located on the roof of the parking lot and is a serious engineering structure
The highlight of the complex is the courtyard. "Its main function is to gather people, to become a point of attraction for residents of the business center and residents of the city. We provided a lot of greenery with sufficient shade and lighting. The yard is attractive both during the day and at night as a place for breaks between work and leisure," says Andrey Orlov.
The difficulty of implementing this yard is that it is located on the roof of the parking lot. "For tall trees, a certain thickness of soil is necessary. Because of this, different heights of flowerbeds / areas are obtained - for large and small trees, for bushes, etc. We have large-sized trees - birches, catalpa. As a result, there is no feeling that these are arranged plants in tubs. But there is the mood of an oasis," says Orlov. In fact, the yard is a serious engineering construction.
The mood of the oasis is created by plots of different heights with trees and bushes
"It was a non-standard task not only to create a layer of soil, but also to organize a drainage system. We have a double water collection system: from paved surfaces and for seepage through the soil. This is a very responsible design. In order not to leak into the parking lot, expensive waterproofing membranes are used. There are many non-systematic solutions in constructive water drainage, which we invented with our contractors," explains Andrey Orlov.
Already now, the courtyard of the Kudashevsky business center has become a favorite place for citizens to walk, one of the most famous installations. "Spontaneous and professional photo sessions are constantly held here. And the yard is already being used by our tenants, as we expected, for informal events. There were already places for 150-200 people," Orlov stressed.
Among the tenants of BC "Kudasevsky" are leading IT companies, such as SoftServe, EPAM Systems, Sitecore, co-working Creative States, office "Sylpo", fitness clubs Fit Haus, representative office of JSC "Krystalbank".
The courtyard of the "Kudasevsky" BC managed to become a popular place for photo shoots
On the first floor, the premises are designed for cafes, restaurants, and services. "Further development and scenarios for the use of the yard will depend very much on the tenants of the premises on the first floor. We designed them all with exits to the yard, with the possibility of placing tables, mounting pergolas, awnings. Now tenants are only being selected. However, regardless of who settles there, the design of the yard will follow the design code of the complex developed by us. No one will be able to place their sign, table or marquee as they please, all developments must be coordinated with the modernization architect," explains Andrey Orlov.
The premises of the first floor are equipped with engineering solutions for all types of in-demand business. And there is an opportunity to complete, increase capacity for a specific customer, for example, a large restaurant. There are no restrictions on the design of the interior premises, the restrictions of the design code apply only to the part that opens into the courtyard and the lobby. All tenants were given reminders.
For example, it is not allowed to use dynamic lights for signs, painting of friezes, logos can only be monochrome, white, etc. Thus, the expert emphasizes, not only the courtyard, but also the entire complex will develop in a common style. By the way, in general, the Kudashevsky BC offers eclectic, democratic style solutions: the inherited neoclassical facade, loft-style lobbies and imaginative, creative tenants' interiors.
"We have our own studio that works on architectural and design solutions. In the case of interiors of common areas, our choice fell on the loft. Why? The style of the facade is neoclassical, office style. Since the beginning of our work, the task has been to attract all large IT tenants to the Kudashevsky BC. We managed to do it, today SoftServe, EPAM Systems, Sitecore are here - a full-fledged IT hub has turned out. Each of the tenants has its own style, so the halls in operation had to be the simplest, unifying ones. Hence the choice in favor of the loft," says Orlov.
The approved design code will allow BC to develop in a unified style
The expert notes that the designers, when developing the style of the four lobbies, had to build their projects, taking into account the color of the already installed elevators. "They were purple. And our designers had to adapt the interior to these shades, to soften the ego. Accents in the overall restrained gray range of the lobby became glass matte purple inserts - on the reception counters, above the elevators, etc., - describes Andrey Orlov. He emphasizes that it was possible to achieve the shortest terms of renovation of the project, filling it with iconic tenants and launching it thanks to the deep involvement of the company's management.
"The secret is in professionalism and involvement. Each of the founders is a professional in his field. We calculate the budget at the stage of entry into the project and optimize it with joint solutions. The founders meet personally with the contractor, select the equipment, hold tenders. This gives constant control of the process and means, and most importantly, it completely makes any corrupt things impossible and ensures the maximum quality of decisions," says Orlov.
Renovation of long buildings is a gift to the city
Frozen projects are the focus of society's problems. Rebuilding, adapting them to new requirements and launching them are no less complex tasks than the renovation of industrial zones or the restoration of dilapidated historical buildings. It's expensive, it's an individual story every time, rarely can any of the solutions found be scaled. But there are no other options to build a harmonious garden. "We have a great interest in creating the right image in the city. There is an understanding that unfinished and dilapidated objects should not be in the city," Andrey Orlov summarizes.
Text: Oksana Hryshina
See also:
Live more. The new concept of the Lucky Land residential complex from the DIM group of companies
Destroyed and destroyed: which historical buildings Kyiv lost in 2021
