The heritage-listed Jurkovič Thermal Plant was designed in the 1940s by Dušan Jurkovič. Previously, the building was part of the Apollo oil refinery, write Dezeen.
While the rest of the refinery was demolished, the former heating station now sits at the center of the Sky Park masterplan by Zaha Hadid Architects, which completed the first phase of the renovation in 2020.
Photo: Dezeen
DF Creative Group, led by architect Martin Pashko, won the award for the project to transform the factory into a space that would combine co-working offices with public exhibitions, event halls and recreation areas.
Photo: Dezeen
Photo: Dezeen
Seeking to celebrate the factory's original industrial structure, DF Creative Group approached its modernization through the preservation of the original historic shell, leaving the full-height turbine hall space at its center.
Photo: Dezeen
Between the vast, exposed concrete volumes of the former bunker heaters, steel bridges and glass walls create new routes and sightlines throughout the building.
Photo: Dezeen
"This concept allows for the separation and distinction of historic buildings from the new, while embracing and respecting history and harmony," say the architects
The first floor of the building is centered around an atrium that extends the entire height and length of the building. Around it are located a restaurant, a cafe, a modern art gallery and a multifunctional hall.
Photo: Dezeen
Co-working spaces are located on the next five floors. The office interiors are decorated with minimalist modern details to contrast with the historic factory backdrop, with lighting installed directly on existing trusses or walls and complemented by simple furniture and vegetation.
Photo: Dezeen
At the top of the building, a roof terrace offers visitors a view of the newly built Sky Park, where three new apartment towers by Zaha Hadid Architects are set in the middle of a green landscape.
As the publication notes, in recent years, the transformation of former power plants into new cultural spaces celebrating industrial heritage has become popular all over the world, and this project is one of them.
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