Teal and Sepia Office – OFF Piotrkowska Center

Investor: OPG Orange Castle Sp. z o.o.
Location: Łódź, 6/12 Roosevelta Street
Area: 5,600 m²
Volume: 26,250 m³
Completion: 2019

Authors:

M.Sc. Eng. Arch. Andrzej Owczarek
M.Sc. Eng. Arch. Aleksandra Zdziechowska
M.Sc. Eng. Arch. Piotr Walerysiak

Collaborators:

M.Sc. Eng. Arch. Aleksandra Wojtaszczyk-Kluska
M.Sc. Eng. Arch. Konrad Stróżyński

Photography: Piotr Krajewski

The phenomenon that is the OFF Piotrkowska Center complex, located on the grounds of the former Franciszek Ramisch Cotton Products Factory in Łódź, is well-known and frequently showcased. Awarded by National Geographic as the first among the “7 New Wonders of Poland” and receiving the Honorary Award for the best revitalized public space in Poland from the Polish Urban Planners Association in 2019, this is just one of the many accolades recognizing this unique place in the heart of Łódź.

The revitalized post-industrial Sepia building and the new Teal service-office building represent the next stage in enriching this site, with all the complexities of operating within a well-known, accepted, and intensively used part of the city. Maximizing authenticity in the revitalization of existing structures, while ensuring autonomy and a friendly distinctiveness of the new buildings, were the main guiding principles of our work.

The use of sprinkler systems allowed all the original wooden ceilings in the Sepia building to be preserved. Only the brick façades were cleaned and repaired, retaining their original discolorations and historical traces, such as inscriptions, cables, and steel details of former equipment. This typical brick post-industrial building, during an early 20th-century extension, received an exceptional Art Nouveau façade facing the street, designed by Franciszek Chełmiński. The Teal building, adjacent to Sepia with a concrete portico, references the division of the neighboring façade. Its northern façade, clad in graphite-colored split concrete blocks, echoes the aesthetic of industrial post-factory buildings.

Integrating existing post-industrial buildings with new structures is somewhat characteristic of Łódź. In 2018, we were nominated for the WAF finals in the “New and Old” category for such a combination in the Comarch office building in Łódź.
http://now.com.pl/projekty/zespol-budynkow-biurowych-comarch/