Infowuwa in Wrocław, Poland by arch_it

Article source: arch_it

The project included the revalorization and adaptation of the former hairdresser (and originally waiting rooms for the tram and kiosks with milk and newspapers) in the historic residential building No. 1 (Laubenganghaus No. 1) in the area of the WuWA (Wohnungs- und Werkraum Ausstellung) residential exhibition from 1929. The gallery house, to which the object adjoins, was designed by Paul Heim and Albert Kempter.

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

• Architects: arch_it
• Project: Infowuwa
• Location: Wrocław, Poland
• Photography: Maciej Lulko, Piotr Zybura
  
• Main architect: Maja Cichocka, Agnieszka Gałwiaczek, Piotr Zybura
  
• Cooperation: Tomasz Cempa, Grażyna Adamczyk-Arns
  
• Project: 2016-2017
  
• Realization: 2018-2019
  

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

WuWa Exhibition 1929

An exhibition of residential and commercial building, Wohnungs-und Werkraum-ausstellung or WuWA, opened in Wrocław in 1929. It was organized by a group of Silesian architects, designers, artists and engineers from the German organization Werkbund, whose members worked on innovative solutions in architecture and industrial design. WuWA was the show’s most innovative housing project. The large complex built around a dozen years before the city’s renowned Centennial Hall – a UNESCO World Heritage site – filled a wide range of functions. Single- and multi-family homes were bordered by playgrounds, a school, a craft workshop, commercial space and even a model farm. Also featured were care facilities for children, the elderly and the unmarried.
All the buildings in the exhibition were designed by architects of the avant-garde movement. The original complex was thus not only conceptualized as a multi-functional space offering a variety of services, but also in terms of its architectural form. It marked the first appearance of the modernist idea of minimalism, with geometric white “boxes” in which function was more important than form and “less was more.” WuWA, now on a list of monuments, was in 1929 an expression of the most progressive ideas concerning housing, urban planning and the features that should be offered to citizens.

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Infowuwa

As part of the renovation of the pavilion under conservation protection, the façade was renovated in original colors, window frames and characteristic external seats were restored. The characteristic, known from post-German Wrocław buildings, pitted plaster and clinker finish of external surfaces was also restored. Neon was added to the roof, which together with the linear external lighting emphasizes the current function of the building as a cafe and information point, which is the entrance to the area of the former exhibition. Due to the functional requirements and the small space, modern internal solutions inspired by early German modernism were adopted. Original internal benches in intensive red color were restored, while the other furniture and equipment were designed in a black and white palette. Furniture wall fittings are intended for both products necessary for the operation of the cafe and for displaying information materials about WuWA.

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © Maciej Lulko

Image Courtesy © Piotr Zybura

Image Courtesy © arch_it

Image Courtesy © arch_it

Image Courtesy © arch_it

Tags: Poland, Wroclaw

Categories: Cafe, Interiors, Retail, Shop

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2020 at 6:33 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.