2015-2019
The multifunctional Piekarnia Art Center is a revitalized and expanded historic military bakery from 1900. It houses an auditorium, art galleries, a film studio, artist workspaces, residential apartments, and offices.
Site area
0,52 ha
Gross floor area
3 225 m²
Net usable area:
2 344 m²
Number of residential and commercial units
20
Number of above-ground floors
I-III
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Piekarnia Art Center from Księcia Witolda Street, Wrocław
Project Introduction
The greatest challenge of the project was transforming the historic building so it could accommodate new and diverse functions.
Adapting the structure to these varied uses within a heritage site was the project’s core difficulty.
The brick building with its characteristic chimneys was complemented by a contemporary residential and service pavilion featuring large, regular glazing.
While designing the theatre and film studio, the project team followed the guidance of investors and experts in their fields: the Grotowski Institute and the Camera Nera film studio.
Project features - history
The former military bakery (1900) on Księcia Witolda Street was built within the area of the former artillery barracks. During the Second World War, likely in 1945, the upper floors were partially destroyed. The structure was rebuilt in the 1950s, with further alterations carried out in the 1990s.
Auditorium hall
The main part of the building houses a theatre with a 600 m², 10 m high auditorium seating 300 people, complete with full backstage facilities. The space can be arranged flexibly: as one large hall or three smaller ones, opened onto the inner courtyard, the foyer or the pedestrian passage. Every interior element was carefully designed to eliminate common constraints typical of adaptation projects.
New juxtaposed with old
A new section was added to the central building, positioned outside the footprint of the historical structure to preserve the integrity of the heritage fabric. The design aimed to restore and highlight the compositional features of the original building, particularly its two distinctive chimneys on the southern side.
Thermal modernization
In historic buildings, external insulation isn’t allowed due to the architectural value of the façade. The SRDK STUDIO team applied an internal insulation system that improved thermal performance while preserving the exposed brick walls and the heritage details specified by the conservator.
Preserving greenery
The designers sought to preserve the old trees surrounding the building while ensuring space for a required fire access route. Through cooperation with a fire safety expert who acknowledged the importance of the issue, guidelines were established for trimming the trees just enough to allow proper fire brigade access.
Loft apartments
The prefabricated stair flights, kept in raw finish without cladding and with gaps next to the brick walls, required exceptionally precise workmanship. SRDK STUDIO closely supervised this process. Another challenge was the unplastered ceilings in the apartments, which meant that every installation route had to be fully planned at the design stage.
Repurposed chimneys allowed technical services to be housed entirely below ground.
Gallery
The Piekarnia Art Center hosts the Geppart Art Gallery and other creative spaces.
The Piekarnia Art Center pre-renovation state
The Piekarnia Art Center's performance hall today
Jerzy Grotowski Institute Stage at The Piekarnia Art Center
The Piekarnia Art Center — historic building with characteristic chimneys
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Site area
0,08 ha
gross floor area
5 422 m2
area per floor
550 m2
office GLA
4 387 m2
number of storeys above ground
VIII
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Site area
0,89 ha
total floor area
21 740 m2
floor area per level
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number of above-ground floors VII
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