Lahdelma & Mahlamäki architects design a mixed-use block in Gdańsk
A mixed-use block designed by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki architects (LMA) in Gdańsk, Poland, has been issued a building permit. This previously unpublished project comprises of offices, a hotel, housing, and commercial spaces. Construction will begin in the beginning of 2021 and will be finished in several stages.
The block will be erected in the Gdańsk Shipyard area, an industrial district that carries a momentous history. The Shipyard gained its enduring reputation in 1980 as the birthplace of the shipbuilders' Solidarity movement that played a major role in ending the communist rule in Eastern Europe. A stronger-than-usual connection to local history was required from the design and, therefore, architecture of the block complements the historical layers of the area, both in the layout and details of the design. The block will sit next to the European Solidarity Centre building, a museum and education center that commemorates the historic events.
In the wake of societal and economic changes, the Shipyard has been waning for some time but now it is starting to blossom with new, post-industrial urban life. Lahdelma & Mahlamäki architects is privileged to be part of the revival by designing in this protected area that is currently a pending applicant for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The mixed-use block, which has a gross floor area of 58,000 m2, mixes offices, a hotel, housing and commercial spaces, creating diverse urban activity in the area. The project is carried out in cooperation with a local Polish architecture office, with Lahdelma & Mahlamäki architects being responsible for architectonic and functional quality and also for adapting the project to the precious cityscape of Gdańsk.