adam wiercinski transforms shipping containers into art city

adam wiercinski transforms shipping containers into art city
image © skyphoto.pro

every year, on the first days of may, kontenerART opens its doors to the public. located in poznan, poland, and designed by adam wiercinski architekt, the project is an initiative of independent artists to create a place for meeting new people, relax and take part of a whole creative process that includes workshops, concerts and exhibitions. small and independent spaces are available for associations, foundations or individual artists and they can be used freely until the end of august.

the small container city is designed by a different architect every year
image © przemysław turlej

‘kontenerART’ doesn’t follow an specific formula, instead it is an open space for constant evolution. for the 7th edition (2015), the idea was to simplify the construction site, so rather than designing a few independent pavilions like the previous years, a big container building was built surrounding an inside area. the bar and cargo gallery were not moved and became the starting point for the new design. the idea of having an inside section was accomplished by placing the remaining containers at a 90 degree angle from the unmoved ones, creating a U-shaped building.

the north and south façades were painted in bright orange to mark the entrances
image © przemysław turlej

once the modules were moved and placed on the correct position, the north and south façade were painted in a bright orange color, marking the entrances and making the building stand out in the cityscape. the inner area was then filled with sand, creating a beach furnished with deck chairs, and a big island made of palettes of different heights that surround a tree — the central point of the whole construction. having ecology as a priority, solar collectors were placed at the rooftops to energy-supply the music studio while a green wall was built with fresh herbs growing that were used for the bar and catering. for the seventh year in a row, ‘kontenerART’ became a reference point for art and music in poznan.

the orange painting was also thought to make the building stand out in the cityscape
image © przemysław turlej

sand was placed in the outside at the entrance to start giving the feeling of a beach
image © przemysław turlej

once you enter you have the view to the central area and the workshops to the sides
image © przemysław turlej

the courtyard is furnished with deckchairs for people to relax
image © przemysław turlej

different outside stages are used for concerts and music workshops
image © przemysław turlej

a big island made of pallets of different heights surrounds the tree
image © przemysław turlej

the rooftop terrace has a privileged view of the river and the cityscape
image © przemysław turlej

functional plan

project info:

size: 700 m2
location: poznan, poland
year: 2015
team: agnieszka owsiany, adam wiercinski, borys wrzeszcz
photo: przemysław turlej

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom