MVRDV transforms heritage building in roland into creative hub, 'concordia design wrocław'

MVRDV has completed construction of ‘concordia design wrocław’, a mixed-use building in poland. located on wrocław’s słodowa island, the building contains co-working spaces, an event venue, a food hall, a café, and a rooftop terrace. the project involved renovating and extending a 19th-century listed building, retaining the façade of the existing structure and adding a contemporary extension to create a focal point for the neighboring park.

all images © juliusz sokołowski

the existing building is the only structure that remained on the island following the siege of breslau in the second world war. nowadays, the location has become an important meeting place for young people in the city. with ‘concordia design wrocław’, MVRDV, in cooperation with local architect Q2, sought to respect both these features of the location, resulting in a building that opens up to visitors in all directions.

‘one of the most interesting aspects of wrocław is the city’s busy public realm and use of the riversides,’ says MVRDV founding partner nathalie de vries. ‘as the heart of this outdoor activity, słodowa island is a unique and fascinating place. concordia design’s wrocław combination of a historic structure, a vibrant mixture of creative and exciting businesses, and new attractions working in harmony with the island’s public space will cement słodowa island’s reputation as the place to be in wrocław.’

the form and interior layout of the building displays a certain symmetry, with triple-height stepped voids at the entrances on each end of the building. however, within this symmetry there are clear distinctions between the ‘formal’ end of the building, featuring the retained façade of the historic building, and the new addition. the entrance at the formal end hosts a café within exposed brick walls. meanwhile, the informal end is transparent, modern, and inviting, with a three-storey glass wall that opens up to the park revealing a large mural by polish artist alicja biała.

the new extension continues the roofline of the existing building, with the windows matching those on the historic façade. besides the café and food hall in the entrance spaces, the rest of the building hosts co-working office spaces, while the uppermost floor features an open-air terrace, protected by glass walls on all sides. ‘both creative communities and young businesses will find their place here — and on the other hand, everyone who wants to spend their free time in a well-designed space, looking for interesting events,’ says ewa voelkel-krokowicz, CEO concordia design.

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project info:

name: concordia design wrocław
location: wrocław, poland
year: 2018-2020
client: concordia design
size and program: 7,000 sqm co-working, conference rooms, restaurants credits

architect: MVRDV
founding partner in charge: nathalie de vries
partner: fokke moerel
design team: luca moscelli, mateusz wojcieszek, matteo ornato, brygida zawadzka, bartosz bochynski, carolin cremer, michal bala
visualizations: antonio luca coco, pavlos ventouris
strategy and development: willeke vester, greetje wieringa
images: © juliusz sokołowski
copyright: MVRDV 2018 – (winy maas, jacob van rijs, nathalie de vries)

partners:
client: concordia design (ewa voelkel krokowicz, CEO; aleksandra chachaj, external project manager)
local architect: Q2 (maciej janczyk, marcin kucharski)
mural artist: alicja biała
contractor: demiurg, wegner