Grid Arthub: Adaptive Reuse of a Historic Industrial Building to Create Flexible Workspaces
A Glimpse of Grid Arthub
Grid Arthub is located in Hall 31B, within a late 19th-century industrial building in the Gdańsk shipyard, a site historically linked to shipbuilding and the Solidarity movement. The building reflects a long history of industrial and social uses, giving it a multi-layered character.
Architectural Reuse
The project’s design draws inspiration from the building’s diverse history. Over time, the building has served as:
- A wood-drying factory
- A dining hall
- A boxing gym
- An office space
Rather than erasing these historical layers, the design consciously engages with them, preserving a sense of continuity while opening up interior spaces for new uses aligned with contemporary needs.
Flexibility and Adaptation
The focus was on creating a flexible environment capable of supporting various creative activities while maintaining the site’s historical identity. This approach reflects a deep understanding of the value of old industrial buildings as cultural catalysts rather than mere inert spaces.
Challenges of Adaptive Reuse
The project faced significant challenges due to the building’s uneven condition. Many of its original elements had deteriorated, requiring innovative approaches to preserve both the structure and the site’s historical identity.
Design Strategy
The founder of Grid adopted a strategy of reuse rather than complete replacement, which became a guiding principle for the architectural work. This strategy included:
- Utilizing materials from the building itself to ensure the continuation of its original spirit.
- Repurposing materials from neighboring buildings that were under redevelopment or demolition.
- Employing components from other institutions that were discarding or replacing their materials.
Embedding Stories in Materials
The design aimed to create a cohesive architectural entity while allowing each reused piece to retain its own story. This approach reflects an appreciation for the individual history of each element, adding a narrative layer to the interior spaces, turning every component into part of the building’s visual story.
Reused Materials and Their Impact on Interior Design
Reused materials play a central role in shaping the building’s interior identity. The project included the restoration of over 1,000 square meters of sports flooring sourced from the Olympic Training Center in Sietniewo.
The Restoration Process
The process required meticulous steps:
- Manually removing the panels to ensure their integrity.
- Carefully cleaning the panels before reinstallation.
- Reinstalling them in a way that preserves the characteristics of each piece.
Preserving the Trace of History
The team decided not to sand the panels, allowing the retention of colored marks and lines that bear traces of their previous life. These details add a visual narrative layer to the space, enabling visitors to sense the material’s history and experience its transformation from a sports context to a creative one.
Material Sustainability and Waste Transformation
The approach to reuse extended to various elements of interior design, utilizing already available resources or materials that could be repurposed.
- Glass: Studio window glass was sourced from skylight openings removed from the hall itself.
- Flooring: Ceramic tiles and stone pieces were reused, adding a diverse, multi-layered texture to the interior spaces.
- Recycled Plastic: Converted into door handles, work surfaces, and partitions, highlighting the creative potential of everyday materials.
Integrating Colors and Local Materials
Recycled materials contributed to distinctive color accents: interior elements were produced in red and green using shredded soda cans imported from a nearby pub, exemplifying the artistic reuse of local resources.
Furniture and DIY Approaches
The project relied on carefully selected furniture, often reused, or fabricated on-site using DIY techniques and open-source designs. This approach fosters flexibility and innovation, giving the spaces a personal, ever-evolving character that reflects the spirit of the creative community inhabiting the place.
Spatial Configuration: Openness and Flexibility
The spatial configuration of Grid Arthub highlights three key elements: openness, flexibility, and durability. The first floor is designed to accommodate:
- Long-term studios catering to the stable residency needs of artists and creators.
- Temporary residencies for visiting individuals or teams.
- Shared workspaces that support interaction and collaboration among diverse users.
Flexible Design for Coexistence
The layout avoids rigid partitioning, allowing different disciplines to coexist and expand without constraints. Furniture and interior elements, such as shelving, large communal tables, and signage structures, are designed for easy disassembly and reuse, ensuring the space can adapt to the evolving needs of the creative community.
Sustainability and Evolving Spaces
This approach reflects a long-term vision: the building is not merely a static space but a platform capable of growth and evolution. Functions and activities can change in response to the community it serves, while maintaining the site’s identity and architectural flexibility.
Preserving the Industrial Character
The renovation process focuses on maintaining the hall’s original industrial character while introducing practical improvements that make the space suitable for contemporary use. These enhancements include:
- Heating to provide a comfortable environment year-round.
- Water access to facilitate daily activities.
- Workspace design optimized for natural daylight, enhancing both the visual and functional experience for users.
Artist Stability and the Project’s Cultural Role
These improvements, combined with long-term rental agreements, provide stability for artists and creators in a rapidly transforming neighborhood, fostering an environment conducive to creative growth.
The Building as a Flexible Cultural Node
The project reflects a strategic vision positioning the building as a flexible cultural hub, continuing the shipyard’s adaptive legacy through architectural reuse and flexible design. This approach connects the industrial past with contemporary creative practices, making the building an enduring platform for cultural and community engagement.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
The effort invested in restoring the historic building and utilizing recycled materials, along with the provision of flexible spaces that encourage interaction among creatives, is appreciable. These aspects demonstrate the potential to combine architectural heritage preservation with a work environment adaptable to contemporary needs.
However, several questions arise regarding the project’s practical feasibility and long-term impact. First, the intensive reliance on reused materials may pose challenges related to durability and maintenance, particularly given the heavy use of workspaces. Second, the highly open layout and the freedom for expansion could lead to functional dispersion or weak spatial prioritization, potentially affecting the effectiveness of interaction among diverse users.
Moreover, despite attempts to preserve the industrial character, certain practical interventions, such as heating and water access, introduce new layers that may occasionally conflict with the site’s original historical fabric. This raises questions about the limits of modern interventions in industrial heritage buildings.
From an architectural learning perspective, the project remains a valuable example of the possibilities inherent in adaptive reuse of industrial structures. At the same time, it highlights the necessity of carefully balancing flexibility with structural coherence, and heritage preservation with the introduction of contemporary elements. Architects and designers can study this project to understand how recycled materials can be integrated and open-space concepts applied, while also considering long-term operational and practical requirements.
