SpinPLACE – Centre for Creativity and Coworking at the University of Silesia, ul. Bankowa 5, Katowice received the Award of the General Inspector of Building Supervision during the 28th edition of the National Open Competition ‘Modernisation of the Year & Construction of the 21st Century’. The distinction was awarded during the final gala, which took place on 22 September 2024 at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, in the presence of representatives of ministries, local governments, industry institutions and the media. 635 investments from all over Poland took part in the competition, of which 93 projects qualified for the finals.
SpinPLACE is a former bank building at ul. Bankowa 5 in Katowice, classified as a monument and entered in the register of monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship. In its existing state before the reconstruction, it had numerous architectural barriers, and its functional layout and internal communication were confusing and illegible. The building had 7 internal staircases connecting different (but never all) floors, and not a single lift. The facility had level differences with steps within one floor, and each of the building’s five entrances contained significant architectural barriers. As part of the thorough renovation and reconstruction, full accessibility of the building was ensured and numerous measures were taken to facilitate the use of the facility by people with various needs, while taking into account conservation and historical conditions and maintaining the original architectural values. The original expression and character of the facade with stucco, natural stone, wooden joinery and a roof covered with ceramic tiles were restored. The interior decoration was conserved and partially reconstructed. The attic was adapted for utility purposes, i.e. a club and training rooms were set up there. The building received full installation equipment meeting modern standards and was thermally modernised. The multi-functional building – Centre for Creativity and Coworking – is utilized as conference, training, workshop, and office hub, in addition to partly serving as club, recreation and leisure space.
Photo by Małgorzata Dymowska
