PROJECT TYPE: PUBLIC FACILITY

PROJECT OWNER: PRIVATE

LOCATION: BYDGOSZCZ

THE TEAM: PRZEMEK GAWĘDA, MARCIN SAJDAK, ERNEST ESSUMAN – MENSAH

DATE OF DOCUMENTATION: 2018

Eltra is an enterprise located in Bydgoszcz, founded in 1923 by an engineer from Warsaw, Stefan Ciszewski. It is one of the oldest existing factories of the electrotechnical industry in Poland. In 1959, it produced the first Polish transistor radio, the Eltra MOT-59. The first mass-produced transistor radio in the country was the Koliber from the Bydgoszcz plant, which went on sale in the early 1960s.

The office building has been an infamous landmark in Bydgoszcz for years because it has not been renovated since its creation, and the passage of time has not been kind to it. In recent years, various initiatives have been created, e.g. as part of the “Downtown – make it different at last” campaign, the aim of which was to activate real estate owners and encourage them to invest and renew the façades. An important role was played by the municipal authorities, who, following the restoration of the tram line to the station and the construction of the new building, initiated revitalisation measures in this part of the city.

The main design idea was to avoid so-called “wrestling” with the building. The office building, despite not being in the best visual and technical condition, is extremely intriguing in its form, so we decided that it did not need special decorations. We decided to emphasise and articulate its essentials. The task of the renovated façade was to preserve the existing divisions and concrete borders around the windows. We put great emphasis on minimalism and classic tones. The ground floor of the building has undergone the greatest metamorphosis and a change in the appearance of the windows, which give it a more modern appearance.

Date of renovation – 2018