Fabryczna offices | MVRDV

Fabryczna offices is a grand addition to the existing city centre of Łódź and fits well with the entire masterplan for the areas around the new station. It connects past to present, with the design ambition for a distinct envelope given the strict instructions for a 4-storey plinth, respecting the outline of the plot and at the same time, allowing for a tower height of up to 60 meters. The depth of the plot encouraged the creation of a publicly accessible courtyard. The plinth, therefore, is a band of commercial spaces on the ground floor with offices above and a depth that allows for maximum daylight onto all levels. The rounded plinth and tower are curved to create a series of smaller volumes which makes the project more human scale and also provides a more individual identity to future tenants. The courtyard has an opening towards the culture centre and a passage towards Kilinskiego Street with the intention to introduce a new walking route through the area with retail in the courtyard.
There are two main entrances on to the courtyard, one on the side of the station, and the other, at the end of the axis, introduced by the new master plan meaning the tower is welcoming to those passing by. The private green roof and public courtyard are designed as a family of semi-public spaces with greenery, a large variety of vegetation and spaces for terraces and bikes. In future, Fabryczna offices will connect to the Central station and other parts of the city through an underground tunnel.

Location: Łódź, Poland
Client: Invest Company
Date: 2015+
Programme: 31,000m2 mixed-use building to include offices and retail units
Design MVRDV: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries
Design Team: Nathalie de Vries, Fokke Moerel with Roy Sieljes, Mateusz Wojcieszek, Natalia Lipczuk, Philipp Kramer, Christine Sohar, Ole Egebaek, Brygida Zawadzka and Patryk Ślusarski
Visualization: Antonio Luca Coco, Massimiliano Marzoli, Davide Calabro and Tomaso Maschietti
Partners
Façade consultants: Essox façade
Advisory: WSP
Landscape design: Lola Landscape Architects Rotterdam and Gress real estate services
Images: © MVRDV