Transformation of 19th Century Polish textile factory into multifunctional public space

Scheiber's Factory in the 19th Century at Lodz.
Scheiber's Factory in the 19th Century at Lodz. Image: http://www.kinomuzeum.pl/pala.html Wikimedia CC0

The site of the 19th-century textile factory in Łódź will be converted into a public space with greenery. The competition for the redevelopment was won by two architect students at the Silesian University of Technology, Kamil Bryłka and Paweł Białaś. They were chosen by competition organisers Echo Investment.

Located in central Poland, Łódź experienced a Golden Age in 19th and 20th centuries as the centre of the textile industry. Born in Prussia, Karol Scheiber founded a spinning mill in the mid-1800s. He then expanded his production facilities to include the Księży Młyn factory. At the height of this industry at the city, Scheibler was called the “King of the Cotton and Linen Empires in Łódź.”

A picture of the new design for its transformation features paved walkways that pass between pools of water. There is also plenty of greenery, with plants, trees, and stretches of grass where people can sit and relax. Chair of the competition jury Anna Aneta Tomczak, who is deputy director of the Municipal Urban Studio in Łódź said: “The competition showed that young designers, the future creators of space, see the need to preserve the brick, post-industrial Łódź, but also to include a new park function of a high aesthetic and functional quality.”

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