Third Award of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2022
OLD FACTORY LOFT IN LESZNO
Interior – Residential – Built
Professional Category
Architect / Designer:
Jan Sikora
Studio:
Sikora Interiors Architecture
Copyright:
Tom Kurek
Country:
Poland
The revitalization project of the old forge in Leszno gained great recognition in Poland and was hailed as a “model Polish loft”. The author of the project is the internationally recognized arch. Jan Sikora – professor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk and the founder of Sikora Interiors Architecture studio.
The project is an impressive, two-level show apartment arranged in a revitalized old forge building, located among other buildings of the Loft complex in Leszno.
The Forge is part of a 19th-century factory of pumps, which ICC Real Estate is turning into a living space. Its vast courtyard is built up on all sides with ceramic brick buildings formed into a technological sequence. In this interior, contrast is the key: what is found is dirty and has broken colors (brick, concrete). What is new is neutral but elegant – it created an ideal compositional “frame” for the historical tissue.
The pump factory has been unused for almost 30 years. Now it gets to live again with a new function, providing its residents with a space that appreciates its history, instead of hiding it.
An interior in a loft, industrial style was created. In the arrangement, the first fiddle is played by an authentic brick structure and original cast iron elements that still remember the times when the Pump Factory operated here, i.e. the beginning of the 20th century. For them, the author of the project chose equipment made of materials that perfectly match the old fabric of the building – steel and wood dominate. There are also more decorative, eye-catching accents, such as sofas with velvet, mustard upholstery, a crystal chandelier or a sliding door made of milk glass steel, designed by the architect.
What distinguishes this project from other similar spaces is its authenticity. The apartment has been designed with great attention to detail, with respect to history and the past. It is a real loft, not a post-factory interior. This is what makes it delight enthusiasts and connoisseurs of architecture not only in Poland, but also in the world.
The 19th-century building of the former Pump Factory in Leszno regained its splendor, but completely changed its function. In a post-industrial facility. Loft spaces are filled with original brick walls, a concrete floor, raw finishing elements and additions that break the post-industrial character of warm shades and soft textures, and even a painting by the designer with a view of New York.
The revitalization project of the old forge in Leszno gained great recognition in Poland and was hailed as a “model Polish loft”. The author of the project is the internationally recognized arch. Jan Sikora – professor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk and the founder of Sikora Interiors Architecture studio.
The project is an impressive, two-level show apartment arranged in a revitalized old forge building, located among other buildings of the Loft complex in Leszno.
The Forge is part of a 19th-century factory of pumps, which ICC Real Estate is turning into a living space. Its vast courtyard is built up on all sides with ceramic brick buildings formed into a technological sequence. In this interior, contrast is the key: what is found is dirty and has broken colors (brick, concrete). What is new is neutral but elegant – it created an ideal compositional “frame” for the historical tissue.
The pump factory has been unused for almost 30 years. Now it gets to live again with a new function, providing its residents with a space that appreciates its history, instead of hiding it.
An interior in a loft, industrial style was created. In the arrangement, the first fiddle is played by an authentic brick structure and original cast iron elements that still remember the times when the Pump Factory operated here, i.e. the beginning of the 20th century. For them, the author of the project chose equipment made of materials that perfectly match the old fabric of the building – steel and wood dominate. There are also more decorative, eye-catching accents, such as sofas with velvet, mustard upholstery, a crystal chandelier or a sliding door made of milk glass steel, designed by the architect.
What distinguishes this project from other similar spaces is its authenticity. The apartment has been designed with great attention to detail, with respect to history and the past. It is a real loft, not a post-factory interior. This is what makes it delight enthusiasts and connoisseurs of architecture not only in Poland, but also in the world.
The 19th-century building of the former Pump Factory in Leszno regained its splendor, but completely changed its function. In a post-industrial facility. Loft spaces are filled with original brick walls, a concrete floor, raw finishing elements and additions that break the post-industrial character of warm shades and soft textures, and even a painting by the designer with a view of New York.
