Original name
Powszechny Dom Towarowy [Universal Department Store]
Other denominations
Okrąglak Development Sp. o.o.
Original use
Commercial/Shopping mall
Current use
Administrative purposes/Office space
Architects
Marek Leykam
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
PRECAST ON SITE:
In larger and more complex construction projects, a concrete production plant may be installed on the construction site or nearby. The precast elements are moved into place once they have reached their maximum strength. This reduces transportation costs and ensures the concrete will set in the same environmental conditions as the building site. This may be more necessary with structures that combine cast-in-place concrete with prefabricated elements.
PRECAST IN FACTORY, WORKSHOP:
Any concrete element can be manufactured ahead of time and transported to the site once it has set. In this case, the control over geometry, appearance, finish and strength can be as strict as necessary. It can also be ensured that the pieces will be exactly identical to one another.
Prefabricated elements can be of any type: from façade panels and pavements to decorative elements (such as cornices or capitals) and structural elements (columns, slabs, beams, etc.).
These elements may be part of a commercial catalog or specially designed for a specific project. A series of pieces may also be sold as a coordinated and interconnected system to build a complete structure or even an entire building.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Beams are the horizontal load-bearing elements of the frame. Columns are the vertical elements of the frame and act as the building’s primary load-bearing element. They transmit the beam loads down to the foundations.
State of Conservation
Description
Poznań is the fifth largest city in Poland and one of the oldest cities in the country. It is considered the birthplace of the Polish nation and is believed to have been the capital at some time in the remote past. Its historic centre is a heritage site with significant symbolic value.
In this context, the building for the Powszechny Dom Towarowy department store was one of the first new constructions after the Second World War. Despite an unequivocally modern vocabulary, its elegant and respectful architecture earned the respect and esteem of the city’s residents, overcoming the stigma that sometimes accompanies communist-era architecture in Eastern European countries.
It is a cylindrical building, with a central void that contains a spiral staircase. Located at a large intersection in the centre of the city, its shape helps to organise the flow of circulation around it and it expands the intersection to form a small square. The volumes of the façades that converge behind the new building are cut off and finished with a new building that covers the party walls and prepares the space for the free-standing cylindrical volume. Its façade serves as a transition between the classical language of the old town and the modern language of the new building.
One of the keys to the building’s successful urban integration is its elegant façade, constructed from prefabricated concrete elements that create a uniform rhythm through the repetition of a window module of a size that matches the neighbouring buildings. These prefabricated elements are remarkable for their delicate quality and slenderness. Along with the balustrade at the top, they give the building a detailed scale that is in harmony with the surrounding constructions, despite its larger size.
Poland
Mielżyńskiego 14
Greater Poland Voivodship 61-725 Poznań
Commission
1948
Completion
1954
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