The Frederic Chopin Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdansk

The Frederic Chopin Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk is housed in a group of buildings belonging to a power plant dating from the end of the XIX century, located on Ołowianka island. The city plant complex was built in the years 1897-1898 by the Berlin firm Siemens & Halske, with further expansion continuing until 1913. The brick building delighted with its ornate neo-gothic façade decorated with rose windows, turrets and even two towers. In 1945 the building suffered serious damage. The power plant was re-opened in August of 1945 and functioned until it was shut down in 1996. In the years 1998-2005 this industrial area went through an innovative revitalization process, making it suitable to house the new philharmonic.

The designs for rebuilding, expanding and adapting the buildings were created by the architecture studio of Marcin Kozikowski – KD Kozikowski Design. Invited into cooperation in 2006, Tomasz Urbanowicz molded raw, in color and texture, glass pieces and placed them in forged steel frames co-creating the atmosphere of the entrance hall.