From warehouse to Research and Development center: perfect conversion of CCC Shoes and Bag building
Roots and wings. This is what the initiative of the Polish shoe and bag company CCC Shoes and Bags might have been called. Founded in 1999, it then acquired an old warehouse of 5,500 square meters located in the town of Polkowice. A large space that smelled (good?) of the Communist era factory style. More than 20 years later, the company no longer sees the point in keeping the warehouse. But, considering this location to be an integral part of the company’s history, it then decided not to part ways with it.
Instead, the company asked the architectural firm Łącki Krzywosza ń ski Architects to transform the warehouse into a state-of-the-art workspace. Dedicated to host the Company’s Research & Development Center.
A center promised to become a real bridge between the past and the present through the taste of the great spacious volume that have the two eras. Spotlight on this real gem of ergonomics and well-being at work which also cultivates the charm of the past.
Ultramodern workspaces but loaded with history
The architects therefore transformed the former 5,500 square meter production factory warehouse into a modern working environment.
In order to create a multipurpose space, it first had to be modernized in terms of structural engineering and acoustics. A gallery has also been added on one of the sides.
The old warehouse and its high ceilings make this new building design possible with its new rooms and recessed levels. Elements that all benefit from this special space.
The exposed ceiling boldly reveals the technical infrastructure of the building, with the necessary supports in terms of structural engineering.
Supports that divide the open-plan room into different workspaces. Large windows on the facade let in plenty of natural light inside.
The general impression is that of a smooth transition between the different rooms. Versatile workspaces merging with each other.
Wilkhahn from Germany for ergonomic furniture
After brilliantly arranging the space, it was necessary to furnish it with office furniture, ergonomic as much as possible. For this, the Polish architects placed their trust in one manufacturer: Wilkhahn.
A company which, in 60 years of activity, will have produced icons of design and ergonomics such as the Ligne FS chair in 1980. The architects first chose the ON mobile office chair. With its three-dimensional synchronous adjustment mechanism.
The dynamic one-legged Stitz, a real ergonomic and designer stool, is used for the conference room. It encourages users to alternate standing and sitting, stimulates their metabolism and improves their sense of balance.
It helps to strengthen the back, a major provider of musculoskeletal disorders, especially in trades working with a computer.
The Stitz stool is also versatile, which is very important at the CCC research and development center. And the furniture also meets the strict requirements for flexibility in the large meeting and conference room, one of the centre’s communication hubs.
The combination of the Timetable mobile conference tables and the Aline leg stackable chairs (both designed by Andreas Störiko) allows users to configure various settings as needed and put them back.
A taste for spacious areas is what unites factory warehouse built under communism era and an ultra modern Research and Development Center. The transformation is spectacular, but it is the first of its jind. Cities like Berlin or Mexico City, with the Atemporal Studio, have already seen this phenomenon multiply in recent years. As if the circular economy also works with buildings!