Łódź - New York: urban spaces and its perspectives

Could you describe the architecture of New York City, its main features, and your personal attitude towards the "Big Apple"?

It is commonly believed that New York is a city of skyscrapers. Well, it's not exactly what it seems. First of all, the character of the city is determined by the visible Dutch influence, namely deep and narrow plots, which are up to 25 feet. Such plots and apartment buildings cover Manhattan and Brooklyn like a thick carpet. Therefore, the apartment buildings and not the skyscrapers create the unique character of New York.

Another dominant feature of New York and also its biggest problem is the map of the city resembling a lattice. This arrangement is monotonous and lacks the special places for important buildings and monuments. For example, the Metropolitan Museum,  which should be located next to a bigger boulevard, looks as if it was growing out of the street.

 

When I was in New York, I felt a kind of spatial disorder because of  all the signs and the adverts.  Is there a clear policy defining urban and architectural order?

Signs and billboards constitute a major problem for the majority of the American cities. It is the negative result of the freely expanding capitalism and the freedom of speech. However, signs are limited in the places of historical nature.

Your doing classical architecture.  Is there a place for it in the modern city?

A certain number of classical architecture is needed in every city, because it is the source of a common language necessary to identify the typology and the use of the buildings. The city that would consist entirely of modern buildings would not only be boring, but more importantly - incomprehensible. The total abstraction cannot transmit any information, so that even the modernists have to resort to the classical forms in order to identify the function of the building. There will always be people who appreciate the classical art - music, theater and architecture - and who desire to share their love for the art and promote their passions.

 

Your practice, although it applies to the classics, has been a success. Do you have a recipe for success on architecture field? Is it difficult to get to your customers and maintain your market position?

If there is a recipe for our success, it is thanks to America’s taste for traditional architecture. People always opt rather for a traditional building, than modern one, even if it is of lower quality. Nearly 99% of all new American homes, although poorly designed, are traditional buildings. If you give people a better traditional architecture we shall all gain. The problem is the way the architects  are trained who are not taught how to meet these needs. Instead, they are told to  become followers of modernism that refuses to comply with the common desires and fights all the different views.

There is a heated debate on proposals for a new building that would be a center of culture just in the city center, designed by Frank Ghery. Do you have an experience with  the deconstructivist buildings? What do you think about them in the historical context?

Poor Łódź. You can be the last city treated like Bilbao. You will finish with a monument dedicated to the excesses of the last decade. This kind of architecture is like a parasite on the historic buildings. Is it an absolute, shiny newness which invades between the time-honored structure of stones and bricks, built with love by your ancestors? Or maybe it is just the opposite? You cannot build a city consisting only of deconstructivist buildings because they do not meet the requirements of the categorical imperative. The construction cost will seem small compared to the maintenance cost because you will have to remember about the continuous renewal of the monument as it is not everlasting and it is not built to last forever. In contrast to the houses built with the traditional materials it is doomed to be ugly. As the time goes by it will only depreciate, whereas if talking about classic buildings over time it will develop a patina which adds character.

Visit: http://www.fairfaxandsammons.com/

Interview: Artur Zaguła

 

 

Interview with Michał M. Styś - Managing Director of  the OPG Orange Property Group

OPG Orange Property Group is a developer. You strongly emphasize that it is important to take care of the architectural heritage of the city. A newly renovated building was just being put in use and you’re already planning to rebuild the historic Ramischa factory. It is widely known  that it is easier to build a new building than to renovate the old one. So why it is so important for you to revitalize the old buildings?

When several years ago we started running a business  in Łódź, it was this historic architecture and the unique, post-industrial climate that made us fall in love with this city. We believe that what fascinated us so much should be kept for the future generations. A community,  that does not know its own history, dies. All those restored buildings recreate the local identity, remind us of the wonderful story of Łódź. Modernization of the properties at the major thoroughfare of the city should help to restore the former splendor of the place. We should make Piotrkowska street to become a living place once again.

Unfortunately, with the reconstruction of the factory Ramischa is not so easy - you are still waiting for final decisions so that you can start the construction. Is not that discouraging?

I regret to say it but it is actually discouraging. According to OPG Orange Property Group you can perfectly combine running  your own business with some benefits for culture and history. However, we encountered obstacles. We believe that the implementation of the projects should be based on the cooperation of the officials with the private investors.  We would like to become partners with the city authorities, because only through the cooperation can we change the image of Łódź for a better one.

So when do you start revitalizing the factory?

It is difficult to give a specific date. Everything depends on how will the cooperation with the officials look like. We count on their goodwill and efficient decision making. Not without significance is also the difficult situation on the development market.

You plan to build apartments, villas that will  refer to the architecture of Łódź - please tell us more about the project.

The planned investment consists of  residential buildings and apartments with additional facilities - "Modern Art". At the moment we cannot give many details yet, but we encourage you to keep track of  the project’s details at http://art-modern.pl/blog

As the only developer  you support Association Fabrykancka (Stowarzyszenie Fabrykancka).  You have given them almost 200 m2 of space in your building at Piotrkowska street. Why?

It is clear that such a large area (1.3 ha) in the center can’t be a culture-free facility. And Association Fabrykancka vision of the place was consistent with our needs.

Are you satisfied with this collaboration? What is it mainly based on?

The cooperation has been very good. OPG Orange Property Group not only  gives the place but also co-finances some of the initiatives taken by the Association Fabrykancka and helps to publicize their activity. The Association Fabrykancka carries out projects which explain the history of Łódź and development plans for Ramischa factory.

Interview: Maja Ruszkowska-Mazerant