Weronika Mazurkiewicz, PG, TUP
Kamila Szatanowska, Fala
Grzegorz Kłoda, GK - Atelier
Monika Arczyńska, A2P2 Architecture & Planning
Maja Klawitter, moderator
Cities are still grappling with the problem of abandoned buildings. Empty office blocks, former shopping centers, industrial halls, and sports facilities from past decades stand unused, lose their function, and become a burden on the urban fabric.
This panel, organized by SARP Wybrzeże, will attempt to look at these places in a new way - not as a problem, but as a potential for creative transformation.
The participants will consider how to introduce circularity principles into urban and architectural practice. They will discuss how to adapt existing buildings instead of demolishing them and how to design new spaces so they do not become vacancies in the future. The discussion will touch on technical and material issues as well as social and economic aspects.
Gdańsk will serve as an example of a city with enormous but still untapped potential. Abandoned industrial halls, 1990s office buildings, former hypermarkets, and unused sports facilities are spaces that can be revitalized and reintegrated into the life of local communities. The panel aims to inspire people to ask what we want these places to be in five, ten, or twenty years.
The conversation will be an invitation to reflect together on the future of cities and an opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas on how to transform vacant properties into vibrant, useful, and valuable places for residents.