THE MEMORY DECKS - COAL MINE CENTRUM XXI. CONCEPTUAL PROJECT OF A MULTIFUNCTIONAL BUILDING IN BYTOM.

Project idea

When What is unnoticed and unappreciated to us on a daily basis suddenly disappears we begin to notice the lack of It. However, by then it is too late to fill the resulting void. Lack, unfortunately, often leads to forgetting.
The main objective of the work Memory Decks was to present an architectural concept of a skyscraper that could become one of the symbols of the city, and the entire region, reminding with its form of culture, history and industrial architecture belonging to the cultural heritage of Silesia.
The rapid development of cities in Upper Silesia occurred as a result of the advent of the industrial age in the 19th century, and then in the years of the People's Republic of Poland. Industry became a sector that allowed Upper Silesia to stand out from other regions. Numerous industrial plants and workers' settlements were established during this period. The dynamic development of mining and metallurgy in particular contributed to major architectural, regional, economic and cultural changes. The industrial landscape that dominated Upper Silesia gave the place distinct individual characteristics that were firmly rooted in the local environment. This part of Silesianness, and identity, is increasingly being removed not only from the landscape, but also from memory, leaving a void.
The region's industrial landscape is increasingly fading into oblivion. Awareness of its value has increased recently, but many processes can no longer be stopped. It is necessary to take measures to protect from destruction this world that is slowly passing away. "Only its oblivion means death," so in addition to saving the objects that still remain, it is worth saving the memory of those that are no longer there.
The concept of the designed object raises the important issue of the disappearance of identity, and in this regard, the deliberate procedure is to give it distinct features. These features are intended to strengthen the power of its message, and to increase the level of awareness with the increasing height of the building. Despite the great height of the building, the body of the building will form a coherent whole with the industrial buildings left behind, together they will form a further continuation of history. Thus, the designed building can be described as a memorial.
The design intention was to create a multifunctional facility that will respond to the contemporary needs of the community. On the other hand, its main, very important task will be to remind people of culture, history, identity, the void left in space, and to make them reflect.
The design idea was to propose a new structure that would incorporate history and the disappearing part of the Upper Silesian landscape, which was largely formed by industrial architecture buildings.

Project description

The project Memory Decks - KWK Centrum XXI is a conceptual design for a multifunctional building in Bytom, which is not indifferent to the ongoing changes in the landscape of Upper Silesia. It aims to draw attention to existing, mostly neglected mine architecture and to restore memory to objects that are no longer there. His concept also proposes saving those that will not be there in the near future.
The designed site is located on the grounds of the Centrum Coal Mine in Bytom, which is scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2023. This is the last moment to save the buildings, which so far have not been removed from Bytom's skyline.
The concept is to design a building that, in its modern form, will not forget history, culture, tradition and regionalism. The design premise, was to create a multifunctional building that will respond to the contemporary needs of the community. The respectful form of the building, is predisposed to become an important symbol in the city. The proposed diversity of functions makes the facility accessible to a large group of users. The zones designed inside the facility include sports, educational, cultural, office, hotel, entertainment and catering floors.
The proposed high-rise building, which reaches almost 120 meters above ground level, dominates the landscape in terms of height due to its dimensions. The building offers a wide range of functions and an original character, defined by the combination of regionalism with culture, history, memory and modernity.
The building's form was developed on the basis of a detailed analysis, which made it possible to distinguish non-existent objects in the structure, while preserving the Budryk shaft at the KWK Centrum site. In addition, the structure is supplemented by the hoisting tower of the Krupinski shaft, which is scheduled for decommissioning. The non-existing objects left a void in the designed structure, giving the mass a respectful form, prompting the user to reflect. Such a procedure further influenced the attractiveness of the body of the proposed building.
As part of the concept, the site development project was divided into three main lanes. The business lane and the educational-cultural-sports lane were supplemented with new development. In the memory lane, post-mining existing facilities were left in place. In addition, the resource was enriched with existing facilities from other mines that are slated for decommissioning and their condition is good enough.

Technical information

The idea of the concept was to create a clear division of the building into logically interconnected zones. The concept assumes a division of the complex resulting from the division into floors, assigning to them functions adapted to specific groups of users. The layout of the space and the arrangement of functions is clear and orderly, achieved, among other things, by introducing the main communication and sanitary core inside the building. Seven elevators serving the vertical communication system, ladies' toilets, men's toilets for the disabled and emergency stairs were located in this belt.
The multifunctional building has 26 floors above ground and 2 underground. Its construction is varied. In the underground storey, the building has a concrete box, while the above-ground storeys have been designed with a column and plate structure, supplemented with spatial lattice structures. The columnar nature of the plan gives a free opportunity to shape each floor.
The concrete façade, which also serves the structural function of the building, has taken on the appearance of a lattice with equal division. Each opening provides a different view of the landscape. By centrally positioning the object in relation to the mining areas, it will be possible to observe the changes that are taking place in the mine areas. Such a procedure is intended to encourage reflection and thought.
The designed facility uses modern technologies to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.