Kunszt Wodny was the name of the historic Gdansk waterworks, which now stands out with a façade clad in TECU® Oxid not far from the old town. At this location, a sophisticated, sustainable hydrotechnical system provided the necessary pressure in the city's supply pipes from the end of the Middle Ages until the late 19th century. The principle of operation was the generation of pressure in the water reservoirs via a mill wheel driven by the power of the Radunia canal. The Institute for Urban Culture is now preserving a model of the Kunszt Wodny for posterity in a new building on the former site.
The façade cladding realised with vertically laid TECU® Oxid copper strips also follows the principle of sustainable systems for decades of problem-free function. In addition, TECU® Oxid was used to create a dialogue with the silhouette of the old town: The material surface corresponds impressively with the tower facades of the old St. Mary's Church.
With TECU® Oxid, the initial bright, freshly-installed copper, and the gradual change of colour to shades of brown is simply bypassed. Natural changes on the building start immediately with a dark oxide layer. The process continues as with classical copper: Nature changes the surface through the effects of sun, rain, snow and wind, giving it an exciting life of its own – always unique, typical copper. TECU® Oxid is a "TECU® Ecological Copper" and is therefore predestined for certified green buildings. All components of the alloy originate 100% from recycled material.
KME MATERIAL
TECU® Oxid
PROJECT
Kunszt Wodny, Gdansk (PL)
ARCHITECT
Studio Architektoniczne Kwadrat Sp. z o.o., Gdynia (PL)
INSTALLER
Skanska SA, Warsaw (PL)
PHOTOS
©Michał Łagoda
FIND OUT MORE
› kme.com/tecu
› kwadrat-gdynia.pl
› skanska.pl
TECU®-TRAINING
› kme.com/tecu-training