Incubator of architectural companies in a closed mine

According to Gazeta Wyborcza in Katowice, the surrounding areas will be transformed into Silesianum - an educational park invented by two female students and dedicated to the region.

On the large grounds of the closed Walenty-Wawel mine, Ruda Śląska has been creating a modern industrial zone for several years now. Jointly with the town of Świętochłowice, Ruda Śląska has set up the Silesian Industrial Park and has invited the students of architecture from the Silesian University of Technology to cooperate. - Young designers have got bold ideas and only such ideas provide the chance to obtain funds from the EU – says Paweł Błażyca, the President of the Silesian Industrial Park management board.

In accordance with the concept of the two students of the final year - Aneta Wiatr and Aleksandra Postawa, the park would become the centre of knowledge about the region. We have decided to create many attractions in this place, including a miniaturized map of the agglomeration with boxes dedicated to individual towns - says Postawa.

It would be possible to walk or ride a bike on the large map in the fresh air and colourful pavilions would contain information about individual towns. The map would welcome visitors to Silesianum. There would be a huge square behind the map. - This would be the Silesian carpet woven out of coal, brick, concrete, sand or wood that is, out of our regional resources. Each material would be labelled with information, for instance, sand - it is Błędowska Desert, wood - it is wooden architecture route - explains Wiatr.

The very buildings housing formerly baths, miners waiting room buildings and lamp rooms would be transformed into an exhibition-office centre. Officials want to create here another incubator of enterprise, yet of an architectural-building profile. The graduates would have a chance to open here their own designing studios. Not only spacious rooms but also numerous facilities in the form of proper equipment will be waiting for them. – Many designs will be needed, while the Silesian Agglomeration is being created, so meetings, workshops and conferences could be organized here - explains Błażyca. A high two-story miners waiting room building would be a place where young artists could present their architectural designs.

The Silesian Industrial Park received PLN 6.5 million from the Industrial Development Agency to create the architectural incubator, another PLN 16.7 million to develop the infrastructure of the areas around the park.

This money should help to build a big hall with the surface of 7.000 square meters and an office building, which will later on be made available to the entrepreneurs on preferential conditions. The building of infrastructure will start in March, including one-and-a-half kilometre access road that is going to be completed in half a year.

[Source: Gazeta Wyborcza in Katowice, 12 February 2007]