The 46-month revitalization of the Norblin Factory in Warsaw's Wola district, carried out by Capital Park Group, has come to an end. The complex has been granted an occupancy permit. At the investment site, preparations are currently underway to open the first concepts, which will be gradually unveiled to future visitors over the next few months.
The almost 2-hectare site of the former Norblin, Buch Brothers and T. Werner Factory in Warsaw’s Wola district was included in the portfolio of Capital Park Group in 2008. The investor has preserved the historic layout of 10 post-factory buildings and 50 machines and devices (42 of them have been placed in the register of monuments). The preparatory process for revitalization, including, among other things, developing the concept in accordance with conservation guidelines, gathering the necessary documentation and obtaining required permits, took almost 10 years. Construction works started in November 2017. The obtained occupancy permit completes this almost 13-year investment process and is a harbinger of the fact that the first tenants and visitors will soon arrive on the premises of the Norblin Factory.
"We have officially completed construction works. Almost 4 years of revitalization, as well as work on introducing modern buildings into historical architecture, are behind us. It was a great challenge to organize works on this historic site in such a densely built-up area, with over 1,000 employees and over 100 maintenance workers working at its peak time. Many specialized companies were involved in the construction process, dealing with work on the complex underground, installations, construction works and the maintenance of historic buildings and machines. We had to perform unique construction operations, such as moving one of the historic buildings as a whole or suspending two others. For the next few months, fit-out and interior arrangement works will be carried out for individual tenants. In the coming weeks, the last machines will return to us, the final touches and aesthetic works will be performed on them. We are also going to work on multimedia attractions at the Norblin Factory Museum", informs Sylwia Filewicz, Head of Development&Construction of Capital Park Group, responsible for the implementation of the construction process.
Currently and for the next few months, fit-out and cleaning works will take place mainly inside the tenants’ premises – both in historic buildings and in the new office part. The outside area is already prepared and planted with vegetation. Works related to the launch of an automatic, underground bicycle parking lot are in progress. Soon, first tenants will begin to gradually make their concepts available to visitors.
"We are extremely proud that after 13 years of intensive work, we will be able to re-open this area to the public. We have prepared an original offer with distinctive cultural, entertainment and gastronomic concepts and will unveil it successively over the next few months", says Kinga Nowakowska, operational director and member of the management board of Capital Park Group responsible for the revitalization of the Norblin Factory. "Our schedule includes, among other things, the launch of KinoGram and the first co-organized events with the Directors Guild of Poland, as well as the return of BioBazar. All openings and attractions will be communicated in the Norblin Factory mobile application. The app will also be used to pay for parking, buy a ticket to the cinema or learn the visiting paths of the multimedia museum", Nowakowska adds.
In September, a boutique cinema KinoGram will open its doors. BioBazar, the first market in Poland with organic, certified food will return to its original location in a completely new version (scheduled date: 18 September). The FlowArt House art gallery will open at the end of September. The Norblin Factory Museum will be available since October and the multimedia tours will be successively enriched and supplemented. In the same month, FoodTown will open its operations – it is a gastronomic zone located in five historic factory halls, in which 23 original concepts will find their place; Piano Bar with live music will also be launched in October. In the coming months, more concepts, coffee shops and restaurants will open, some of them being Soul Food, a pub with craft beer, or Blue Cactus, returning to the capital’s gastronomy map after a few years’ break. The premises of the Norblin Factory will also house a SuperPharm drugstore, a mono-brand shop with original aged tinctures – Wiśniewski, a Buqiet florist, YES jewelry shop. Starting from September, the office space of the complex will also welcome employees.
In the following year, the entertainment and cultural offer of the Norblin Factory will be complemented by the first digital art gallery in Poland – Art Box Experience, as well as the Apple Museum with the largest collection of this brand and multimedia attractions. The Medicover Stomatologia network will also launch its dental centre in the Norblin Factory.
The Norblin Factory is a multi-functional complex with an area of over 65,000 sqm, out of which 41,000 sqm will be taken up by modern A+ class office space, and the remaining 24,000 sqm will be filled with entertainment, cultural, gastronomic, service and commercial concepts. Capital Park Group is the investor and initiator of revitalization of the Norblin Factory. PRC Architekci is responsible for the architectural design, Warbud SA is the general contractor, cooperating with such companies, as Soletanche Polska, Maat4 and TKT Engineering. Monument Service supervises all conservation works on monuments.
