Headquarter in Gliwice by KWK Promes

Gambit, a supplier of building services installations and drainage pipes, has its new headquarters in a residential area on the southern outskirts of Gliwice. Although two motorways pass in the immediate vicinity, this is an unusual location for an industrial company, especially given that the nearest industrial estate is only one kilometre away to the north. The small-scale settlement structure also influenced the design of the new building by architectural firm KWK Promes. The brief was to combine office space, a warehouse and a workshop under one roof, while also representing the company to the outside world in a promotional manner. The development plan limited the building height to two storeys.

The stacking of the tubes is particularly evident on the front sides. © Juliusz Sokołowski

The architects originally planned a rectangular structure clad in Gambit's sewage pipes. This gradually evolved into the current three-part building, with the individual components of the spatial programme clearly visible: a two-storey building with a truncated gable roof houses the offices; a single-storey building with a flat roof and a roof terrace houses the workshop; and the largest component, also with a flat roof, is the logistics warehouse.

An expressive concrete structure defines the office space. © Juliusz Sokołowski

The facade cladding also changed over time. The architects originally chose it to save costs, assuming that the client would supply the pipes at cost price. However, it turned out that Gambit's products were not UV-resistant as they are normally buried underground. Therefore, KWK Promes opted for simple, uncoated aluminium tubes, which develop a natural patina over time. As with all round shapes, the tubes achieve their greatest packing density at an angle of 60 degrees. This type of stacking also determined the roof pitch of the office wing.

© Juliusz Sokołowski

The aluminium tubes are closed with caps at the edges of the building to prevent them whistling in the wind. Thankfully, the architects were able to avert the client's original request to completely enclose the tube construction with bird protection nets, whether for cost reasons or for the sake of biodiversity. In any case, birds can now build their nests in the tube facade.