The Dyrekcja Building is one of the oldest buildings in the Imperial Shipyard, dating back to 1878. He witnessed many historical events, including strikes of shipyard workers protesting at its doors in the name of their rights and values. After an 18-month renovation (from March 2018 to September 2020), the Dyrekcja building regained its splendor, welcomed new tenants, and was fully commercialized.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, the renovated building was so popular among tenants that we were forced to transform several conference rooms and an event space, into regular office spaces. Very quickly after the reopening of the building in September 2020, during a deep pandemic, when tenants in other office buildings were considering reducing their space, we managed to commercialize the building.
The renovation of the Dyrekcja building received many positive reviews from the real estate community. It was distinguished in the National Heritage Institute’s Well-Kept Monument 2021 competition and received the European Property Award 2021 in the Office Architecture category. In addition, the building was nominated in the competition for the Best Gdańsk Architectural Project 2020-2021.
Historic buildings have their own specificity. They are not standard office spaces, but thanks to this we have very conscious tenants. The building’s largest tenants include companies such as Seatech Engineering, YETIZ Interactive, BST Brokers, ICETEK, Interreg South Baltic, Hungarian Consulate, Morizon Gratka Group, Spring Production and Interlogic Poland.
In the second half of March, one of the most recognizable interior design studios – Sikora Interiors – opened its office in the Dyrekcja building. This is a renowned design office that has recently gained recognition thanks to numerous spectacular projects, such as the design of a new studio for the most popular morning show “Dzień Dobry TVN“. Currently, the studio is implementing further prestigious projects, including interiors in the Parliament and Senate of the Republic of Poland. Sikora Interiors Studio was established 10 years ago and during that time it has completed over 200 projects throughout the country and abroad. The most distant project was carried out in the Caribbean, and their latest project is the interior of their own office in the Dyrekcja building.
The design and interior of the new studio draw on the shipyard’s heritage. There is space for an old storage cabinet, industrial shelves, and a ship model made of Lego bricks. There are also other unique details such as a Mumbai rickshaw or a three-and-a-half-meter table made in a local carpentry workshop. The whole thing is set in the classicizing atmosphere of the interior of the Dyrekcja Building.
The new tenant emphasizes that the choice of this location was not accidental and associates the future of his company with the revitalized Imperial Shipyard.
I have been observing the plans and actions of the Imperial Shipyard for years. The choice of the Dyrekcja building as the location of our new headquarter was not accidental. It stands out from other office spaces. It was restored in a very pietistic way. In addition, it has a fantastic story and plans in which I strongly believe. I associate the future of our studio with the area, it is crucial for us to be in the place where the new investment heart of Gdańsk beats – says Jan Sikora, owner of Sikora Interiors.
