Redevelopment of one of Wroclaw's historic buildings

The Renoma retail centre in Wroclaw, Poland, was designed in 1930 by modernist architect Hermann Dernburg as one of the largest, truly international retail stores.

After years of neglect, it underwent careful restoration and reopened in April 2009 with a new wing designed by Mackow Pracownia Projecktowa in collaboration with Arup.

The original Renoma building is a six-storey steel structure and, at the time of its opening, was the largest steel structure retail centre in Europe. It is now a protected historic building.

The newly-redeveloped extension, with a total area of 85,000m², links the traditional and contemporary sections of the city.

Arup contributed project management, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering services to the redevelopment project.

The complex geotechnical conditions, presence of neighbouring buildings, interaction of the new and balancing the historical structure with the many modifications, presented unique challenges to the redevelopment team.

The project received many awards in Poland in 2010 and was nominated as Building of the year 2010 at the World Architectural Festival in Barcelona.

Click here to watch more about the project.