Interdisciplinary research as a form of monument protection and preparation for the investment process on the example of the former Gdańsk Shipyard complex

Anna Orchowska-Smolińska, Anna Kriegseisen, Jakub Szczepański

doi:10.37190/arc220410

Abstract

The multi-layered heritage of many industrial plants operating until the end of the 20th century creates a particular challenge for conservators, designers and investors. In the process of protecting its values, displaying qualities and managing the property, it is necessary to recognize a wider transformation of technology of the entire plant and the individual functions of its buildings, as well as the context of intangible heritage. An example of this type of complex historical building is the former Gdańsk Shipyard. The subject of the article is an interdisciplinary study of the shipyard complex, during which a research method based on several scales of analysis (in relation to the city, the complex and the facility) was developed. It was based on an in-depth recognition of the shipyard’s operation in the 1970s and 1980s, which, due to workers’ strikes in the plant and the establishment of NSZZ “Solidarność”, had a special impact on constitutionalizing its property status to outstanding values. The authors set themselves the goal of presenting the results of a detailed study of the cultural resources of the shipyard, which included specialists from the shipbuilding industry historically associated with this particular industrial plant. As a result, multi-faceted conservation guidelines were created to set the framework for the protection of the shipyard’s cultural resources, conduct conservation and investment works on its premises (material and color template). The summary shows the possibilities of using the presented model of research activities in connection with design activities using the example of an industrial facility prepared for the investment process (former Main Warehouse, the so-called U-Boat Hall).

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