The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice

COMPLETION DATE: 2014—2016
LOCATION: KATOWICE, POLAND

The Academy is located in a building which is an example of neo-Gothic architecture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and which was the first pre-war seat of the Silesian Parliament in the 1920s. The building required conservatory and repair works in order to bring back its former glory.

Bolesław Szabelski Aula, located on the second floor of the building, required conservatory and repair works. Under the supervision of the monuments conservator, layers of old paint have been removed in order to reveal the beautiful polychromies on the walls. We have dismantled the stage platform and the structure where the old organs were located, and later we have reconstructed the stage, fronton and the new support structure for the organs. Renovated and cleaned glass windows, with missing elements supplemented, have been re-installed in the building windows.

We have renovated and partially replaced the building window woodwork. The building’s elevation has also been subject to renovation. Apart from cleaning, we have also filled in and reinforced damaged bricks and joints. We have replaced the roof, which apart from the installation of new roof tiles, required cleaning of the roof truss, replacement of rotten elements and protection with chemical agents against the development of fungi and insects.

As a result, the Academy of Music has regained the original historical appearance and it certainly is an important point on the map of the city’s monuments.

 

We put our heart in stone.

Polychrome

Under the supervision of the monuments conservator, layers of old paint have been removed in order to reveal the beautiful polychromies on the walls.

Organs

We have dismantled the structure where the old organs have been located to make room for the new support structure for the instrument.

Roof and facade

Apart from cleaning the facade, we have also filled in and reinforced damaged bricks and joints. We have also carried out the roof replacement.