2700 metres of URSA AIR ducts in the C1 Cultural Centre (Poland)

Readers from the renowned Polish site Bryla.pl have appointed it the most beautiful building in Poland, with nearly 40% of votes. We are talking about the cultural centre in Lodz - the second most important city in Poland -, called EC1, City of Culture.

Until a few years ago, the cultural centre was an old abandoned power plant, built originally in 1907, and to which the new EC1 Cultural Centre owes its name. One hundred years later, in 2007, local authorities decided to restructure the industrial area completely, restoring the complex in several phases and sections.

EC1 serves as a modern cultural centre housing workshops, exhibitions and all kind of events. It also includes a planetarium and the new Cinema Arts Centre. In order to provide the best backdrop for all these activities, the architectural practice Miroslaw Wisneiewski Urbanystika i Architektura needed to guarantee excellent acoustic conditions.

This was the main reason behind the choice of URSA AIR Zero A2 for all the HVAC ducts in the renovated building. This material’s inside surfaces are covered by a highly sound-absorbing fabric, making it perfect for the team’s needs.

But, as the project’s developers, SKANSKA S.A. also appreciated other advantages in using these panels: they enjoy high thermal resistance, exceptional acoustic absorption, guarantee outstanding indoor air quality and present optimum resistance to fire.

Furthermore, the use of panels in HVAC duct building presents another set of advantages, regarding reduced weight and the volume that needs to be transported to the building site. Flexibility to construct the ducts on site allows building professionals to solve any problems derived from obstacles not considered in initial planning, or related to cladding or finishing, without an extra visit to the workshop.

Future phases of the project also include a Technological Centre and an Interactive Science area.