The former historic factory on Grochowska Street will get a second life

The next stage in the history of a place that for decades has been associated with the industrial face of the capital begins in Warsaw’s Praga-Południe district. The area of ​​the former Perun Factory at ul. Grochowska will be transformed into a new part of the city, but without erasing its past. The most important element of the investment will be preserving four historic halls and giving them new functions. Security works are scheduled to begin in September 2026, followed by a comprehensive renovation of the historic buildings.

A factory that was important for Warsaw

The history of Perun dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1913, oxygen production was launched in Warsaw at the “Perun” company. Three years later, on the initiative of engineer Alfred Sznerr, the L’Air Liquide representative office merged with the Perun Joint Stock Company. The “Perun” Joint Stock Company was established at ul. Grochowska, production of welding equipment and materials.

After World War I, the plants developed rapidly. From 1919, the company was managed by Alfred Sznerr, who remained its director until 1944. The factory produced, among others: oxygen, cutting equipment and materials used in gas and electric welding.

However, Perun had significance beyond the industry itself. In the interwar period, he developed the use of oxygen in medicine, treatment and rescue. Oxygen therapy equipment was built here, as well as lamps used by the fire brigade and railway rescue services.

The company also made history in Warsaw architecture. At the turn of the 1920s and 1930s, she constructed the welded structure of the PKO building. The steel frame weighing 700 tons was the largest building structure of this type in Europe at the time.

Four halls will get a second life

Today, all that remains of Perun’s industrial history include: four halls that will be retained as part of the new investment. The WWAA studio, founded by Natalia Paszkowska and Marcin Mostafa, is responsible for the project. The new housing development is to be adjacent to historic buildings, instead of covering or displacing them.

Work on the halls will be demanding. It is planned, among others: removing existing roofs, transporting their elements for conservation, restoring bricked-up windows and comprehensive renovation of buildings. Once the work is completed, the former halls will be used for service purposes.

“The process will require reconciling two seemingly opposing assumptions: preserving the authenticity of the place and, at the same time, preparing the old buildings for a completely new way of use. We want the elements constituting the character of the former factory to remain an important part of the architecture of the entire site,” says architect Marcin Mostafa from WWAA.

New apartments around the old factory

The investor of the project is Alides Polska, which is developing the project in accordance with its Real Estate Upcycling strategy – which assumes adding new functions to existing facilities and areas.

The investment will include 242 apartments and service premises. The new architecture will refer to the industrial past of the place through fragmented shapes, concrete, meshes and plasters. Viewing axes are also an important element of the project. They are intended to ensure that the brick halls remain visible and continue to play an important role in the space.

“For us, Perun is a project with character – we are not starting from scratch – we are entering an area with a ready-made history of over a hundred years. The start of construction works means entering the most fascinating stage of this process and the moment when we can start restoring the historic halls to their former glory. The preserved buildings will not become a closed relic of the past or a decorative element of the estate. We want the history of Perun to be still present after the investment is completed and naturally intertwine with the contemporary life of this place,” adds Luiza Grunwald, CO – Director Alides Polska.

History is meant to be part of everyday life

The project does not envisage closing the new housing estate behind a fence. The area is to be publicly accessible, and green areas will appear between the residential and service buildings. An educational path has also been planned that will tell about the history of the former factory.

In this way, Perun will combine several different functions: apartments, services, green spaces and preserved industrial heritage. These historic halls are intended to ensure that the new development will not be just another anonymous housing estate.

In September, not only the construction of the new part of Praga-Południe will begin. An attempt will also begin to restore life to buildings that have witnessed the transformation of Warsaw for over a hundred years. This time the former Perun Factory will not return to production. Instead, its halls are to become part of a modern district – with the preserved memory of a place that played an important role in the history of Polish industry.