Open Conservation Workshops at the WOLSKI CULTURAL CENTRE, Warsaw, 6 Działdowska Street, 46/48 Wolska Street, July–August 2024
Iwona Bartnik and Hubert Kosiniec, authors of the book ‘Poradnik dobrych praktyk architektonicznych. Architektura drewniana Warszawy ‘, published by the Association, are running open workshops on the restoration of window frames in July and August. The focus of the workshops is on original window sashes, of which only a few remain in a residential building erected between 1932 and 1934 at 6 Ludwiki Street in Warsaw’s Wola district by the Insurance Institute for White-Collar Workers (the predecessor of today’s Social Insurance Institution). This initiative serves as a reminder that we live in a space still full of witnesses to history, which remain valuable, including in terms of their practical use. At the time of publishing this information, the process appears to be approaching its most interesting phase, namely the painting of the wooden elements. As we read in Ove Hidemark’s article included in the collection ‘Restoration Principles, Construction Technologies and Materials’, published as far back as 1997 by the Swedish National Heritage Board, The development of the chemical industry in the 1960s and 1970s, and the associated production of various paints, has meant that we are now faced with a vast number of painted surfaces for which no maintenance or conservation techniques have been developed. This problem is already a pressing issue today, and it will only grow more acute in the coming decades. The value of renovation and repair has been downplayed in favour of complete replacement – and this applies not only to painted surfaces. Plaster and timber cladding often need replacing, as do brick and stone walls in most cases. Business and bureaucracy call this progress.
The restoration process presented during the workshops is carried out using traditional methods, with materials and techniques corresponding to those originally used when the building was constructed. The workshops are open to anyone who would like to observe or try their hand at certain tasks. These best practices are still relevant today. The point is not that a few of us should do something perfectly, but rather that many of us should do it to the best of our ability. All it takes is to look carefully around you and notice what is usually invisible – windows are a perfect example of this. We generally only notice them when they start to leak.
The project is being carried out with the support of the Wola Cultural Centre in Warsaw, coordinated by Agnieszka Bykowska-Giler and Adam Kadenaci. The first phase of the work was carried out in a small carpentry workshop, wryly named ‘Męska Szopa’ (Men’s Shed), located on the premises of the Wola Cultural Centre at 6 Działdowska Street. While the finishing works – glazing and painting – are currently underway, activities have been moved to the premises of another WCK facility – “Wolska Mozaika” at 46/48 Wolska Street (on the ground floor of a residential block, entrance from the arcade).
Interested participants may receive a copy of the book published by the Association (while stocks last).
Reports from the workshop sessions can be found on the Wolski Cultural Centre’s Facebook page: