Grid Arthub: The Adaptive Rebirth of a Historic Shipyard Hall in Gdańsk

Words by Yatzer

19 November 2025

Grid Arthub: The Adaptive Rebirth of a Historic Shipyard Hall in Gdańsk

Words by Yatzer

19 November 2025

Workspaces

Gdańsk, Poland

Part of Gdańsk's historic shipyard, Hall 31B has served numerous purposes since it was built in the late 19th century. From a wood drying plant to mess hall and boxing gym to office space, its storied past mirrors the layered history of the shipyard itself, best known as the birthplace of the Solidarity movement in 1980, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union which sparked the eventual collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.

Reopened in the summer of 2025 after a two-year renovation, the two-storey building now functions as a multidisciplinary cultural hub, bringing together artists' studios, a restaurant, and an all-day café & bar under the same roof. A microcosm of the city's thriving creative scene, the revived Hall 31B also stands as a testament to the creative potential of adaptive reuse, courtesy of interdisciplinary design practice IPA led by architect Filip Kozarski. Combining industrial utility and DIY charm, Kozarski’s design playfully bridges the past and present through a resourceful material language of low-tech reinvention.

The exterior of Hall 31B in Gdańsk's shipyard showcases a robust industrial aesthetic, utilizing raw red brick and visible metal structural supports, labeled with bold white '31B' typography. This neo-vernacular conversion of a former port building, underscored by the backdrop of massive green shipyard cranes, successfully merges gritty authenticity with contemporary creative reuse.

Photography by PION Studio.

A close-up of the brutalist-industrial texture of the original rough-hewn red brick wall, offset by a contemporary wire mesh bulletin board layered with event posters and flyers. This composition emphasizes the building's history, showcasing the convergence of raw, authentic materials with a vibrant, modern social hub's life.

Photography by PION Studio.

A welcoming entrance to the ArtHub embraces an industrial style, framed by rough red brick walls and a floor composed of concrete and metal grating. Large glass and steel double doors reveal a warmly lit interior featuring exposed piping and vibrant internal signage, creating a transition from the raw exterior to the lively, authentic atmosphere within. — Photography by PION Studio.

A wide-angle view down the central concrete aisle, which still bears the original rail lines, emphasizing the building's industrial history. The dramatic red ceiling contrasts with the modular, illuminated metal mesh enclosures of the "Plot Social Club" bar and the "Dust Kitchen," blending raw structure with modern, atmospheric function. — Photography by PION Studio.

Anchoring the revived building is Grid Arthub, an independent creative space on the upper floor. The space is centred on a vast central hall flooded with daylight from clerestory windows with additional communal areas and individual studio spaces unfolding around it. On the ground floor, the ecosystem is further realised by vegetarian restaurant Dust Kitchen, all-day café & bar Plot Social Club, and the offices of the Gdańsk Tourism Organization. The building's two-tiered programme fully embodies the simple yet powerful principle of symbiosis whereby rents collected from commercial tenants on the ground floor sustain all non-commercial cultural initiatives above, enabling artists and creatives to benefit from preferential rent rates.

The building's renovation was less about restoring its former glory than about revealing its latent potential. Kozarski's intervention retains the building shell, keeping the concrete pillars, brickwork, and steel structure, while introducing a new material rhythm built almost entirely from salvaged and repurposed elements. With pops of red, yellow and blue punctuating the industrial palette lending warmth and playfulness to create a visual continuity across the different spaces, a visual patchwork of textures, colours, and histories emerges, encapsulating the venue's creative spirit.

A close-up of the "Dust Kitchen" pass-through window, framed by robust metal grating and a vibrant orange neon sign. The raw concrete pillar juxtaposes the highly polished stainless steel of the commercial kitchen equipment visible inside, illustrating the refined integration of industrial and culinary functions. — Photography by PION Studio.

A cozy lounge area blending industrial structure with soft, contemporary comfort. A plush, textured white sectional sofa and simple wooden tables contrast with the exposed brick, a raw concrete column, and the striking red ceiling infrastructure. The warm atmosphere is accented by a vibrant orange neon sign, balancing the space's rawness.

Photography by PION Studio.

This view captures an eclectic bar and seating area where textured white modular sofas meet orange metal and wooden chairs, all set against an industrial backdrop of exposed structure and a mesh-fronted bar. The palette of concrete grey, burnt orange, and deep red creates a sophisticated, intimate atmosphere perfect for socializing.

Photography by PION Studio.

A long, dramatic common area with a striking red ceiling that unifies the exposed brick walls and concrete floor, retaining the industrial character. Plush white modular sofas offer a comfortable contrast to the hard materials, while track lights and a distant bar with neon signs create a sophisticated, energetic eclectic social hub. — Photography by PION Studio.

A dramatic portal view through large, dark metal mesh folding doors, revealing the warmly illuminated dining area beyond. The composition emphasizes depth, with the raw concrete floor contrasting the vibrant red ceilings and curtains inside, successfully merging industrial enclosure with a welcoming, high-contrast atmosphere.

Photography by PION Studio.

An intimate dining corner defined by a high-contrast palette of dark red walls and vibrant orange and black curtains. The composition is framed by a black metal mesh screen, emphasizing the industrial texture. Mismatched black, red, and raw wood chairs gather around simple tables, cultivating a sophisticated, atmospheric dining experience.

Photography by PION Studio.

Photography by PION Studio.
Photography by PION Studio.
Photography by PION Studio.

The dining space features a high-contrast palette of red ceilings and dark red walls, set against raw concrete floors and an exposed column. Industrial cage light fixtures hang over mismatched wooden chairs and simple tables, creating a dramatically moody and inviting eclectic atmosphere. — Photography by PION Studio.

The expansive, light-flooded multi-purpose hall, defined by its distinctive parquet floor embedded with vibrant multi-colored chips, balances industrial overhead structure with playful detail. Concrete columns frame a long, communal red table, creating a grand yet flexible space for gathering and activity beneath high, multi-pane clerestory windows. — Photography by PION Studio.

Kozarski's commitment to reuse and reinvention further extends to almost every detail, from furniture and fixtures to the spectacular wooden flooring across Grid Arthub. Rescued from the Olympic Training Centre in Cetniewo, the latter's colourful sports-court lines have intentionally remained intact, animating the vast open spaces almost like abstract brushstrokes. "It was a true challenge to find over a thousand square metres of healthy flooring from a single source," recalls Kozarski. "But by keeping the colourful lines visible, it has character and tells its story."

Other examples of reuse and reinvention include old skylight panes from the hall's roof which have been re-cut to glaze the studio windows; discarded stoneware tiles and offcuts which have been patched into the floor; and bathroom counters, partition walls and door handles created from shredded Coca-Cola and Sprite plastic crates sourced from a nearby bar.

Photography by PION Studio.
Photography by PION Studio.
Photography by PION Studio.

A symmetrical view of the massive communal table, featuring a bold red surface that dominates the foreground, flanked by simple wooden chairs. The composition emphasizes the expansive industrial space with concrete columns and clerestory windows, balancing the grandeur of the architecture with the graphic, primary-colored focal point. — Photography by PION Studio.

A close-up on a long, communal red table, whose industrial legs are constructed from galvanized piping and visible support brackets. The bold, primary-colored tabletop contrasts with the surrounding simple wooden, vintage-retro school chairs, creating a dynamic, functional centerpiece for collaboration and gathering.

Photography by PION Studio.

This perspective highlights the juxtaposition of the long red communal table and the towering, modular scaffolding shelf unit in the background. The shelf, adorned with books, vintage monitors, and abundant biophilic hanging plants, acts as an artistic, functional wall that softens the industrial concrete and steel surroundings.

Photography by PION Studio.

The project's adaptable spirit also extends to the furniture. Many elements were made on-site using DIY techniques, such as the monumental red table in Grid Arthub's central hall and the adjoining shelving unit built from scaffolding pipes and yellow formwork boards, both of which can be repurposed or reassembled as needed. In the restaurant and café-bar, seating mixes reused furniture with Kozarski's custom-built pieces, including benches on scaffolding wheels and tables fashioned from construction formwork.

Hosting a diverse cultural programme that includes workshops, talks, concerts, yoga sessions, exhibitions, parties, and open-air film screenings, Hall 31B has quickly established itself as a vital node in Gdańsk's expanding creative ecosystem. In a city where the past continually reshapes the present, its transformation offers a compelling model for adaptive reuse in both programmatic and architectural terms—one that honours industrial heritage while making space for contemporary creative expression.