Gambit is a specialist pipe distribution company based in the southern Polish city of Gliwice. It commissioned KWK Promes Konieczny to design an office-warehouse building that would reflect its business while remaining within a tightly constrained budget. In response, the architects initially proposed using the pipes themselves — the material the company trades in — which could be sourced at cost.
From the outset, the office and warehouse were conceived as a unified whole rather than as separate functional elements. The resulting concept draws directly on the image of stacked pipes, immediately communicating the nature of Gambit’s activity.
The site previously accommodated a rectangular production hall. Its immediate surroundings, however, are predominantly residential, characterised by steeply pitched roofs and elongated, cubic outbuildings. These conditions informed the final massing and silhouette of the new building, allowing it to respond to its context while retaining a distinctly industrial character.
Programme and form
The building accommodates three primary functions: a warehouse, a workshop for preparing orders, and office space. Each is expressed through a distinct volume. The offices occupy a two-storey section with sloping walls, the workshop is housed in a lower adjoining volume, and the unheated warehouse takes the form of a higher cuboid.
The geometry of the roof emerges directly from the arrangement of the pipes. Their angled configuration establishes a single feasible roof pitch, which in turn defines the form of this part of the building. In the office section, the sloping roof is cut back at second-floor level to comply with local zoning height restrictions and to avoid creating unnecessary volume.
From the street, the building forms a clear frontage. When viewed from the neighbouring residential area, its fragmented massing allows it to sit more quietly within the dispersed context.
Material strategy and facade
Although the initial intention was to use Gambit’s own pipes on the facade, this approach was ultimately abandoned. Pipes designed for underground use were found to oxidise under ultraviolet exposure and did not meet fire safety requirements. Instead, the facade is clad in raw aluminium sheeting, a cost-efficient industrial material previously used in several of KWK Promes Konieczny’s projects.
Over time, the aluminium develops a natural patina, acquiring a matte, unrefined surface quality. The material was selected for its durability and limited maintenance demands. For the architects, this is not only a practical consideration but also an environmental one, given that building operation accounts for up to 30 percent of CO2 emissions. The project therefore prioritises straightforward, robust material choices that can perform reliably over the long term.
Environmental considerations and detailing
The pipes at the edges of the building are capped to prevent whistling in windy conditions. During the design process, the project’s investors raised concerns that the structure might become a shelter for animals. Although bird netting was included in the original design, it was ultimately omitted.
Discussions progressed and the architects favoured the idea of birds inhabiting the building, regarding this as a beneficial secondary use rather than an issue to be mitigated. The investors were eventually persuaded to accept this approach. Whether the decision was driven primarily by ecological reasoning or by the reduced construction cost associated with omitting the nets remains open, but the outcome reflects a willingness to accept a degree of unpredictability in how the building is used and inhabited.
Interior organisation, daylight, and amenity
The interiors are naturally lit through a combination of conventional windows and skylights. On the ground floor, office spaces intended for regular use are fitted with standard glazing, offering views towards a small garden formed by carving space out of the parking area. Upper-floor storage and ancillary rooms, where flexible wall space is required, are illuminated by skylights.
Although the building serves a strictly industrial function and is largely surrounded by parking for cars and trucks, KWK Promes Konieczny created a terrace on the roof of the lowest volume, providing employees with an outdoor space for rest and informal use.
