The five-storey facility, with a floor area of approximately 20,000 sqm, will house, among others, the headquarters of Gdynia’s clubs and the Polish Yachting Association, enriched with an infrastructure for sailors, including premises overlooking the harbour or marina. Among other things, the facility will be equipped with hangars for storing yachts, as well as an underground garage.

“Gdynia is a city where the idea of its creators, modernist architects and urban planners – their optimistic belief in tomorrow, their fascination with modernity, clarity of form and functionality – can be felt at every turn. But you can also sense their love of light, space, the sea and greenery. Our project draws on these values and fits seamlessly into the context of the South Pier, referencing the iconic buildings of 1930s Gdynia. It is a contemporary continuation of the ideas and ambitions of its pioneers, crowning one of the key parts of the coastal skyline. The building’s architecture is the result of a long collaboration with the city’s authorities and the city’s conservation officer, and together we have developed a thoroughly Gdynia-like design that we hope will become a centre for Polish sailing. I believe that the people of Gdynia will welcome Nova Marina and its silhouette will become a permanent part of the city’s landscape”, says Jarosław Zagórski, Managing Director, Ghelamco Poland.

“For years, this place with a great past had been awaiting a project to reflect its importance for Polish sailing. Nova Marina Gdynia will be a worthy showcase for Polish sailing and the headquarters of, among others, Gdynia’s sailing clubs, providing infrastructure and space for international operations. It will become a new landmark of the city and a wonderful haven for all those who have wind and sea in their hearts”, assures Tomasz Chamera, PhD, President of the Polish Yachting Association. “Thanks to the cooperation with Ghelamco, we finally have a chance to build a genuine facility that will respond to the needs of sailors and allow us even more effectively to fulfil the statutory objectives of our organisation,” he adds.

The Nova Marina Gdynia project was selected through a closed competition for the architectural concept, to which 5 renowned Polish studios were invited: APA Wojciechowski, Arch-Deco, BBGK Architekci, PIG Architekci and ROARK Studio. The jury consisted of architects and representatives of the City of Gdynia, the Polish Yachting Association and Ghelamco. The winning concept was by PIG Architekci.

“From the outset, we wanted to design a complex that would be integrated into the existing, very characteristic context. The priority was to ensure the best possible concept for the sailing clubs and the statutory area related to the activities of the Polish Yachting Association. A complex of hangars and club spaces, combined with the requirements of the local plan to provide manoeuvring space on the side of Beniowski Quay, have shaped the southern part of the site. This layout was crossed on all floors by two viewing axes that created public spaces in the form of passages. Their aim was a scenic and functional connection between the South Pier axis and the Sailing Basin. The whole process was worked out in close cooperation with the City Conservation Officer, sailing clubs, the Polish Yachting Association and Ghelamco”, says architect Michał Lah, a member of the management board of PIG Architekci.

Construction works on the Nova Marina Gdynia facility are expected to start in late 2024/early 2025. The building is due to be completed in 2027.