New Accolade mural on the industrial map of Poland

Following the completion and full leasing of its second state-of-the-art industrial park in the Podlasie region, Accolade has unveiled a new mural in the region. The work, which was created in Park Bialystok II, is another installment of Accolade's Industrial Art programme promoting art in industrial spaces. A total of nine such projects have already been completed, including five in Poland and four in the Czech Republic.

The new mural is the largest completed project of its kind in the Accolade collection. It occupies an area of as much as 700 sq m and has been placed on three buildings located in Paku Białystok II. The graphic depicting symbols, animal species and vegetation characteristic of Podlasie was designed and painted by two renowned mural artists - Jakub Bitka and Łukasz Chwałka. The choice of nature as a leitmotif also reflects the ESG values and responsible approach to the environment that Accolade represents.

- Bialystok is a special place for Accolade. It was here, in 2018, that we were the first to open a modern industrial park. Today, we have two, fully leased parks in the Podlaskie Voivodeship with a total area of around 80,000 sqm. Also in Bialystok, we launched the Accolade Industrial Art programme in 2021 with our first mural. I am delighted that our second Bialystok park has also joined the programme, and the new mural symbolises our commitment to sustainability in an attractive way. - said Alicja Cholewa, Accolade's senior asset manager in Poland.

- When designing the mural, we wanted to create a visual story about the symbiosis and mutual permeation of the human and natural worlds. In the graphic, we can observe how the symbolic guardians of Podlasie, i.e. a bison and a lynx, walking between people, show the harmony of these worlds. In the mural, many elements refer to this region and I hope that each of them, as well as the whole work, will bring a lot of joy to the park employees and its visitors. - Łukasz Chwałek, one of the mural's creators, said.

- The mural project was a big challenge for us, as we realised it on three different objects. The graphics were created on the water reservoir, the pumping station building and the retaining wall, and the whole creates a coherent narrative. This unusual concept required us to spend several weeks preparing and designing, but the end result brought us great satisfaction. - said Jakub Bitka, co-author of the mural.

The Accolade Industrial Art programme, under which the mural was created, also involves the education of children and young people. Therefore, during the creation of the mural, the developer organised workshops for students from the School and Kindergarten Complex in Nowy Aleksandrów. During the workshop, young people aged 12-15 learned about the technique of spray painting murals. The artists shared their knowledge by talking about the process of creating the graphics and the importance of art in industrial spaces. The students also had the opportunity to experiment with the technique themselves, practising spray painting on prepared substrates.

As part of the Accolade Industrial Art programme, the investor created 9 murals, including 5 in Polish industrial parks: two in Białystok, Zielona Góra, Mińsk Mazowiecki and Gorzów Wielkopolski. The first such mural was created in Białystok in 2021, and the design was selected through a competition, with input from the park's tenants. All murals in Accolade's industrial parks were created in collaboration with local communities and artists. The works reflect the investor's values and commitment to the environment, and also highlight the unique characteristics of the regions.