Engineering the battery age – one complex facility at a time: Meet Marcin Grabowski, Design Manager at NIRAS
The automotive industry’s shift toward electric vehicles is driving demand for an entirely new category of industrial infrastructure. For Marcin Grabowski, Design Manager at NIRAS in Wrocław, this is a challenge he was more than ready to take on after 11 years of methodical development within the NIRAS organisation.
Marcin is currently leading the design of a large-scale industrial plant that will produce raw materials for EV batteries - a complex, multi-building facility with advanced process installations and substantial demands on power and cooling infrastructure. It is technically demanding work, and that is exactly how he likes it.
“More than aesthetics, I am interested in the function, technical and economical aspects of the facilities we design,” Marcin explains.
A career built on industrial complexity
Marcin started working in architecture while still at university, contributing to projects including the conversion of a historic malt house into residential housing. But it was his first encounter with industrial facility design - particularly in the brewing sector - that shifted his direction. Joining NIRAS confirmed his path.
Since 2015, he has progressed from Architectural Assistant to Lead Architect, and then to Design Manager, gaining his full, unrestricted architectural qualifications along the way - all within one organisation.
Leading design across disciplines
As Design Manager, Marcin coordinates multidisciplinary teams, manages project schedules, controls documentation quality, and ensures that key design decisions hold up under real-world scrutiny.
“We are usually racing against both time and quality, while dealing with constant change. That’s one of the fundamental challenges in our work,” he says.
Technical expertise alone is not enough in this role. Working across teams with different backgrounds demands strong communication and the ability to stay composed under pressure.
“More than aesthetics, I am interested in the function, technical and economical aspects of the facilities we design,”
Where decisions on paper meet reality
The current EV battery plant project brings together everything Marcin has developed over his career: Multidisciplinary architectural and structural design, building services, process installations, and the coordination of a team working across all of them simultaneously.
“What motivates me is knowing that the facilities we design will serve a concrete purpose in the industry - and that decisions made on paper will ultimately be verified in practice.”
His advice to those considering a career at NIRAS: "Develop deep expertise, see projects through the eyes of contractors, clients, and end users - and never mistake appearance for quality."
In industrial design, he says, success is not defined by how a building looks. It is defined by how well everything inside it works.
"Develop deep expertise, see projects through the eyes of contractors, clients, and end users - and never mistake appearance for quality."
Marcin's advice to those considering a career at NIRAS
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