New skyscraper to be added to Warsaw skyline

Construction work is to start on the Skyliner tower this year on a site prepared by the company in 2014, with the ground work and fracturing of an average depth of 33m having been carried out by Warbud. The construction stage proper is to start this year. The leasable area of the building, which has been designed by the APA Wojciechowski studio, is to amount to 43,600 sqm, including a retail and service area of 3,100 sqm. It will have 45 floors, 30 of which will be occupied by offices. The four lowest levels are designated for the retail and services section, including shops, restaurants, cafés, fitness clubs and showrooms. The top two floors – at a height of 165m – are to feature the Skybar (798 sqm) with a view onto the city, as well as a characteristic finial, which will resemble a comb. Car parks with spaces for 428 cars and 500 bicycles, as well as four technical floors, will be located on the five underground levels. The building will have a total of 21 lifts and a lobby with a height of 15m. Contrary to previous reports, the skyscraper will not have an underground connection to the metro nearby. The developer is currently working on the documentation which is necessary for inviting tenders concerning the general contractor. Estimated cconstruction costs come to more than EUR 100 mln. Even though no pre-lease contracts have yet been signed, Karimpol is planning to start the construction of the skyscraper this year as the company is confident in the strength of the location.

“Poland is the key country in terms of the investment activities of our group and Skyliner is our largest project in Europe. Thus the Wola district was the natural choice for our flagship project. The potential of this district is now fully appreciated by developers and it will soon become one of the most prestigious business regions of Warsaw,” comments Harald Jeschek, the managing partner of Karimpol group. The new building is to be BREEAM-certified at the 'Excellent' level. The key ecological aspects of the building will include: façades made from materials that limit excess heat and the loss of heat, the utilisation of rain water for the plants in the building, ventilation with a heat recovery system, ozone layer neutral cooling technology, energy efficient lighting, the segregation of recyclable materials, waste reduction technology and the monitoring of air pollution sources. Furthermore, the building is to be powered by renewable energy sources such as the solar panels installed on the roof. The skyscraper will also stand out due to its architectural features and the quality of the materials used. “We have included broad stairs in the design of the building, from the level of the lobby to the third floor, which will act as a kind of promenade for the retail and service section that will be accessible from outdoors and indoors. Thanks to this, it will be a relaxation area for employees and visitors to the tower,” claims Michał Sadowski of the APA Wojciechowski studio.

“The Skyliner’s tower is at an angle to its base, to not only give it a dynamic shape, but also to allow mullion-free window connections in all corners of the building. As a result each corner room will have a beautiful view onto the city, unobscured by any structural elements. This is a unique approach. We also decided upon express lifts at the design stage, using a system of dedicated lifts to take employees from the ground level to the selected floor without the need to change at any point within an optimal length of time,” adds the architect. Skyliner is the developer’s ninth project in Warsaw and the largest project of the Karimpol group in Central and Eastern Europe. The company is also preparing for the construction of another office building in the Polish capital, which is to be called Equator IV or Cirrus, forming the final stage of its office complex on Al. Jerozolimskie, to the west of the city centre. The company has obtained all the necessary permits for the construction of the building and drawn up a shortlist of two general contractors. Provided everything goes according to the developer’s plans, the construction of the office building could be launched this year and would take app. 30 months. Karimpol is planning to put Skyliner into operation in 2019.