Varso or Varso Place is a

neomodern Neomodern or neomodernist architecture is a reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism in architecture, seeking greater simplicity. The architectural style, which is also referred to as New Modernism, is said to have le ...

office building complex in

Warsaw, Poland Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-cen ...

. It was designed by

Foster and Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide. ...

and developed by

HB Reavis HB Reavis is a real estate developer company active mainly in Slovakia, Poland, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. The company is active both in development of new projects and asset management of existing portfolio. History ...

. The complex features three buildings, of which the main one, Varso Tower, at in height, is the tallest building in Poland, the tallest building in the European Union, and the sixth-tallest building in Europe. It was

topped out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...

on 20 February 2021 and completed in September 2022, with the opening of the observation deck planned for the first half of 2023.

Design and construction

Varso Place is located in

Wola Wola (, ) is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it underwent a transformation into an office (co ...

, on the corner of Chmielna Street and John Paul II Avenue (pl). Construction takes place on a plot of , purchased in 2011 from PKP by the Slovak company HB Reavis for approximately . The estimated cost of construction was approximately ( in 2021). Initially, the project was named ''Chmielna Business Center'' and was later changed to ''Varso,'' which references the Latin name for Warsaw — ''Varsovia''.

Project

The original plan was to build a tall skyscraper. The project was later revised and the total height of Varso Tower was increased to including a spire surmounting the building. Varso Place is a complex of three buildings: a main tower (roof height reaching with an spire on top) and two buildings with a height of , respectively called Varso 1 and Varso 2. The total area of Varso Place is with dedicated to commercial services. British-based architecture studio Foster and Partners designed the main tower and HRA Architekci was responsible for designing the Varso 1 and Varso 2 buildings. At a height of , Vista Terrace will become a public observation deck offering panoramic views of the city. A restaurant and a bar called Skytop Restaurant & Bar will occupy the 46th and 48th floors. All three buildings will be connected to each other on the ground floor level and the entire complex will be connected to

Warsaw Central station Warszawa Centralna, in English known as Warsaw Central Station, is the primary railway station in Warsaw, Poland. Completed in 1975, the station is located on the Warsaw Cross-City Line and features four underground island platforms with eight tr ...

. A four-storey underground car park will accommodate approximately 1,100 cars, 80 motorbikes and 750 bicycles. The modernisation of the surroundings around Chmielna Street is a part of the investment and it will include new pavements, street lamps, benches, bike stands and signage, as well as planting shrubs and trees.

Construction timeline

The general contractor is HB Reavis Construction — a company from the HB Reavis Group. The

building permit A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

for Varso was obtained in December 2016 with construction work commencing the same month. In October 2017, at a depth of , a 60 tonne

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...

was excavated at the construction site. It was pulled out using a specialized crane and then transported to

Mokotów Field Mokotów Field (Polish: ''Pole Mokotowskie'') is a large park in Warsaw, Poland. A part of the parkland is called Józef Piłsudski Park. Located between Warsaw's Mokotów district and the city center, the park is one of the largest in Warsaw. ...

, where it stood next to the National Library. In the future, it will be moved back and displayed next to the entrance of Varso Tower. On 20 February 2021, the final piece of the spire was lifted to the top of Varso Tower, bringing the tower to its full height of 310 metres (1,017 ft). The Varso Tower was completed in September 2022.

Gallery

File:Varso widok z Alej Jerozolimskich 2019.jpg, Varso under construction, 2019 File:01-05-2020 plac budowy Varso.jpg, Varso in May 2020 File:Warsaw under construction, 30.07.2020.jpg, Varso in July 2020 File:17-06-2021 plac budowy Varso z PKiN.jpg, Varso in 2021 File:Chmielna Street in Warsaw, view to the East (Varso Tower).jpg, Varso seen from Chmielna Street

References

External links