COMPETITION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ARCHITECTURAL AND URBAN PLANNING CONCEPT FOR AN OFFICE COMPLEX IN WARSAW AT 25A M. KASPRZAKA STREET
In accordance with the Client’s expectations, a complex of buildings with a total gross floor area of approximately 17,806 m² and a net floor area of approximately 13,845 m² has been designed (detailed breakdowns of net floor areas are provided in Appendices 8a1 and 8a2), which, given a plot area of 8,903 m², results in
a floor area ratio of 2.0—the maximum permitted by the local zoning plan. The ratio of the buildings’ usable area to their total area reaches 0.8, which indicates a very high functional efficiency of the designed floors and office spaces. At the same time, the stepped arrangement of the 7-story buildings (for a maximum height of 30 m) allows for a building coverage ratio of approximately 29%, which, given the permissible ratio of 60%, offers significant opportunities for shaping the building’s form in terms of both its height and layout on the plot, the creation of deep arcades as a synergistic, sculptural form on a small scale that harmoniously blends into the neighboring historic gasworks area. Our analysis of the functional layout of both buildings revealed a pattern in which their floor areas decrease with each successive story as the building rises. This pattern served as the inspiration for the sculptural and cascading design of the upper floors of the buildings and was creatively incorporated into the composition and the interrelationship between the buildings. This resulted in the creation of cascading terraces accessible to users in the GSP building, sloping toward the east, while a similar yet opposite approach in the PSG building created a corresponding layout, with terraces cascading toward the west. The adopted solutions created the following values and sculptural spatial relationships:
An accentuated corner at the intersection of Kasprzaka and Bema Streets
A visual connection created between Kasprzaka Street and the PSG building (at the rear of the lot)
A varied building frontage was achieved along Bema Street
A harmonious composition of sculptural forms was achieved, together creating a unified whole in the arrangement of twin structures positioned opposite each other in a spectacular visual and spatial configuration.
Design of the Facade
The form and character of the facade were inspired by the existing built environment, which is of great historical and architectural value and whose urban layout has evolved according to an industrial-organic logic over more than a century. The Warsaw Gasworks area, of which the site covered by the competition is a part, constitutes a component of Warsaw’s identity shaped semantically, historically, and emotionally throughout the entire previous century, beginning in the 19th century. The building volumes and their facades are sculpturally shaped, departing from a simple cuboid form through the symbolic-sculptural subtraction of a series of volumes on the upper floors, so that they create a cascading arrangement of multi-level roof terraces. The facades were shaped by subtracting volumes in a fixed sequence within individual modules, creating glass facade corners that open the office spaces to various viewing directions. Within a solid, regular structure emphasizing the structural layout based on an 810-centimeter module, the resulting cyclical niches have created, across the entire facade surface, a structure of small terraces accessible along the entire length of the office space. Through openable and tilting windows, these terraces allow for natural ventilation of the office spaces and enable users to interact with the outdoors.
Material solutions, details,
The façade is clad in Cor-Ten® sheet metal, with details and colors that echo the 19th-century architecture of the surrounding area, creating a new, humanistic, and semantically appealing space that extends the atmosphere of the existing industrial complexes. In the section of cascading terraces, the facades opening onto the terraces are constructed as a uniform, regular steel-and-glass structure that opens up the view through the green landscaping of the terraces to the surrounding city. We propose a minimalist approach to combining natural materials and material consistency throughout the entire structure. The reinforced concrete structure of the load-bearing facade is designed as a layered, ventilated system with an internal cladding of Cor-Ten® sheet metal. The window frames on the office floors and ground floors are steel, made of system profile elements with appropriately selected structural properties and slenderness, and oven-powder-coated. The details proposed in the design are also conceived as minimalist, employing the tectonics of monochromatic planes with subtle shades and a play of light and shadow, using Cor-Ten® steel, brushed matte stainless steel, and glass. The flooring of outdoor areas—intended for pedestrians—is designed as stone, specifically granite in shades of gray and a reddish hue that echoes the facade.
Urban Planning Principles and Building Design
The proposed concept involves designing the headquarters of GSP and PSG as two independent buildings that constitute separate structures both above and below ground, with the parking garages connected functionally only by gateways, which means that the parking facilities can be separated at any time if necessary and operate completely independently, both legally and organizationally. This solution also allows for the independent, phased construction of each building separately. An analysis at the functional concept stage did not reveal a significant increase in investment costs resulting from the separation of the two buildings described above. However, the construction of the companies’ headquarters as two independent structures offers far-reaching benefits in terms of the quality of office spaces with uniform layouts, well-lit by natural light, and open to all directions. The GSP (Gas Storage Poland) building is located on Kasprzaka Street, while the PSG (Polish Gas Company) building is situated in the background and faces Bema Street. To achieve the appropriate visual relationship of the PSG building as seen from Kasprzaka Street, the PSG building’s structure was shifted toward Bema Street, emphasizing the entrance to the PSG company from that street in accordance with the competition guidelines. Thanks to this spatial adjustment, the site development plan achieved both a visual and functional connection between the PSG building from Kasprzaka Street (for building users) and the main entrance to the building from Bema Street (for visitors and clients). The buildings’ north and south facades emphasize the visual axes specified in the provisions of the Local Spatial Development Plan.
Site Development
In accordance with the Client’s instructions, the site has been fenced along its entire perimeter using green barriers (hedges) that conceal steel fencing, which serves as a secure barrier preventing unauthorized persons from entering the companies’ premises. The dense greenery of the hedge will also serve as a visual barrier separating the interior area from Kasprzaka and Bema Streets. Gates are also planned to be installed in this hedge fence at the entrances to the premises and to the underground garages, along with barriers, as well as access-controlled gates at the entrances from Kasprzaka and Bema Streets. In front of the main entrances, there will be representative plazas finished with gray and red granite. A pedestrian walkway has also been designed leading from the entrance (side gate) on Kasprzaka Street along the western facade of the GSP building to the PSG building, leading to its main entrance. Two separate entrances to the underground parking garages are planned for both companies, as well as an entrance to the on-site customer parking lot. All parking garage entrances utilize existing site access points in accordance with the competition guidelines. Delivery and service vehicles up to 2.5 meters in height will be permitted to enter the first floors of both parking garages. Waste collection for the PSG building will take place via the customer parking lot, while for the GSP building, it will occur via the bay on the south facade—at the garage entrance—outside of facility operating hours. Greenery of varying species and heights has been designed around the building, preserving valuable existing trees on the site as indicated in the inventory. Outdoor landscape plantings have been designed to accompany the external pedestrian walkways and extend into the interiors of the office lobbies and conference center lobbies. Thus, the plant arrangements blur and harmonize the boundary between the external world and the interior of the office and functional-representational spaces.