Mennica Legacy Tower marks GP’s first completed project in Poland. The Mennica Legacy Tower was developed by an affiliate of Golub & Company LLC and Mennica Towers GGH MT Sp z o o S.K.A, and delivered in collaboration with Epstein, a design firm with offices in Chicago and Warsaw.
The Master Plan
Located at the intersection of Prosta and Zelazna streets in the CBD, both the 35-story and 10-story office buildings open to a landscape plaza with a pedestrian walkway that sits between them. The development is divided into the taller main tower on the east side of the site and the smaller building on the west side.
The 115,000-sm two-building office area is anchored by one of Poland’s largest institutions, mBank, and co-working provider WeWork. The development is part of a newly approved plan in the CBD of Warsaw, and consists of 80,000-sm of Class-A office space, a conference center, fitness center, ground-level retail, and four levels of underground parking and ancillary services.
More Than An Office Complex
A huge part of the local master plan was to make sure there were outdoor areas dedicated to the public where people can sit and enjoy different landscape features. More than 60% of the area is specifically dedicated to this. The stepped arrangement of the two buildings, as well as the sculpted, sloped top of the tower, specifically respond to requirements that allow daylight into adjacent residential buildings.
“The project is much more than a signature new office complex,” says James Goettsch, FAIA, chairman and co-CEO at GP, in a release. “Integrally connected to its central urban plaza, the development creates a unique ‘sense of place’ that enhances the public realm of Warsaw.”
Unique Profile & Features
Rounded corners on the main tower’s northeast and southeast sides help reduce the visible length of the east and west facades. On the opposite corners, the lower tower incorporates a strong, vertical edge.
The southeast and northwest corners are each further distinguished by a vertical recess that breaks up the building’s mass and introduces a dominant feature. The southeast corner, in particular, steps outward in three-floor increments as it rises, opening the recess to the sky and creating a dynamic profile that becomes a glowing beacon at night. A sloping screen wall at the building’s top enhances the profile, and the textured, saw-toothed facades give the enclosure an ever-changing appearance as one moves around the building.
Attention To Detail
A three-story lobby with a cable-supported enclosure utilizes a transparent glazing that blurs the boundary between interior and exterior space. The tower core is clad with large stone slabs that accentuate the solid mass of the core, in contrast to the lightness of the building’s lobby. The 2,000-sm tower floor plate provides an almost column-free space with 11- to 13-m lease spans and a 1.35-m planning grid.
The complex’s triple-glazed, high-performance facade with integrated operable panels supplies fresh air to occupants and combines state-of-the-art building enclosure technology with an appealing aesthetic. Large landscaped outdoor terraces on the fifth level of the main tower and the eighth level of the west building provide exterior amenity spaces with sweeping views that engage the city.
“The tower’s unique profile helps define it as a city landmark,” says Joachim Schuessler, GP Design Principal, in a release. “Its stepped, curved façade further distinguishes it in the skyline from all angles.”
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jun 14, 2016
Let's not forget introverts when it comes to workplace design
Recent design trends favor extroverts who enjoy collaboration. HDR's Lynn Mignola says that designers need to accommodate introverts, people who recharge with solitude, as well.
Movers+Shapers | Jun 13, 2016
THE DISRUPTORS: The Millennial generation is imposing its will on design
AEC firms, particularly those that design hotels and offices, gain a competitive edge by knowing how to appeal to the largest share of the American workforce.
Office Buildings | Jun 10, 2016
Buildings that invest in wellbeing see healthy returns
Healthy workers are more productive workers, but fitness can be tough when employees at the office for 50 hours a week. Perkins+Will's Janine Grossmann offers the wellness components that landlords and companies should prioritize.
Office Buildings | Jun 10, 2016
Form4 designs curved roofs for project at Stanford Research Park
Fabricated of painted recycled aluminum, the wavy roofs at the Innovation Curve campus will symbolize the R&D process and make four buildings more sustainable.
Office Buildings | Jun 7, 2016
Incorporating places to rejuvenate into office design
Workspaces are geared toward socializing and collaboration, but people need quiet, calm places where they can sit alone and focus. Gensler's Penny Lewis offers three ways to design rejuvenation places into office settings.
Market Data | Jun 3, 2016
JLL report: Retail renovation drives construction growth in 2016
Retail construction projects were up nearly 25% year-over-year, and the industrial and office construction sectors fared well, too. Economic uncertainty looms over everything, however.
Building Team Awards | Jun 1, 2016
Multifamily tower and office building revitalize Philadelphia cathedral
The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral capitalizes on hot property to help fund much needed upgrades and programs.
Building Team Awards | May 26, 2016
Cimpress office complex built during historically brutal Massachusetts winter
Lean construction techniques were used to build 275 Wyman Street during a winter that brought more than 100 inches of snow to suburban Boston.
Building Technology | May 24, 2016
Tech is the new office perk, says a new survey of American workers
But most employees still see their companies falling on the dull side of the cutting edge.
High-rise Construction | May 17, 2016
Foster + Partners-designed towers approved as part of massive neighborhood redevelopment in San Francisco
One of Oceanwide Center’s buildings will be the city’s second tallest.
