Warsaw with the highest tower in the EU, regions with new records

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In the biggest cities we can observe the realisation of spectacular office projects. Completion of some investments will mix up the classification of the tallest buildings in Poland. 

The most spectacular realisations can be seen in Warsaw. – This year, the Warsaw market is to see the completion of several large-scale investments, mostly concentrated near the city centre. It is in the centre, which is becoming more and more attractive in terms of urban development and interesting for business, that the largest and most modern office complex in the country is being created. The standard is set by Varso Tower, the highest office tower in the European Union – says Krzysztof Foks, Senior Analyst at Walter Herz.

New towers enter the market

The biggest Warsaw’s projects finished last year include Mennica Legacy Tower, 140 metres high (49 thousand. sq m), two skyscrapers in Varso Place I and II complex (46 thousand. sq m) and two 130 metres high buildings The Warsaw HUB B and C (88 thousand. sq m) by Ghelamco. In January this year, the 195-metre Skyliner (49 thousand sq m) by Karimpol also received the occupancy permit, and in February the 140-metre skyscraper Generation Park Y (47 thousand sq m), crowning the office complex developed by Skanska at the Daszyńskiego roundabout since 2015.

In the coming months, they will also be joined by the 202-metre-high Warsaw Unit skyscraper (57 thousand sq m) with a façade resembling a dragon skin, being built at the corner of Prosta and Pańska Streets by Ghelamco and the revitalised Norblin Factory by Capital Park Group (66 thousand sq m) at Żelazna Street.

– It should be noted that despite the momentum of many projects, the volume of office space under construction in Warsaw is currently the lowest in a decade. For this year, the commencement of construction of the next four office projects has been planned, which are to contain a total of over 110 thousand square metres of space. The project of a new, 174-metre high The Bridge tower, which will offer 47 thousand square metres of space, was also presented by Ghelamco – adds Krzysztof Foks.

A record on a European scale

The most spectacular investment realized in Warsaw is Varso Tower (70 000sqm) by HB Reavis, which after installing a spire recently reached the target height of 310 metres and took the first place in the list of the tallest office buildings in European Union, pushing skyscrapers in London, Frankfurt or Madrid to the background. The 53-storey high-rise building, located near Warsaw’s Central Railway Station, was designed by Foster + Partners studio. Two observation terraces at 205 and 230 metres will be located twice as high as the terrace in the Palace of Culture and Science. A restaurant with a view of Warsaw will also be opened on floors 46 to 48. The construction of the building is to be completed in 2022.

The second largest HB Reavis investment in Poland, after Varso Place, will be completed by the end of this year. Office campus Forest, (78 thousand. sqm.) being built at Burakowska Street, near Arkadia Shopping Centre, consists of two office buildings, higher of which will be 120 metres high.

On Świętokrzyska street, near ONZ roundabout, SKYSAWA is growing (40 thousand. sqm). The investment of Polski Holding Nieruchomości consists of a lower office building of four to nine storeys above ground and a 155-metre-high office tower.  The construction of the lower part is to be completed in the third quarter of this year, and the high-rise building a year later. The complex will be connected by a direct underground passage with a metro station.

Yareal Polska is also implementing its flagship project in Warsaw. The multifunctional complex Lixa (65 thousand square metres), which is being erected by the Daszyńskiego roundabout, will include three office buildings. The whole project is to be ready in 2024.

Tricity and Kraków with the biggest plans  

According to Walter Herz’s data, around 800 thousand sq m of office space is to be delivered to the country’s main markets this year, with Warsaw accounting for 480 thousand sq m of offices, 150 thousand sq m more than last year. In regional cities, over 300 thousand sq m of space is waiting for the start of construction.

– Due to the current situation, many developers are postponing the construction dates of new projects. In the regions, where the development of the business services and IT sector is still visible, fewer office investments will start this year than planned. Developers focus mainly on locations where the demand for offices is still high. Most new projects are waiting to start in Tricity and Kraków. The construction of investments initiated before the pandemic continues without major disruptions, and new buildings are being handed over in individual markets – says Mateusz Strzelecki, Partner / Head of Regional Markets at Walter Herz.

In Krakow the construction of the highest building in the city was completed at the end of last year. In the Unity Centre investment, located in the Mogilskie roundabout, the finishing works and commercialisation of the 102.5-metre Unity Tower and other buildings are in progress. The new Kraków leader offers the highest observation terrace in the city, located on the penultimate floor, which is due to open in the second half of this year. The multifunctional business centre Unity Centre is composed of 5 buildings, including 3 A-class office buildings (46 thousand sq m), Radisson Red hotel with 230 rooms and a luxury apartment building.

At the junction of Klimeckiego and Nowohucka streets in Krakow’s Zabłocie Cavatina Holding has completed the first stage of Ocean Office Park. The building with an eye-catching façade, referring to the shape of waves, will be constructed in four phases. It will offer almost 53,000 sq. m of GLA. Extension of the second part of building A is in progress and its completion is planned for the second quarter of this year.

Among the largest office developments in Kraków is also Brain Park (43 thousand. sq. m). Echo Investment’s office project is located on Aleja Pokoju, one of the city’s main arteries. The first stage of the investment is to be completed in the third quarter of 2022.

Spodek with a tall neighbour

The 133-metre high .KTW II tower, located in the very centre of Katowice, has recently reached its target height. The office building located at W. Roździeńskiego Avenue has thus become the tallest building in the Upper Silesian-Głębian metropolis. The second tower constructed by the TDJ Estate DJ Estate in the .KTW complex is to receive tenants at the turn of the first and second quarter of 2022. The 31-storey building will provide 42 thousand square metres of office and service space. The usable area of the entire investment amounts to over 62 thousand square meters.

In the Katowice agglomeration, the Silesia for Business complex is also being developed by TriGranit, and the Craft project is led by Ghelamco. Also noteworthy is the multifunctional complex Global Office Park (90 thousand sq.m) executed in the centre of Katowice by Cavatina Holding. It is the first mixed-use complex on the city map built on such a large scale. Two 100-metre-high office towers, set on a common podium, will provide a total of approx. 56,000 sq. m of A-class space. They will feature restaurants and services in a gallery-like arrangement. The third tower will offer 670 flats.

The completion of the Andersia Silver development, which Von der Heyden Group has announced for the first half of 2023, will bring the tallest building in the capital of Wielkopolska. The 25-storey 117.5-metre high tower is being constructed in the last phase of the project at Andersa Square in Poznań. The building will provide the local market with 40 thousand. sqm. of usable space, in which office space will prevail.

Skanska company is also active in the city, which in the second quarter of this year plans to deliver a 55-meter D building (39 thousand. sqm.) in the Nowy Rynek complex.The project, which is being developed between Stanisława Matyi, Wierzbięcice, Ks. Jakub Wujka and Przemysłowa streets, next to Stary Browar (Old Brewery) assumes the construction of five buildings with different functions, office, hotel and residential. The total usable area of the facility amounts to 100 thousand square metres.

Piotrkowska in Łódź even more attractive

The tallest office building in Łódź received its occupancy permit in December last year. The 82-metre-high office tower is part of the Hi Piotrkowska 155 complex, which also includes a five-storey office building and a Hampton by Hilton hotel. The building, which is located in the heart of the city, at Piotrkowska Street, offers a total of 21,000 sqm of office space and 5,000 sqm of retail and service space.

One of the most interesting projects in Łódź is Fuzja developed by Echo Investment. The investment will bring the former Karol Scheibler’s factory back to life. On nearly 8 hectares at Tymienieckiego Street in Łódź a fragment of the city is being revitalized and will be brought back to life with the completion of the first square at Elektrownia this summer. Four apartment buildings will be built there, as well as offices with a total area of about 40 thousand square metres. The historic buildings will provide space for services, shops and restaurants (15 thousand square metres). There will be new urban squares, common spaces and green areas, which will occupy almost 4 ha.

Cavatina Holding plans to revitalize Manufaktura in Widzew, where a multifunctional complex offering offices, flats for rent, retail and service units and open spaces for rest and recreation is to be created.

In Gdynia, the construction of a multifunctional project has also started. In the second stage of the Gdynia Waterfront investment (75 thousand sq. m) by Vastint, on a several-hectare plot between Hryniewickiego, Washington and Kościuszki streets, office and service buildings, as well as commercial premises, a hotel, conference space and public facilities will be erected.

The Allcon Group, meanwhile, has announced a project at the junction of Kielecka and Droga Gdyńska streets. On the area of 2 ha about 55 thousand sq. m of usable space of services, offices and flats will be created. The residential dominant will be about 120 metres high.
On the post-shipyard grounds of the Young City in Gdańsk, next to the European Solidarity Centre, Euro Styl and Torus are developing a multifunctional investment Doki with two office buildings with a total leasable area of 37 thousand sqm.

Cavatina Holding is also constructing another office building in the Palio Office Park complex at the Gdańsk Shipyard. Eight office buildings will be constructed in the office and service complex, which will provide a total of almost 90 thousand sq. m of office and recreational space.

In the centre of Wrocław, at Sikorskiego Street, Cavatina will soon start the construction of the Quorum complex, in which three office buildings with 80,000 sqm of space and one residential building are planned. The 140-metre-high tower, which will be constructed as part of this investment, will be the second largest high-rise building in the city. It will be the largest mixed-use project in the city, for which the Oder boulevards will constitute a rest and recreation zone. Along the promenade there are planned, among others, service premises with gastronomic functions and gardens by the water. The investor has a permit for the construction of three buildings.

Echo Investment is also active in the capital of Lower Silesia. At the end of 2020, the company completed the construction of the first stage of the West 4 Business Hub complex (approx. 80,000 sqm) on Na Ostatnim Groszu Street, where three more stages will be implemented. The investor is also running the MidPoint71 project (37,000 sqm) in Powstańców Śląskich Street in Wrocław.

Skanska is also building Centrum Południe at the corner of Powstańców Śląskich and Szczęśliwa Streets. The complex is to consist of five office buildings with a total leasable area of 85 thousand sq m, two of which are already completed with an area of over 27 thousand sq m.

Source: Walter Herz