March 6, 2017
On March 2nd, a lavish gala was held in Warsaw, Poland to celebrate the symbolic laying of the cornerstone for the ¬500M ($523M) multi-building Varso Place. For this project, our Warsaw office is serving as the Architect of Record, a development featuring a terraced design in which two lower buildings (19 & 21 stories respectively), designed by Hermanowicz Rewski Architects, will culminate in a 53-story tower, designed by Foster + Partners, thereby making Varso Place the tallest building in Central Europe.
Varso is being developed by the HB Reavis Group and it will be located along the western section of ul. Chmielna, in the heart of Warsaws business district. Varsos larger tower will feature a prominent spire as well as a publically accessible observation deck and restaurants on the 46th and 47th floors. The two lower office buildings will feature green roof terraces and also include ample public space, retail shops, restaurants and cafes. There will also be a four levels of underground parking in the development and to service a new bike path that runs nearby, the Varso will also provide storage space for 750 bicycles.
The Varso development is also targeting BREEAM certification (the European equivalent of LEED) at the Outstanding level and the building will include building systems that will help reduce energy consumption and water emissions.
In addition to HB Reavis and the architectural design services of HRA and Foster + Partners, the Varso consulting team that Epstein is collaborating with also includes BuroHappold Engineering (MEP, Structural), RS Architects (Landscape), Benoy Solutions (Interiors, Retail), Emmer Pfenninger (Façade), VDA (Vertical Transportation) and Sweco Consulting (BREEAM).