Building an icon

But this is just the latest addition in the story of rebuilding Warsaw's city center, and the last piece of the puzzle is also falling into place - the reconstruction of the Central Railway Station

Orco Property Group, a fund investing in the real-estate market in Central and Eastern Europe, recently created quite a stir on the Warsaw real-estate market when it announced that it was going to pull down the 16-year-old City Center retail outlet in the heart of Warsaw to build a residential skyscraper. But the gossip kicked into top gear when Orco revealed the Polish architect behind the scheme - Daniel Libeskind.

The Polish architect is known for projects with a painful history and ideology behind them. Libeskind became the darling of the architectural world when he won the competition for designing the Jewish Museum in Berlin. His fame was cemented when he presented his vision for the Freedom Tower, to be built on the site of the former World Trade Center in New York, and he finally won the contest. At one point he was the favorite in the competition to design the Museum of Polish Jews in Warsaw.

Building an icon
Where some criticize Libeskind as a designer who breaks conventions to attract fame, others say he is a visionary who raises monuments in praise of the human spirit. This makes it all the more remarkable that he is now turning his attention to a residential project in the very center of Warsaw.

The 45-storey apartment building will be raised in the chaotic, yet dynamic heart of Warsaw, in close vicinity of the Palace of Science and Culture. At 192 meters, it will be the highest residential construction in the country, and possibly a new icon for the capital.

Jean-Claude Moustacakis, country manager at Orco Property Group and the person in charge of the project, is adamant that Libeskind is personally involved in the project. "He is from Łódź, he speaks Polish, and he still has strong links with this country. Also the location, just next to the Palace of Science and Culture (PKiN), is for him unique."

"PKiN, being the symbol of 50 difficult years of Polish history, together with Libeskind's project, will illustrate where Poland is today and where it should be tomorrow - it is a new vision of freedom and liberty of a country that is very dynamic," says Moustacakis. The building will also refer to history in a more tangible sense; Libeskind wants to top the building with the crown that was missing from the Polish eagle symbol for so many years.

Super skyline
This is the latest in a line of eye-catching skyscrapers designed by world-wide architects that make up the gallery of Warsaw's city center. US design office Skidmore, Owings and Merrill are the authors of the glass office skyscraper Rondo 1. The Intercontinental Hotel on ul. Emilii Plater was the brainchild of Tadeusz Spychała. The Warsaw Financial Center was devised by a New York studio, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. Finally, the widely disputed retail and office complex Złote Tarasy, with its wavy glass roof, was prepared by the Jerde Partnership from California.

Although built separately and not in accordance with any cohesive local-area development plan, many of these towers are similar to each other, with characteristic crowns at the top and blue, green and gray hues prevailing. Libeskind's project will differ not only due to its height, with PKiN being just 43 meters higher, but also due to its function. "Building a tower not for offices but for residential use, it makes a whole difference," says Moustacakais.

Residential revamp
Orco hopes to reverse a trend that was first observed in US metropolises in the 1950s and is now taking place in Warsaw, namely people migrating from the city centers to quieter, greener suburbs. "Of course now people like to live in those peaceful residential developments in Mokotów. But in five years' time [the city center], which is actually the best location in downtown Warsaw, is going to be the best place to live in the capital," argues Moustacakis, pointing to communication, retail, and entertainment amenities.

The luxurious development in the heart of the city, with such facilities as a large swimming pool with a terrace, art galleries, cafes, and restaurants, has already appealed to potential tenants. "We have people calling to sign pre-reservation agreements. At the beginning of next year we will be able to sign regular reservation agreements," says Moustacakis.

The residential units in the skyscraper will vary from 70 sqm to 300 sqm. The size could be customized to satisfy the needs of the most demanding clients. The number of flats is not definite yet but Moustacakis is talking about some 300. The price per sqm has not been revealed by the developer yet, nor the total cost of investment. Orco has only applied for the planning permit, and will still have to petition for the construction permission.

Out with the old
In order to develop its project, Orco decided to do something that has previously proved unpopular with Varsovians - an old-fashioned shopping center will be demolished to make way for Libeskind's project. Without considering it controversial, Moustacakis says: "We believe we can bring much better value to the city with our project than keeping the building as it is today."

Libeskind's block is located in an area that is supposed to be symbolic of Warsaw. With numerous office buildings around, which house the biggest players in international business, it is slowly taking a truly metropolitan shape. Recently, the Chief Architect's Office presented another architectural project for the heart of Poland's capital. The core of this will be a huge square, even bigger than Plac Piłsudkiego. The center will welcome more residential buildings, as this is also the Chief Architect's aim to enliven the center. The biggest attraction will be the Museum of Modern Art, whose construction is scheduled to begin in 2007. Before that, merchants from the present Merchant's Department Stores (DTC) will rebuild their seat into an impressive retail center. The architecture to the east of the PKiN will be low, with no skyscrapers on that side.

Changing trains
Despite the extensive rebuilding, there is still one major blackspot on the city center's landscape - the main hall of the central railway station. A spokesperson for Polish State Railways (PKP SA), Michał Wrzosek, said that the beginning of general reconstruction will begin in three or four years' time. The tender for the architectural and construction project, however, is unlikely to be announced next year. "The railway station is to become an integral part of the city's architectural project. It should melt into the area. It is possible that the hall might be liquidated and the station might be located underground." In 2006, though, the station will undergo a "face-lifting, which will include painting the walls and modifying the illumination."

"There is a unique potential in Warsaw that you cannot find anywhere else. It is a great city with a great skyline. In five to 15 years from now we will see really great things being done," said Moustacakis. But many of the citizens will be hoping it will happen sooner than that.