The heart of Warsaw?
For some, it is an unstinting reminder of communist oppression that should be torn down; for others, it has shed its political symbolism and become as much a part of the city as the Old Town. In the run up to its 50th anniversary and with work beginning on the area surrounding the Palace, Lokale Immobilia asks some of the main personalities in Polish real estate what should happen in the future to Warsaw's most controversial building.
Przemo Łukasik, architect with Medusagroup, Gliwice
I am not an opponent of the Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN). Some time ago I thought it should be demolished, but it was rather a symptom of youthful rebellion. Now I believe, the 'gift from Moscow' can be used somehow. For an architect it is important to design a project with its future function in mind. This was a different case. Its role was to be decided after it appeared. I thing the buildings surrounding the Palace are much worse than the Palace itself. The Palace should remain where it is, because Warsaw has no other places that could overtake its role, such as hosting events on a big scale. Life verifies the problems of architecture. It is kitsch but I would not get rid of it, or pack it. Another question is that Warsaw is a gigantic spatial mistake. There is no vision, investors come and build without any specific idea.
Rafał Szczepański, architect and president of the Polish Architects' Association Warsaw department
PkiN has to be approached from many levels. Looking at it synthetically is offensive for the city, not because of its aesthetics and block, but because of its spatial form, which makes it impossible for the city to come closer. The Palace is offensive for the city because of its dominance over the city. It cannot be argued whether the building is good or bad. It simply is. It is a fact and gentlemen do not dispute facts. PKiN has to be tamed. The urban tissue has to approach it in order to neutralize it but without hurting it. The Palace architecture should melt into the city. It is not an economic building. It can be disliked or culturally exploited, without being sacred, though.
Paul Ayre, director of Broadway Malyan Polska
I feel that, much like the TV Tower in Berlin, PKiN's history is best overlooked. It is a potentially striking image for the city, let down by the grimness of much of its immediate environment. I would not object to its demolition, but I doubt that we have the ability to replace it with a statement of equivalent conviction. In an ideal world, I would be delighted to see the whole of Plac Defilad given over to parkland. In the real one, care is needed to ensure that Warsaw's unraveled urban fabric is at least partially re-stitched.
Tibor Tatár, director of Futureal Group
The building should be demolished. It has very little architectural value and it is dysfunctional due to its old-fashioned lay-out. It's hard to find a proper utilization for a building like that. Unless the Palace represents a memorable time-period in Polish history, which I doubt, it must go. I think that we, Central Europeans, need to be braver in deciding what represents longstanding value and what does not. I would rather see a great new building there as a symbol of a modernized Poland being an integrated part of Europe.
Guy Perry, managing director of Investment Environments
Regardless of its heritage this building is Warsaw's most iconic structure. It has many characteristics of skyscrapers in the US of the late 1920s and early 1930s. It sits poorly in a context that has yet to be developed. I am looking forward to the completion of the new SOM tower - Rondo 1, which is under construction several hundred meters to the west.
Michael Atwell, partner at Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker
The Palace of Culture is truly one of Warsaw's most significant and impressive landmark buildings. I look forward to seeing how the whole area around the Palace of Culture such as Złote Tarasy, Plac Defilad and Marszalkowska will all integrate into the future heart of the city.
Maciej Gołębiewski, senior property negotiator with CB Richard Ellis
When we look at the plans and the photographs of the pre-war era and we can see a vibrant city then, and we can see how much [PKiN] has damaged the urban design of Warsaw. As a result, the city center is very much segmented. PKiN is an outdated building. It doesn't meet modern office or exhibition requirements and therefore many tenants left it. I would imagine it's an expensive building to manage, as common areas are large and inefficient. In the long run the cost would rise and at some point the city would need to refurbish it to meet modern standards. This of course would be the taxpayers' cost.
The best-case scenario would be to demolish it, and recreate the center of Warsaw with Złota, Chmielna and other streets crossing in, partially closed to car traffic with a large multi-use square, which has already been designed in front of PKiN by the city authorities. This would be the new center of Warsaw, designed mainly for pedestrians, with retail, service and exhibition facilities. This idea today is probably not politically correct but it's what this city really needs, a proper city center, such as Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street in London, or Via del Corso in Rome, or Boulevard Haussmann in Paris or Broadway in New York City.
Przemo Łukasik, architect with Medusagroup, Gliwice
I am not an opponent of the Palace of Culture and Science (PKiN). Some time ago I thought it should be demolished, but it was rather a symptom of youthful rebellion. Now I believe, the 'gift from Moscow' can be used somehow. For an architect it is important to design a project with its future function in mind. This was a different case. Its role was to be decided after it appeared. I thing the buildings surrounding the Palace are much worse than the Palace itself. The Palace should remain where it is, because Warsaw has no other places that could overtake its role, such as hosting events on a big scale. Life verifies the problems of architecture. It is kitsch but I would not get rid of it, or pack it. Another question is that Warsaw is a gigantic spatial mistake. There is no vision, investors come and build without any specific idea.
Rafał Szczepański, architect and president of the Polish Architects' Association Warsaw department
PkiN has to be approached from many levels. Looking at it synthetically is offensive for the city, not because of its aesthetics and block, but because of its spatial form, which makes it impossible for the city to come closer. The Palace is offensive for the city because of its dominance over the city. It cannot be argued whether the building is good or bad. It simply is. It is a fact and gentlemen do not dispute facts. PKiN has to be tamed. The urban tissue has to approach it in order to neutralize it but without hurting it. The Palace architecture should melt into the city. It is not an economic building. It can be disliked or culturally exploited, without being sacred, though.
Paul Ayre, director of Broadway Malyan Polska
I feel that, much like the TV Tower in Berlin, PKiN's history is best overlooked. It is a potentially striking image for the city, let down by the grimness of much of its immediate environment. I would not object to its demolition, but I doubt that we have the ability to replace it with a statement of equivalent conviction. In an ideal world, I would be delighted to see the whole of Plac Defilad given over to parkland. In the real one, care is needed to ensure that Warsaw's unraveled urban fabric is at least partially re-stitched.
Tibor Tatár, director of Futureal Group
The building should be demolished. It has very little architectural value and it is dysfunctional due to its old-fashioned lay-out. It's hard to find a proper utilization for a building like that. Unless the Palace represents a memorable time-period in Polish history, which I doubt, it must go. I think that we, Central Europeans, need to be braver in deciding what represents longstanding value and what does not. I would rather see a great new building there as a symbol of a modernized Poland being an integrated part of Europe.
Guy Perry, managing director of Investment Environments
Regardless of its heritage this building is Warsaw's most iconic structure. It has many characteristics of skyscrapers in the US of the late 1920s and early 1930s. It sits poorly in a context that has yet to be developed. I am looking forward to the completion of the new SOM tower - Rondo 1, which is under construction several hundred meters to the west.
Michael Atwell, partner at Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker
The Palace of Culture is truly one of Warsaw's most significant and impressive landmark buildings. I look forward to seeing how the whole area around the Palace of Culture such as Złote Tarasy, Plac Defilad and Marszalkowska will all integrate into the future heart of the city.
Maciej Gołębiewski, senior property negotiator with CB Richard Ellis
When we look at the plans and the photographs of the pre-war era and we can see a vibrant city then, and we can see how much [PKiN] has damaged the urban design of Warsaw. As a result, the city center is very much segmented. PKiN is an outdated building. It doesn't meet modern office or exhibition requirements and therefore many tenants left it. I would imagine it's an expensive building to manage, as common areas are large and inefficient. In the long run the cost would rise and at some point the city would need to refurbish it to meet modern standards. This of course would be the taxpayers' cost.
The best-case scenario would be to demolish it, and recreate the center of Warsaw with Złota, Chmielna and other streets crossing in, partially closed to car traffic with a large multi-use square, which has already been designed in front of PKiN by the city authorities. This would be the new center of Warsaw, designed mainly for pedestrians, with retail, service and exhibition facilities. This idea today is probably not politically correct but it's what this city really needs, a proper city center, such as Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street in London, or Via del Corso in Rome, or Boulevard Haussmann in Paris or Broadway in New York City.
