Złote Tarasy revisited
The flood of criticism of Złote Tarasy on aesthetic and functional grounds has left real estate professionals involved in the project eager to restate their case; that the building indeed has a place on Warsaw's disparate landscape.
Recently, local architects have taken the opportunity to express their disapproval of the 191,839 square metre conception, designed to house retail and entertainment areas, restaurants, office space and a car park. Their censure stems from what they describe as Złote Tarasy's rambling design, which some say fails to integrate with any of the city centre's landmarks, its colossal size and its circular shape, which creates an introverted construction that detracts from a city in dire need of an open-plan, welcoming landmark.
Also, some locals questioned why developers chose The Jerde Partnership International, famous for massive multi-use retail projects, to craft the central scheme, located on 32,000 plot adjacent to the central railway station.
Eugéne Houx, vice president at ING Real Estate, which is developing the €250 million project with Gmina Centrum, shrugs off the architects' comments, saying there is a deeper story behind Złote Tarasy that shores up its reputation. Once completed, ING will own half of the structure and Dutch developer Rodamco Europe, the other half. And just as other Złote Tarasy supporters have claimed, Houx said any objections would wash away with time.
"I think the article was fair enough," he said of a recent Business Journal report that highlighted the real estate community's distaste for Złote Tarasy. "But from how people reacted to the project, it might be good to explain a few more things about it."
A common reaction has been to dismiss what they have seen so far as "ugly," to say of the design and materials intended for the project, "Oh my God, terrible junk."
Houx said ING is no stranger to these arbiters of good taste expressing their views on the city's architecture; in fact, he said, many objections were voiced over the placement and design of ING's Warsaw offices, located on Plac Trzech Krzyży. Today, he said, they are an integral, living part of the square.
He went on to assert his case.
Early on, ING realised that they didn't want to create a big shopping centre on the Złote Tarasy site. Throughout the Netherlands, where ING is based, the national government forbids the erection of large, cumbersome shopping centres in the heart of any city. He said ING brings this Dutch architectural sophistication to Poland.
"Holland's first reason is to protect the city centres. It is a very small country so you have to be careful with all the space you have," he said.
Every vacant plot in Warsaw is important, too.
ING went into the project with this mindset. And because Złote Tarasy is a multi-functional project - not just a retail space - Houx is perplexed by some architects' aesthetic comparison of the design to the likes of Blue City, for instance.
So this begs the question, why turn to Jon Jerde (see article below), who has designed such retail-driven complexes as the Mall of America, as the chief design architect?
Houx explained that ING, after researching Warsaw, concluded that the city lacked a proper city centre. "There are many locations with potential, such as Nowy Świat and the Chmielna shopping district and plac Konstytucji, but there was nothing with sufficient potential to act as a catalyst for urban revitalisation.
Enter California-based Jon Jerde, and The Jerde Partnership International, which describes itself as a "placemaker," rather than merely a building designer group.
Houx dismissed the firm's description as just "marketing tools," but he said that based on the firm's experience, ING realised that it was ideal to act as a catalyst for the west side of the Palace of Culture. "Not many architects can do this," he said. That section of the city was emerging as the central business district, but there was no reason for anyone other than businesspeople to go there.
"Jerde had shown that they were very interested in being the catalyst in city centre redevelopment," Houx said. "They had experience in doing so."
He explained that the key item Jerde suggested for the project was the rolling glass roof.
"If you take someone from Los Angeles here and they look at the weather and they say well this is not LA, we'd better make something to make a more pleasant environment," Houx said.
Houx and Jerde boast of a handful of Złote Tarasy's aesthetically pleasing qualities that will interface with the city, such as the glass roof, outward looking retail storefronts, glass-capped cinema, multiple office entrances, and a clear reference to the city where the circular project opens onto the Palace of Culture.
"There is a lot going on inside the project, but at the same time we don't want to make a completely introverted building," Houx said.
But critics still say "not enough;" it's still a closed structure that will be a drain on the urban fabric.
Most recently Warsaw's new chief architect Jan Maciej Chmielewski chimed in on the subject, in the context of what problems such projects are inflicting on a city that was destroyed in the Second World War.
"Everything that lies to the west of the Palace of Culture was always designed as an entirety," he said. "Later, when the economic and political situation changed, the land was split up among smaller investors and schemes constructed there no longer form an urban unity.
He went on about Złote Tarasy. "The main characteristic of such new investments is the fact that in many cases they are facing away from the city."
This depiction has Jon Jerde, for one, scratching his head.
"It's extremely porous," Jerde said of the project. "It's really important to make connection and to reach out to the city. This deal isn't sort of dropped from Mars to come down to sit in Warsaw as if it was its own self-satisfied little thing.
Nevertheless, the chief architect, who is charged with awarding building permits based on Warsaw's disorganised zoning laws, was not convinced. He believes that constructions like Złote Tarasy "do not embrace the street and do not create public space that is accessible to all."
Recently, local architects have taken the opportunity to express their disapproval of the 191,839 square metre conception, designed to house retail and entertainment areas, restaurants, office space and a car park. Their censure stems from what they describe as Złote Tarasy's rambling design, which some say fails to integrate with any of the city centre's landmarks, its colossal size and its circular shape, which creates an introverted construction that detracts from a city in dire need of an open-plan, welcoming landmark.
Also, some locals questioned why developers chose The Jerde Partnership International, famous for massive multi-use retail projects, to craft the central scheme, located on 32,000 plot adjacent to the central railway station.
Eugéne Houx, vice president at ING Real Estate, which is developing the €250 million project with Gmina Centrum, shrugs off the architects' comments, saying there is a deeper story behind Złote Tarasy that shores up its reputation. Once completed, ING will own half of the structure and Dutch developer Rodamco Europe, the other half. And just as other Złote Tarasy supporters have claimed, Houx said any objections would wash away with time.
"I think the article was fair enough," he said of a recent Business Journal report that highlighted the real estate community's distaste for Złote Tarasy. "But from how people reacted to the project, it might be good to explain a few more things about it."
A common reaction has been to dismiss what they have seen so far as "ugly," to say of the design and materials intended for the project, "Oh my God, terrible junk."
Houx said ING is no stranger to these arbiters of good taste expressing their views on the city's architecture; in fact, he said, many objections were voiced over the placement and design of ING's Warsaw offices, located on Plac Trzech Krzyży. Today, he said, they are an integral, living part of the square.
He went on to assert his case.
Early on, ING realised that they didn't want to create a big shopping centre on the Złote Tarasy site. Throughout the Netherlands, where ING is based, the national government forbids the erection of large, cumbersome shopping centres in the heart of any city. He said ING brings this Dutch architectural sophistication to Poland.
"Holland's first reason is to protect the city centres. It is a very small country so you have to be careful with all the space you have," he said.
Every vacant plot in Warsaw is important, too.
ING went into the project with this mindset. And because Złote Tarasy is a multi-functional project - not just a retail space - Houx is perplexed by some architects' aesthetic comparison of the design to the likes of Blue City, for instance.
So this begs the question, why turn to Jon Jerde (see article below), who has designed such retail-driven complexes as the Mall of America, as the chief design architect?
Houx explained that ING, after researching Warsaw, concluded that the city lacked a proper city centre. "There are many locations with potential, such as Nowy Świat and the Chmielna shopping district and plac Konstytucji, but there was nothing with sufficient potential to act as a catalyst for urban revitalisation.
Enter California-based Jon Jerde, and The Jerde Partnership International, which describes itself as a "placemaker," rather than merely a building designer group.
Houx dismissed the firm's description as just "marketing tools," but he said that based on the firm's experience, ING realised that it was ideal to act as a catalyst for the west side of the Palace of Culture. "Not many architects can do this," he said. That section of the city was emerging as the central business district, but there was no reason for anyone other than businesspeople to go there.
"Jerde had shown that they were very interested in being the catalyst in city centre redevelopment," Houx said. "They had experience in doing so."
He explained that the key item Jerde suggested for the project was the rolling glass roof.
"If you take someone from Los Angeles here and they look at the weather and they say well this is not LA, we'd better make something to make a more pleasant environment," Houx said.
Houx and Jerde boast of a handful of Złote Tarasy's aesthetically pleasing qualities that will interface with the city, such as the glass roof, outward looking retail storefronts, glass-capped cinema, multiple office entrances, and a clear reference to the city where the circular project opens onto the Palace of Culture.
"There is a lot going on inside the project, but at the same time we don't want to make a completely introverted building," Houx said.
But critics still say "not enough;" it's still a closed structure that will be a drain on the urban fabric.
Most recently Warsaw's new chief architect Jan Maciej Chmielewski chimed in on the subject, in the context of what problems such projects are inflicting on a city that was destroyed in the Second World War.
"Everything that lies to the west of the Palace of Culture was always designed as an entirety," he said. "Later, when the economic and political situation changed, the land was split up among smaller investors and schemes constructed there no longer form an urban unity.
He went on about Złote Tarasy. "The main characteristic of such new investments is the fact that in many cases they are facing away from the city."
This depiction has Jon Jerde, for one, scratching his head.
"It's extremely porous," Jerde said of the project. "It's really important to make connection and to reach out to the city. This deal isn't sort of dropped from Mars to come down to sit in Warsaw as if it was its own self-satisfied little thing.
Nevertheless, the chief architect, who is charged with awarding building permits based on Warsaw's disorganised zoning laws, was not convinced. He believes that constructions like Złote Tarasy "do not embrace the street and do not create public space that is accessible to all."
