Elevation on the model
Phase one. Programming the city
On the post-industrial plot near the centre of Warsaw there is a new development plan, establishing three high-rise buildings. Each one of them was a task for one student. As a team, we designed the buildings as a synchronised group.
Warsaw as a city is a place of dynamic development. To avoid the urban sprawl, there is a need of intensifying the city space. But, single skyscraper, standing one next to another, can not solve the problem of communication between work, living place and other facilities. That is why we decided to design an united pedestal, connecting three towers. The towers have different functions - a dormitory with common ateliers, the housing, and the office with hotel rooms in the lower part. The pedestal combines different sort of facilities operating as well the tower as the city around. To enable the wide range of people to live in the city centre, there is a need of limiting the cost of the building and living. Thats why we set collective laundry, cleaning services and other social facilities. Due to this the apartment gets smaller, and in result - cheaper. Moreover, there is a democratic system of choosing the facilities. There would be the smartphone - application, by with the inhabitants and employees of the building would report their preferences (by four blocs - sport, gastronomy, trade and craftsmanship). The statistics would be updated live and the potential providers would be able to estimate the profitability of investment in this place.
Level +8
Level +16
Phase two. The material
Warsaw does not need new architecture icons, buildings made of steel and concrete with eccentric shapes. The modernist tradition is still perceptible, and therefore the designed forms are rather simple.
The main construction material is wood. It is actually self-growing material. Especially in Poland, which is covered by forests in a large degree. With a good forestry management there is a possibility of providing huge amount of ecological material every year. The project of a skyscraper is an attempt of implanting such ecological way of thinking in the city development. The true innovation is based on finding new use for already known materials.
Construction scheme
Steps of the construction process
Phase three. The tower
My task was to design the office building with a hotel space. I continued the process of simplifying the access to the city centre. I proposed a space which can be use not only as a regular office, but also as a co-working and micro-office for the beginning entrepreneurs. When coworkers would join their forces, they would start working as a micro-office, and then they could rent all the floor an start working as a regular company.
To support the building financially, there is also a hotel located at the lower part. In polish law there is a rule that balcony and loggias are allowed to the 15th floor. Using this rule, I obtained the hotel rooms with the loggias. On the other hand, upper-located offices are less shaded.
The construction method is based on prefabricated glued laminated timber boards. The direction of it is not perpendicular nor parallel to the facade. The degree angle is 45 degree, so that each panel crosses the axis of two or three panels on the lower level. Due to that, the outer layer of the construction is more rigid. The ceilings are also made of wood with strengthening steel beams inside. In the centre of the plan there are two separate cores. Each one is made of glued laminated timber as well. Moreover, they are also reinforced by steel. All elements of the construction are connected by steel elements. The walls have grips on the points where they connect with those on other levels. In those grips there are steel columns inserted.
The construction method allows the building to arise step by step, not only as a finalised object. First there is a pedestal built as a concrete base for the tower. Than two cores emerge. As a next step, following floors are added. Every 5 floors are a finished unity, which can exist while the rest is being built.
