Varso

Office complex in Warsaw, Poland

Varso

Varso in May 2022

Former names| Chmielna Business Center
Record height
Tallest in European Union since 2022[I]
Preceded by| Commerzbank Tower
General information
Status| Completed
Type| Office
Architectural style| Neomodern
Location| Warsaw,  Poland
Address| ul. Chmielna 69/71
Coordinates| 52°13′43.05464″N 20°59′57.03022″E﻿ / ﻿52.2286262889°N 20.9991750611°E﻿ / 52.2286262889; 20.9991750611
Construction started| December 2016
Topped-out| February 2021
Completed| September 2022
Cost| €500 million
Height
Architectural| 310 m (1,017 ft)[1][2]
Roof| 236 m (774 ft)
Observatory| 230 m (755 ft)
Technical details
Floor count| 53
Floor area| 140,000 m2 (1,506,900 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators| 47
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Foster + Partners
HRA Architekci
Developer| HB Reavis
Structural engineer| Buro Happold[3]
Website
varso.com

Varso or Varso Place is a neomodern office complex in Warsaw, Poland. It was designed by Foster + Partners and developed by HB Reavis. The complex features three buildings; the main one, Varso Tower, is the tallest building in Poland, the tallest building in the European Union, and the sixth-tallest building in Europe at 310 m (1,020 ft) in height.[4] It was topped out in February 2021 and completed in September 2022, with the opening of the observation deck planned for 2024.[5]

## Design[edit]

Varso Tower's green (lower) observation deck

Varso Place is located in Wola, on the corner of Chmielna Street and John Paul II Avenue (pl). Construction takes place on a plot of 1.72 ha (4.3 acres), purchased in 2011 from PKP by the Slovak company HB Reavis for approximately 171 million złoty. The estimated cost of construction was approximately €500 million (2.27 billion zł in 2021). Initially, the project was named Chmielna Business Center, being later changed to Varso, which references the Latin name for Warsaw--Varsovia.

The original plan was to build a 130-metre (430 ft) tall skyscraper. The project was later revised and the total height of Varso Tower was increased to 310 m (1,020 ft) including a spire surmounting the building.[1]

Varso Place is a complex of three buildings: a 310 m (1,020 ft) main tower (roof height reaching 230 m (750 ft) with an 80-metre (260 ft) spire on top) and two buildings with a height of 81 and 90 m (266 and 295 ft), respectively called Varso 1 and Varso 2. The total area of Varso Place is 140,000 m2 (1,500,000 sq ft), with 10,300 m2 (111,000 sq ft) dedicated to commercial services. British-based architecture studio Foster + Partners designed the main tower and HRA Architekci was responsible for designing the Varso 1 and Varso 2 buildings.[6]

Varso 1 and Varso 2

At a height of 230 m (750 ft) on the main tower, Vista Terrace will become a public observation deck offering panoramic views of the city. A restaurant and a bar called Skytop Restaurant & Bar will occupy the 46th and 48th floors. All three buildings will be connected to each other on the ground floor level and the entire complex will be connected to the Warsaw Central Station. A four-storey underground car park will accommodate approximately 1,100 cars, 80 motorbikes and 750 bicycles. The modernisation of the surroundings around Chmielna Street is a part of the investment and it will include new pavements, street lamps, benches, bike stands and signage, as well as planting shrubs and trees.[7]

## Construction[edit]

The excavated glacial erratic seen on the Mokotów Field

The general contractor is HB Reavis Construction, a company from the HB Reavis Group. The building permit for Varso was obtained in December 2016, with construction work commencing the same month.[8]

In early 2017, the construction team had to move a transformer that was powering the Warsaw Central Station, as it was located exactly where the Varso Tower would be built.[9] In October 2017, at a depth of 10 m (33 ft), a 60 tonne glacial erratic was excavated at the construction site. It was pulled out using a specialized crane and then transported to Mokotów Field, where it stood next to the National Library. In the future, it will be moved back and displayed next to the entrance of Varso Tower.[10]

On 20 February 2021, the final piece of the spire was lifted to the top of Varso Tower, bringing the skyscraper to its full height of 310 metres (1,017 ft).[11][12] The tower was completed in September 2022.[13][14]

Varso Tower became the tallest building in the European Union by surpassing the Commerzbank Tower, in Frankfurt, Germany, which previously held the record at 259 m (850 ft).[15]

### Timeline[edit]

* May 2019

* December 2019

* May 2020

* July 2020

* June 2021

* May 2022

## See also[edit]

* List of tallest buildings in Poland
* List of tallest buildings in the European Union
* List of tallest buildings in Europe

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "2017 Vinci annual report" (PDF). vinci.com. Vinci SA. 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
2. ^ "Varso Tower / Chmielna Business Center" (in Polish). urbanity.pl. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
3. ^ "Varso Tower". The Skyscraper Center. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
4. ^ Parkes, James (26 October 2022). "Foster + Partners completes EU's tallest building in Warsaw". Dezeen. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
5. ^ "Varso Tower prawie gotowy. W lobby najwyższego budynku UE inwestor sadzi okazałe drzewa". Murator Plus (in Polish). Grupa ZPR Media. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
6. ^ Gibson, Eleanor (11 January 2017). "Construction begins on Poland's tallest tower by Foster + Partners". Dezeen. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
7. ^ Dowell, Stuart (14 September 2022). "Tallest building in EU officially opens to become 'new symbol of Warsaw'". The First News. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
8. ^ Smisek, Peter (24 April 2019). "EU's Tallest Tower under Construction in Poland". The B1M. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
9. ^ Hayes, Mike (18 March 2020). "Varso Tower: The challenges of high-rise". khl.com. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
10. ^ "HB Reavis lifts rock". EurobuildCEE. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
11. ^ Bretan, Juliette (22 February 2021). "Warsaw skyscraper becomes EU's tallest building". Notes from Poland. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
12. ^ North, Nathan (22 February 2021). "Varso Tower now the EU's tallest". EurobuildCEE. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
13. ^ "Varso Tower completed". EurobuildCEE. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022. "HB Reavis has completed the construction of the tallest skyscraper in the EU – Varso Tower."
14. ^ "Ruszył montaż iglicy na Varso Tower". NowaWarszawa.pl (in Polish). 21 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
15. ^ McLaughlin, Katherine (26 October 2022). "The Tallest Building in the EU Was Just Completed in an Unexpected City". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 20 January 2023.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Varso.

* Official website
* Installation of the spire of the Varso Tower

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* Torre Breda (117 m) (1957)
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