Mennica Legacy Tower
Warsaw, Poland
The Mennica Legacy Tower complex, part of a newly approved master plan for development in the CBD of Warsaw, is divided into a 35-story tower on the southeast side of the site and a smaller 10-story building on the west side. The development features approximately 80,000 square meters of Class A office space, including a conference center, fitness center and ground-level retail, as well as four levels of underground parking and ancillary services. A large plaza between the two structures provides ample space for outdoor seating and a variety of landscape features.
The taller building has a three-story lobby with a cable-supported enclosure, utilizing a transparent glazing that blurs the boundary between interior and exterior space. The tower core is clad with large stone slabs that accentuate the solid mass of the core, in contrast to the lightness of the building’s lobby.
The 2,000-square-meter tower floor plate provides an almost column-free space with 11- to 13-meter lease spans and a 1.35-meter planning grid. The tower mass features rounded corners on the northeast and southwest sides that help to reduce the visible length of the east and west facades; on the opposite corners, the tower incorporates a strong vertical edge.
The southeast and northwest corners are further highlighted by slightly recessed vertical slots that break up the building’s mass and introduce an iconic feature. The southeast corner of the tower steps in three-floor increments outward as it rises, opening the slot to the sky and creating a dynamic and unique profile that becomes a glowing beacon at night. A sloping screen wall at the building’s top enhances the profile and integrates roof terraces into the overall massing. The textured, saw-toothed facades reinforce the rounded corners and give the enclosure an ever-changing appearance as one moves around the building.