As Wola continues to boom, more plans have been revealed for the development at Towarowa 22.
As Wola continues to boom, more plans have been revealed for the development at Towarowa 22.
Covering an area of 6.5 hectares, the project will see not just the construction of offices and housing, but also more attention paid to its public spaces.
Maciej Rydz of JEMS Architecki said: “we want Towarowa 22 to be a model example of the modern city – one that’s built with the current needs of its residents in mind, but also that respects the past whilst caring for the future. That is why we have devoted our energy to creating a perfect combination of buildings and public space.”
Currently occupied by a former printing plant and shopping centre, the Słowa Polskiego Park will form the central element of the investment.
“When designing Towarowa 22, we paid special attention to greenery around which residential and office buildings are to be concentrated,” said Nicklas Lindberg, president of Echo Investment, the developer responsible for the construction.
“We believe in the ideas of sustainable urban development, and that is why more than half of our projects under construction and preparation are comprehensive, multifunctional ‘destination’ investments,” he added.
Seeking to connect the business district with the heart of old Wola, the highest point of the project will be a 150-metre office block. Other high-rise structures will gently descend towards the south-east of the investment, thereby creating a natural passage between the offices on Rondo Daszyńskiego and the historic buildings of Wola.
As things stand, the park and lower buildings should be built within the next two-years, with another ten-years set aside for the completion of four skyscrapers.
Originally opened in 1950 (it hosted a global peace conference that very same year), for decades the area was dominated by Dom Słowa Polskiego (The House of the Polish Word), the largest printing house in Communist Poland. In its heyday, it rolled out in excess of 500,000 million newspapers per year, with titles including Młodego Technika (Young Engineering) and Żołnierza Wolności (Soldier of Freedom).
Bereft of state support, free market realities saw its significance erode and, in 2010, it was finally put out of its misery and placed in liquidation. Although parts of it have been rented, the bulk stands largely unused and pleading for rescue – now, that’s set to become reality with this ambitious redevelopment project.
