195 Jerozolimskie Avenue is a new office and retail development in Warsaw. The complex will consist of several buildings, between which an open courtyard will be created, a space accessible to all residents. The building will be constructed in the central part of the Włochy district, and has been designed by the 77 Studio architecture team.
The concept is to develop a quarter located in the central part of the Włochy district. A large complex with offices and commercial premises with a total usable area of 29,000 sq m is to be built on a well-known Warsaw thoroughfare. The investor is Westminster Polska, which is currently applying for a building permit.
New district square
The centre is to consist of three blocks forming a dynamic spatial composition. – Due to theproximity of buildings with strong, expressive blocks, our goal was to tidy up a fragment of the Jerozolimskie Avenue frontage by limiting the form as much as possible – emphasises arch. Paweł Naduk, owner of 77 Studio architektury.
The architects designed the buildings in such a way that their layout allowed for the creation of an internal courtyard between the buildings, arranged as an intimate square with restaurants, cafés, service points and elements of small architecture.
Along the side of the busy street, a kind of curtain-type development is planned, acting as a kind of barrier, separating the enclave in the middle from the noise. On the other side of the office buildings, from the parallel Jutrzenki Street, only a partial frontage is planned, leaving a kind of open gate, inviting residents to the inner patio.
This is intended to make the open space function as the living room of the neighbourhood, where the activities of the residents will concentrate. The neighbourhood lacks places for meetings, leisure activities and community events.
195 Jerozolimskie Avenue
As noted by architect Paweł Naduk, a big problem in Warsaw’s districts outside the city centre is the lack of local centres, friendly and activating spaces. Those that foster meetings, the integration of residents and the building of local ties.
This is particularly evident in the Włochy district. – During another of our projects in this area, we received an official statement from the district office, in which we were informed that the ‘area of the junction of Jerozolimskie Avenue and Popularna Street’ is considered to be the centre of the Włochy district. The area is dominated by hypermarkets and office centres with huge car parks and a motorway viaduct, so it is difficult to speak of a valuable centre for people,” says architect Paweł Naduk. – That is why we want to revitalise this part of the city, invite the residents, proposing a solution in the shape of an intimate urban square sheltered from the noisy road.
According to the investor’s analysis, the district is experiencing a real housing boom. Only in the immediate vicinity, e.g. in Jutrzenki Street, Wschodnia Słońca Street, Łopuszańska Street and Równoległa Street, housing estates are being built where over half a thousand flats are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
As a result, the area will see a huge influx of new residents who will need to do their shopping nearby, go to the hairdresser’s, fitness club or invite friends to a restaurant. Also, the shortest way to the city train and SKM stops will lead through the courtyard of the future complex. All these facilities are to be provided by the solutions proposed in the project.
Wood and glass façade
The 77 Studio architecture project envisages that the appearance of the buildings will be varied. The façades will be decorated with glass and wood, but in different configurations. On the outside, i.e. on the street side, the façade will be covered with glass with delicate razor blades that will decorate it rhythmically.
The separateness of the interior spaces is emphasised by the use of warm-feeling wooden panels. The openwork structures, reminiscent of blinds, are intended to create an interesting play of light and varied tectonics on the walls. This is not just a decorative element. The arrangement of the wooden elements is also intended to somewhat obscure the interior from excessive sunlight.
Our intention was to give the ensemble both an elegant and natural feel, creating a friendly meeting place, adds arch. Paweł Naduk.
design: 77 Architecture Studio
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