Office House is an office building designed by JEMS Architekci, which is part of the first stage of the multifunctional Towarowa 22 complex. The huge investment is being developed in an attractive location in Warsaw’s Wola district. Office, residential and service buildings will be built on an area of 6.5 hectares. Towarowa 22 is intended to be like a city within a city with restaurants, cafés and places for culture and art. The investment is being developed by AFI Europe, Echo Investment and Archicom Collection.
Architects from the JEMS studio won an award in the Sustainable Building category of the PLGBC Green Building Awards 2024 for their design of the Office House building. At Towarowa 22, the architects also designed green areas and public space. At the heart of the site is the Park of Words, a unique garden integrated into the remains of the former printing works. It is the presence of multi-level greenery that is the key element of the entire establishment. It has also determined the shape of the building.
In Wola, access to green areas is limited, and the surrounding office buildings and network of busy streets create a so-called heat island. Therefore, the architects from JEMS decided to create a building that would break with the traditional image of an office building. They started with the semantic layer, i.e. the word.
The name ‘office building’ is associated with oppressive spaces, repetitive cubicles, cold light and a document factory. Today, however, a workplace is more than that – it is a space that fosters creativity and an individual approach to work , explains the architect responsible for the project , Maciej Rydz, partner at JEMS studio.
As he points out, the word “home” evokes positive emotions: security, cosiness of a place to which one returns with pleasure. This is precisely the atmosphere that the designers wanted to create, combining modern architecture with user comfort in the ‘home to work’. A key element of the design is the wellbeing of the employees, so Office House provides constant contact with nature.
Architecture in green
The H-shaped ground plan of the Office House is combined with a five-storey park pavilion, whose openwork, partially glazed structure resembles a pergola, surrounded by lush vegetation. This space is planned as a recreational area with a café and restaurant.
In Office House, we created courtyards that allow the garden to penetrate inside and become a natural extension of the park. We wanted the relationship between the interior and exterior of the building to be more developed than in a conventional office building, hence the idea of ‘stretching’ the greenery over its structure,” says Olek Gadomski, architect at JEMS. ‘The plants here are not a decoration, but an integral part of the architecture that connects people to nature.
Towarowa 22 closer to nature
The architects invited greenery not only to the inner courtyards, but also to the balconies, loggias and roof terraces, mainly along the sunniest elevations. They designed these elements to protect the interiors from excessive heat in the summer and to allow natural light throughout the building in the winter.
On the edges of the terraces and roofs, which are particularly prone to overheating, plant pots have been placed to provide a natural shield from the sun, while the moist substrate helps to maintain a stable temperature. The designers also took care of the microclimate in the shaded areas, which promotes natural ventilation of the interiors through the opening windows.
Elongated balconies and terraces with porous facades also limit strong wind gusts that could create turbulence on the ground floor. In addition, sequences of roofs and pergolas over the entrance courtyards from Wronia Street and Word Park eliminate draughts, providing comfort at the entrances , explains architect Gadomski.
The varied facades, terraces and multi-level park are also places for informal meetings and events, and therefore spaces conducive to both work and relaxation. All this was recognised by the jury of the Green Building Awards 2024 plebiscite, awarding in October Office House in the Sustainable Building Design category.
The beauty of detail
The building’s interiors have been designed for year-round occupant comfort, making it more than just a functional office space. Taking advantage of the building’s H-plan layout, the architects created diverse spaces. With a thoughtful façade, the greenery creates a constant backdrop to the office spaces.
The interiors offer different views – of bustling streets, terraces or quieter corners of the park – which gives them a unique character and creates an aura of home. Materials that are pleasing to the senses, such as wood, “satin” concrete in texture or light beige terrazzo, create a pleasant atmosphere for working. The floors, in shades of warm beige and burgundy brick, are reminiscent of natural materials.
Two separate entrances on the ground floor lead to the lobby, which is reminiscent of a covered city square, while the open space of the courtyard and the orangery create a buffer between the street and the interior. In the entrance area, visitors are welcomed by a two-storey lobby with a mezzanine floor, finished in wood, glass and varied concrete textures in the form of undulating lift shaft cladding or polished precast panels of warm, light terrazzo.
The Office House project was inspired by both the architecture itself and the history of the Polish Word House, which was the largest printing plant in post-war Poland. JEMS architects introduced the circle motif, which became the leitmotiv of the entire concept. The pergola in the multi-level park has circular openings, allowing light to flow freely. – The circle motif is also present in the interiors – visible on the ceilings and in the form of lamps. On the top floor, the terrace is covered by an openwork construction with openings. These overlapping elements create an intriguing play of light and shadow, which changes depending on the perspective,” says arch. Maciej Rydz.
design: JEMS Architekci
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