High-rise buildings have been shaping the skyline of Warsaw for decades. Although for decades one icon, the monumental Palace of Culture and Science, has been leading the way, over time its competitors began to emerge. This process accelerated particularly intensively in the 1970s, when architects and urban planners began planning a new centre for the capital – modern, functional and less ideological than Stalin’s gift that dominates the city. This was the spirit behind the so-called Western Wall project, which included the construction of a distinctive skyscraper at 8 Chałubińskiego Street, known as Ch8.
It was this building that became one of the first high-rise symbols of post-war modernity and a counterpoint to socialist-realist pomposity, a harbinger of Warsaw’s later ambitions as a city with a global character.
Chałubińskiego 8 – Scandinavian modernity in communist Poland
The Ch8 skyscraper, erected between 1975 and 1978 to a design by a team of Polish architects Jerzy Skrzypczak, Halina Świergocka-Kaim, Wojciech Grzybowski, Jan Zdanowicz and Jerzy Janczak, was built with the participation of the Swedish company BPA Byggproduktion AB. The office building stood on the site of the former Pomology garden and was from the beginning part of a larger urban plan for the modernisation of the city centre, the so-called Western Centre. The new blue-and-white building was 150 metres high and at the time became the second tallest building in Poland after the Palace of Culture. Equipped with 12 high-speed lifts, it impressed not only with its size, but also with its modern technical infrastructure. Designed to house the offices of the Commercial Bank and foreign trade headquarters, the skyscraper symbolised the aspirations of the People’s Republic of Poland to participate in the world economy.
The changing name of the building
Initially known as Intraco II, it was the ‘little brother’ of the first building in the series, Intraco I on Stawki Street, erected between 1973 and 1975. However, it soon became informally known as Elektrim due to the presence of Elektrim’s headquarters, and later – during the transition – it also functioned as Oxford Tower, before finally adopting the simplified, modern name Ch8. The top of the skyscraper has also served for many years as a huge banner, where the names and logos of various companies are displayed. The building has been on the municipal register of historical buildings since 2012.
Ch8 – space for art
Contrary to appearances, the history of this skyscraper is not limited to its office functions. Between 1979 and 1995, the mezzanine was home to the ‘INTRACO II’ Gallery of Contemporary Art, run by art dealer Lucyna Kubica and her daughter Ewa Bronikowska. It was one of the first initiatives of its kind in post-war Poland, offering a space for artists creating in the spirit of modernity, almost in opposition to the state gallery aesthetics of the time. Today, after almost five decades of existence, the building needs to be brought up to modern standards. In 2022, its owner applied for permission to extend the building by seven additional storeys, which would increase its height to 180 metres. In parallel, a new tower is planned to be built some 20 metres south of the current one, heralding a further densification of the ‘forest’ of high-rise buildings in this part of the city.
New highlights on the horizon – Lilium Tower
In the immediate vicinity, between the skyscraper at 8 Chałubińskiego Street and the former Marriott Hotel (now the Presidential), Lilium Tower is to be built – a 193-metre-high building with office, hotel and residential functions that will complement the western skyline of Śródmieście. The project, which has been in the pipeline for many years, has already been granted planning permission and work is expected to start soon.
View of the western section of the city centre now and in the future. Photo: Google Maps and APA Wojciechowski
Ch8 as an icon of modernism
The Ch8 skyscraper is now a relic of the communist-era modernisation of Śródmieście and an active participant in the contemporary transformation of Warsaw’s urban landscape. Although its interiors may seem outdated today, the building itself still plays an important symbolic role as a pioneer of modern high-rise architecture in Poland and a harbinger of transformations that are taking increasingly spectacular forms.
Source: warszawa.naszemiasto.pl, architekturaibiznes.pl
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