Architects from 77 STUDIO designed a four-story office and service building on Pulawska Street in Warsaw's Ursynów district - a block built of three, staggered above-ground parts shielded by a light, openwork structure that will hide green terraces.
1st floor plan
© 77 STUDIO of architecture
Ola Kloc: What was the priority for the investor?
Paweł Naduk: This is not our first office and retail building for this investor. In one of the previous ones (Słoneczna Office in Stara Iwiczna), we used greenery on the facades (pots in the windows and climbing plants), which was very well received by users over the years. Therefore, the investor's assumption in the Pulawska Street project was not only to create a commercially good and original building, but also to continue our earlier attempt to integrate workspace and greenery, weaving vegetation into the space.
Ola: What was the biggest challenge in this project, and what are you most satisfied with?
Paul: In the immediate vicinity of the plot stand two very strong, large blocks. Especially from the south, located on the hill, the intense yellow and blue building of a private clinic dominates the area. In view of the restrictions in the provisions of the zoning decision (allowing the construction of a building much smaller than its neighbors), the most difficult task turned out to be to create a building that would not disappear between its neighbors, but become their counterbalance and, with the right scale, properly complement the fabric of the frontage. To this end, we were looking for a solution that, on the one hand, will optically enlarge the block, and on the other hand, with its lightness will not compete with the strong blocks of its neighbors. Hence the idea of staggered, open top green terraces, obscured by a second skin.
front elevation and cross-section
© 77 STUDIO of architecture
Ola: What effect did you want to achieve with the openwork facade?
Paul: The purpose of the openwork closure was to "draw" the greenery into the interior, to shield users from the view of the chaotic street, creating an intimate, so to speak, atmosphere for work or exposure. The building is mainly viewed from the perspective of passing cars, for which it will visually open and close, showing the interior and greenery on the terraces only for a moment.
visualization
© 77 STUDIO of architecture
