More and more Polish cities are adding modern high-rise buildings. Warsaw has long reigned supreme in this field, although other urban centers, such as Wrocław, Katowice, Poznań and even Łódź, are also competing in the race for skyscraper-filled centers. Tall buildings have also been erected in Rzeszow; the first tenants are expected to appear in them in the coming months. But should the architectural rush to the heavens be pursued at all costs?
In the near future, Rzeszow will see the completion of the construction of two skyscrapers forming the Olszynka Park complex, implemented by local developer APKLAN - the larger of the towers is to become the tallest residential building in Poland, which will measure almost 221 meters from the base to the top of the spire. Where did the new high-rise buildings come from in the capital of Podkarpacie?
it started with a parking lot
Some of the first mentions of the construction of new giants in Rzeszow saw the light of day in 2013, when the magistrate announced plans to expand the parking lot between the Castle Bridge and the Podpromie performance hall, located on the west bank of the Wislok River. As the editors of the city's Nowiny24 magazine explained, while on regular days the 300-car parking lot under the hall was quite sufficient, during sporting events vehicles had nowhere to fit and occupied every available space in the area, destroying greenery and sparking protests from residents. Seeking a solution, the City reached an agreement with the developer APKLAN, which owns nearby plots of land, and has indicated a desire to build two residential buildings on them, equipped with a significant number of parking spaces. Some of them would be put into general use, so that the number of spaces available to residents and visitors to Podpromie Hall could increase from 300 to as many as 800. According to the "agreement", a two-story parking building was built in 2015 right at the exit from Castle Bridge, offering motorists 375 parking spaces. Shortly thereafter, not far from the new parking lot, construction began on a high-rise building that would eventually become the tallest residential building in the country.
Olszynki Park in Rzeszow - Photo during construction.
Photo: Panek © CC BY SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
on the way to heaven
The appetite for more meters grew as construction progressed. Back in 2013, it was rumored that the taller of the towers contributing to Olszynka Park was to be an awe-inspiring 120 meters high at the time. A year later it was already 160 meters with 36 floors, and eventually the Rzeszow developer said it was going for a record. Indeed, during the construction process, a decision was made to raise the building by another 5 floors and to place a several dozen-meter mast on top of the higher of the two towers, which will make Olszynki Park reach a ceiling of 221 metersmeters, thus surpassing the tallest residential buildings in Poland so far - Wrocław's SkyTower (Studio Architektoniczne FOLD) with a height of 212 meters and Zlota 44 (Daniel Libeskind) in Warsaw, which rises to 192 meters. Who designed the new king of Polish high-rise buildings and how does the project, which is nearing completion, look like?
Olszynki Park in Rzeszów - Photo under construction
Photo: Arandomguy5 © CC BY SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The local office S.T. Architects, led by Robert Szular and Maciej Trybus, is responsiblefor the architectural concept of the new dominant of the Rzeszow skyline. The design proposed by the team called for the erection of two residential towers with mixed functionality, which were to include office, retail and service spaces, and above all residential. The towers differ in height - the lower, more squat, rises 78 meters, while the higher one is 161 meters, and with the spire almost 221. Both rise from a common 6-story base . The cuboidal silhouettes of the high-rise buildings are dynamized by the arches inscribed in them, which are cut off by a lighter color from the main body of the building. They are intended to resemble sails, while in practice the curvilinear silhouettes of the Rzeszow towers evoke very justified associations with Zlota 44, their Warsaw counterpart, both in terms of function and dimensions. In terms of aesthetics, however, Rzeszow's skyscrapers are a far cry from Zlota 44's silhouette. Malicious Internet users scoff at the nautical comparisons, writing about "Rzeszow's nautical traditions," while unfavorable comments are also made about the gates leading to the complex, which look much worse than in the visualizations provided by the developer.
Olszynki Park in Rzeszów - Photo under construction
Photo: Panek © CC BY SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
the city under your nose
Functionally, Olszynki Park is a self-sufficient complex. The two towers rise from a common 6-story base, in which retail and service infrastructure has been placed. The developer has ensured that those living in the towers will have access to stores, a gym, a swimming pool, cafes and restaurants, and even a kindergarten. Most of the units will be open to the public. The residential offer prepared by the developer is to be highly diverse - there will be units ranging from 28 to as much as 300 square meters. The most expensive of these will come at a cost of more than two million zlotys. There are 317 apartments in total, and access to them will be guarded by a concierge. This one will allow tenants to enter only those floors where they live - so neighborly visits will be much more difficult. An attraction for Rzeszow residents and tourists will certainly be the viewing terrace, which will be accessed by an external glass elevator.
Olszynki Park in Rzeszow - Wislok Boulevard
Patryk2710 © CC BY SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
rzeszow skyline
OlszynkiPark is currently in the process of installing the spire on the taller of the towers. In addition to breaking the record, according to Robert Kawalec, president of APKLAN, it will serve several other functions, such as decorative and relay mast.
As befits a building of record height, the construction machinery is also the largest - the spire is being installed with the help of the currently highest crane in Europe. The crane will disappear in some time, the skyscrapers will remain, and with them the panorama of the left bank of the Wislok River, over which the investment is located, will be transformed. The new buildings will become part of Rzeszow's skyline, which is already formed by Bulwary Park, owned by the same developer, rising to 70 meters, and Capital Towers, 85 meters high, located on the other side of the river. Looking at the city skyline, however, it's hard to resist the impression that the taller tower of the Olszynka Park complex is lonely in its dimensions, significantly outstripping other Rzeszow developments. The new architectural dominant of Rzeszow is the subject of numerous discussions focusing on the direction of development of the capital of the Subcarpathian region.
We are aware that our building arouses controversy. But every novelty, every unusual object raises controversy. Certainly our skyscraper is already arousing curiosity and interest. And this is probably a good thing for Rzeszow," argues Robert Kawalec, president of APKLAN.
Commentators draw attention to the ill-conceived and chaotic development in the vicinity of the Castle Bridge on the right side of the Wislok River. In this area, only the boulevard at the very edge of the river is included in the Local Land Use Plan, while plots of land removed from it are given to developers, who manage them in a rather free way. There is no denying that a city devoid of tourism, with an economy largely based on the aviation industry and new technologies, needs a modern center, of which high-rise buildings are synonymous in architectural language. However, ill-considered development in the long term may do more harm than good, and the negative changes will stay with residents for years. The lonely silhouette of the Olszynka Park tower is therefore a symptom of the larger problem of a lack of urban design concept that Rzeszow will have to face in the coming years.
