2020-10-29

SKYSAWA. A BUILDING OF THE FIRST ORDER, CLAD IN ALUPROF FAÇADES

SKYSAWA is a new skyscraper complex which will soon be gracing the area close to Warsaw’s ONZ (UN) roundabout. The address, No. 36 ulica Świętokrzyska, is a prestigious one, located at the very centre of the city and its Central Business District. This means that the finished building will be another symbol of contemporary Warsaw. It will also be one of the first office buildings with a direct link to a station on the newest metro line. The aluminium systems providing the structures for the windows and façades are being supplied by Polish sector leader ALUPROF SA.

The Central Business District is the capital’s commercial heart, while the area itself is one of the most distinctive in the city. For several years now, one ambitious tower design after another has been built there, providing tens of thousands of square metres of prestigious office space. It is in this area, in direct proximity to buildings-cum-symbols such as the Palace of Culture and Science and the Rondo 1 office tower, that the SKYSAWA will stand.

Elżbieta Dziubak, Architect General for ALUPROF S.A. explains the origins of the building’s name like this:

The name is a combination of two words. One is ‘sky’, which refers to the height of the building. And the other is ‘Sawa’, the name of the legendary melusina, or mermaid, who founded Warsaw together with another legendary figure, Wars the fisherman.

A two-building complex, SKYSAWA is a flagship development for Polski Holding Nieruchomośći (PHN) and will be one of the most attractive commercial properties in this part of Europe. The architectural concept is the work of PBPA Projekt (Polsko Belgijska Pracownia Architektury Sp. z o.o.) and its president, Adam Wagner. The general contractor is a consortium of three companies; PORR S.A. is the lead contractor, working with TKT Engineering and ELIN Sp. z o.o.

Future tenants will be tempted not only by SKYSAWA’s prestigious location, with its superb transport links, but also by all the conveniences and technological solutions it offers. Service and catering outlets will be available in the complex itself, as well as in the near vicinity.

Premium design

SKYSAWA has been designed as a complex of two class A office towers which meet the highest standards set for commercial buildings. Building ‘A’ will have nine floors above ground and three underground storeys, providing tenants with around ten thousand square metres of office space. Building ‘B’ will be one hundred and fifty-five metres tall, with forty floors and almost twenty-five thousand square metres of space. The best view of the cascading volume will be from ulica Świętokrzyska and ulica Emilii Plater. On the ulica Świętokrzyska and aleja Jana Pawła sides, the elevation will be glazed and divided vertically by slender, aluminium profiles.

Two aluminium façade systems by ALUPROF will be used to create the outer skin; the MB-SR60N EFEKT mullion and transom system and the unitised MB-SE81 SkyS. The exterior wall for the entire complex, up to the height of the ninth floor, which will house the technical facilities, is being built on the basis of the MB-SR60N EFEKT. The solution makes it possible to use large-scale panes of glass, obtain a smooth, glazed surface for the elevation and bring the boldest of architectural visions to life, while maintaining superb parameters for insulation, wind load and the other properties necessary to meet modern, sustainable building requirements

Bożena Ryszka, Marketing and PR Director for ALUPROF S.A., explains that:

SKYSAWA is a design where top-end solutions and materials are being used. Employing our MB-SR60N means that the image conceived by the architects can be achieved. In this case, it’s a glass elevation with subtly marked dividing lines, enhanced by elements of architectural concrete and aluminium.

The MB-SE81 SkyS is a unitised façade system which has been custom-designed by ALUPROF for Building ‘B’ of the SKYSAWA complex. The solution is a tailor-made response to the expectations and particulars in terms of both construction and assembly. This type of curtain wall is intended for buildings where the fundamental requirements include rapid assembly and the elimination of the need for exterior scaffolding during the construction process. This is sometimes the only option for work on towers in teeming city centres. With this system, the load-bearing profiles are set flush on the interior of the façade. On the exterior, they provide an elevation with dividing lines with a fixed width of thirty-eight millimetres vertically and twenty-nine millimetres horizontally. They are also emphasised by the decorative, vertical aluminium profiles connecting the panes. Structural sealant glazing technology is used to attach the glass, which makes it possible to build an elevation that gives the appearance of being completely glazed. The MB-SE81 SkyS will be used for Building ‘B’ from the ninth floor upwards.

Aluprof’s Director of Commercial Sales, Zbigniew Poraj, more detail:

Using a unitised façade for the design provides the opportunity of carrying out a great deal of the work on the shop floor and reducing the time required to assemble the elevation. Bringing complete, glazed segments into play accelerates the on-site work as compared to traditional mullion and transom façades and eliminates the need for exterior scaffolding. And that means lower costs.

Location

One unquestionable advantage of the SKYSAWA development is its first-class location. Another is the fact that the complex will have a direct connection to the Rondo ONZ metro station. SKYSAWA is one of the first office buildings in Poland to feature that particular option. The lead general contractor, PORR, has already begun preparatory work for building the underground passageway which will link Building ‘B’ and the station.

The construction of the intersection point, which is located under the pavement at the junction of ulica Świętokrzyska and aleja Jana Pawła, has already begun. At present, the status of the above-ground environment is being recorded, prior to beginning the digging and ceiling of the intersection. This stage will take to the end of the year.

A model of sustainable building

Sources tell us that the developer, PHN, plans to apply for BREEAM certification at the Outstanding level. BREEAM, in other words, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, is an internationally recognised, multi-criteria assessment system for sustainable building. ‘Outstanding’, the highest possible BREEAM grading, is reserved for the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced commercial buildings, which represent less than one per cent of their kind. At present, Building ‘A’ of the SKYSAWA complex has received a BREEAM Interim certificate at that level. It was also one of five developments from across Europe to be nominated for the 2020 BREAM Awards.

Construction work on the SKYSAWA complex began in June 2019. In line with the schedule, Building ‘A’ should be ready in the third quarter of 2021. Building ‘B’ should be completed in the third quarter of 2022.