Imagine a modern, friendly and comfortable city area with exceptional public space. This is what the Warsaw quarter bounded by the streets of Towarowa, Pańska and Miedziana is to be like. In this location, offices and apartments both for sale and for rent are to be created as well as restaurants and service outlet units. The remaining industrial infrastructure in Wola is to be integrated into the Słowa Polskiego public park where the innovative design will include trees growing among former factory buildings.

The centre of Warsaw is shifting to Wola, which has turned from an industrial district into a business hub. At its heart is Towarowa 22, a 6.5 ha development site where a former printing house and an old shopping centre once stood. Soon it is to be an attractive and modern, open mixed-use city quarter. Its focal point will be an urban park created around some of the structures from the former printing house. Słowa Polskiego Park will attract people from Miedziana street to the development. The historic Polish Word House pavilion, which is to be open to the public, is to be surrounded by greenery and this is to stretch out to the former factory buildings beyond.

“We want the Towarowa 22 project to be a model modern city district built with the current needs of residents in mind and a project that shows respect for its past and concern for its future. That's why we have devoted a lot of energy to crafting the perfect combination of buildings and public space. It is a project that fits its surroundings, that shows responsibility for the climate and is open and friendly – a project that is a symbiosis of man and nature. We also want to retain our historical heritage. We are proposing to use the the most interesting factory building structures as the basis for a modern, multi-level city park, to create the green enclave that Wola lacks. This architectural solution is unique in Europe and demonstrates a completely different viewpoint on how to use historic buildings," says Maciej Rydz, a partner at Jems Architekci.

A model 'destination' - a place that attracts people

The project on Towarowa Steet will divide the former printing house site into eight separate quarters, with streets, footpaths and cycle paths running between them. The concept is to reconstruct Wronia street as well as the the passageway between Chłodna and Pańska street, while providing ground floor services such as shops, cafés, and restaurants. The two central quarters of the site as well as the renovated Dom Słowa Polskiego pavilion are to be open to the public, while the Słowa Polskiego public park will retain many of the former factory building structures. Office blocks are to be constructed around the park as well as apartment buildings and rental housing with units to house everyday services. These buildings combined will have a total floor area of over 200,000 sqm. The highest point of the development is to be a 150m office building at the junction of  Towarowa and Pańska street. The remaining buildings will gently slope down to Miedziana street in the south east to create a smooth transition from the metropolitan Daszyńskiego Roundabout area to Wola district’s more historic buildings.

“Towarowa 22 is to be our flagship 'destination' project, a large placemaking project that meets the needs of Warsaw and will move the heart of the city over to Wola. When designing Towarowa, we paid particular attention to the greenery. This is to be a key element which the residential and office buildings are to be clustered around. We believe in sustainable urban development and that is why more than half of the projects we have under construction or in the pipeline are comprehensive, mixed-use 'destination' developments. Since Warsaw Breweries is such a huge success, I am convinced of the massive potential of Towarowa 22," says Nicklas Lindberg, CEO of Echo Investment.

The project to transform this area into a mixed-use district follows current urban trends and the investors' vision of creating sustainable cities.

“We are delighted to be a part of this landmark Warsaw project. We always ensure that our developments improve their cities, that they support their growth and bring out their beauty, utility and heritage. The 22 Towarowa street project features all of these factors. We expect to start construction in just a few months. At AFI Europe, we invest in projects over the long-term with a horizon that is often 10-20 years or more – so we are interested in projects that stand out in the market not only through their scale, but also the green solutions that are used and their potential to maintain their value for the investor as well as for their local communities. In this respect, Towarowa exceeds all of our expectations. It will be a sustainable and functional project that meets the high environmental standards of the European Union”, says Michał Stępień, Deputy CEO, AFI Europe Poland.

The investors plan to start construction work on the project with an office building on Pańska Street.