PZU Tower

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The PZU tower as seen from the intersection. The cantilevered boardroom on the south side of the tower is striking here. A lower Radisson Blu hotel adjoins it on the right
From a south-east perspective, the technical systems on the roof of the building are clearly visible

The PZU Tower is a high-rise office building in Warsaw that was built in the inner city district in the late 1990s . Today it is named after its owner and main user, the insurance company PZU SA , which is listed on the Polish stock exchange .

history

The property is located at the intersection of Aleja Jana Pawła II and Ulica Grzybowska . The Hotel Westin skyscraper and part of the atrium office complex are also located at this intersection . A modern Radisson Blu business hotel is directly adjacent to Grzybowska .

Construction of the skyscraper designed by architects Tadeusz Spychała , Wojciech Popławski and Willibald Furst began in 1997 and was completed in 2000. Initially, the new building was named Les Tours Business Research Center . That was changed after completion and sale.

scandal

The takeover of the building by PZU was accompanied by a media scandal. The indirect owner was initially the BRC Holding of the controversial businessman Andrzej Perczyński. In 2000, PZU acquired the building as its future company headquarters. From 2001 onwards, various PZU managers were accused of having embezzled and laundered funds through intermediary offshore companies when purchasing the high-rise. For example, the former CEOs Władysław Jamroży (PZU) and Grzegorz Wieczerzak (PZU Życie) are said to have participated in the overpriced acquisition of the building and received fees for this in hidden accounts on the island of Jersey . Both managers were subsequently imprisoned.

architecture

The building appears to consist of two interconnected structures: to the south a rectangular tower, to the north an equally high semicircular structure, which is around 10 meters wider than the tower on the east side and partially encompasses it. There is a multi-storey tower on top of which there is a striking mirror panel construction and a maintenance and cleaning crane. The PZU Tower has a roof height of 97 meters, the total height with superstructures is 106 meters. The tower has 24 floors above ground. The building is light blue.

particularities

The high-rise has a glass-covered, continuous atrium on the upper eight floors . The incidence of light is regulated with a swiveling mirror panel construction on the roof. Depending on the season and the intensity of the sun, the incidence of light and thus the internal temperature can be controlled. In the event of a storm, protective devices can be moved over the mirrors.

The entire building has double cladding. The outer cladding consists of - partially colored - glass. The windows of the inner cladding can be opened. The elaborate construction leads to a high degree of thermal insulation and reduces heating costs in cold seasons. On the other hand, the summer months sometimes come to such high temperatures that more and more air conditioning systems have to be used - which only work when all windows in a room are closed.

A three-storey office block, the obliquely under the tower on the south side roof upward from the tower is cantilevered , the building is on this side of a striking accent and allows the inside of a look vertically downwards. The PZU board offices are located here.

Individual evidence

  1. a b according to Tomasz Butkiewicz, Jarosław Jakimczyk and Małgorzata Błaszczu, Pałac bez barier ( Memento of the original dated February 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wprost.pl archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in the weekly magazine Wprost , edition 13/2005 (in Polish, accessed on October 19, 2012)
  2. a b according to Preston Smith, PZU: Where the money went , p. 25ff (PDF file; 1.10 MB), in the journal Poland Monthly , issue 31/2004 (in English, accessed on October 19, 2012)

See also

Web links

Commons : PZU Tower  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Information at Wiezowce.waw.pl (in English, accessed on October 18, 2012)

Coordinates: 52 ° 14 ′ 11.1 ″  N , 20 ° 59 ′ 52.7 ″  E