Plac Unii
History
Plac Unii was constructed in place of the Supersam store, which was deconstructed in 2006. The building, opened in 1962, was the first supermarket in Poland and was considered a notable example of modern architecture in Poland. The Supersam store chain remained present in the new building until 2022.
The building was developed by Liebrecht & wooD and BBI Development NFI, and designed by a team from the APA Kuryłowicz & Associates architecture firm, led by Stefan Kuryłowicz. Its construction lasted from 2010 to 2013, with Warbud as the main contractor. It was officially opened on 12 October 2013. In 2014, it was sold to Invesco Real Estate for 226 million euros.
Characteristics
Plac Unii is in South Downtown, at 2 Puławska Street, next to the Union of Lublin Square (Polish: Plac Unii Lubelskiej), which is its namesake. It is a complex of three buildings. It includes a 22-storey-tall tower with a height of 90 m, and two smaller buildings on its sides, each being 6 storeys tall with a height of 30 m. They are connected together by 30-metre-tall pathways with glass roofs and walls. The elevation on the first storey is made out of black polished granite. The elevation on the higher levels is covered in white tiles, made out of a mixture of ground marble and glass.
It has a total floor area of 57,000 m. The majority of the building is dedicated to office spaces, with a floor area of 46,000 m. The remaining area is dedicated to the Plac Unii shopping centre, which has an area of 11,000 m and occupies first two storeys, as well as an underground section. In 2020, there were 45 stores and 8 restaurants and coffeehouses.
Notes
References
- ^ Jarosław Trybuś. "Wyburzenie warszawskiego Supersamu (2006) – przełom w społecznym postrzeganiu dziedzictwa powojennego modernizmu". nck.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Warszawa. Kultowy sklep znika po 60 latach. Właściciel zabrał głos". wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Budowa nowego Placu Unii". swiatbetonu.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Zastąpił Supersam. Plac Unii tuż przed otwarciem". tvp24.pl (in Polish). 1 October 2013.
- ^ "Plac Unii – nowa architektura na Placu Unii Lubelskie w Warszawie". architektura.info (in Polish).
- ^ "Znamy datę otwarcia centrum handlowego Plac Unii". warszawa.wyborcza.pl (in Polish). 30 September 2013.
- ^ "Plac Unii sprzedany za 226 mln euro". urbanity.pl (in Polish). 19 December 2014.
- ^ "Plac Unii. Kompleks biurowo-handlowy w Warszawie coraz bliżej otwarcia". muratorplus.pl (in Polish). 13 June 2013.
- ^ "Plac Unii City Shopping. Warszawa, Puławska 2". urbanity.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Magda Kłodecka: "Na zakupy, ale też na golfa, do kina i do tężni", Gazeta Stołeczna. Warsaw, 18 September 2020, p. 15. (in Polish)
External links
- Media related to Plac Unii at Wikimedia Commons