On 12th May 2005 the cornerstone laying ceremony took place for Topaz, Globe Trade Centre’s (GTC’s) latest office building. It marked yet another investment in the central core of Warsaw’s Mokotów district by the leading developer in the Central & Eastern European region.

The Topaz office building, which is due to be completed in December 2005, is being built in one of Warsaw’s most prestigious locations, near to both the city centre and Okęcie International Airport. It is situated next to Mokotów Business Park and Galeria Mokotów (the largest business centre in Poland, and Warsaw’s most popular retail & entertainment centre, respectively). The total leasable area of the 7-storey Topaz office building will be 11,080 sq. m., and it will also provide space for 187 vehicles in an underground car park.

”While building Topaz we can profit from the experience that we have gained developing our previous projects, both in Poland (Mokotów Business Park in Warsaw, the Galileo office building in Kraków, the Globis office building in Poznan) and in other Central & Eastern European countries (Centre Point in Budapest, Lighthouse in Prague),” says Mariusz Kozłowski, GTC’s Development Manager.

The building was designed by architects at JEMS Architekci, and with its sophisticated appearance, which combines glass with steel and wood, it is destined to be the most talked-about development in Mokotów’s business district. Split-level winter gardens on the ground floor and office levels are to be amongst the building’s highlights. Spacious, green courtyards between the building’s wings have also been incorporated into the design. An architectural solution of this kind will make the premises user-friendly, and the working conditions inside very comfortable.

”The location of Topaz is without question an asset. It will provide access to the commercial infrastructure of Galeria Mokotów, but above all it will be quick and easy to reach all the places in the capital city that are vital from a business point of view,” points out Mariusz Kozłowski.

Topaz is set to be equipped with a BMS (Building Management System) have an HVAC system integrated into the lighting equipment in the office spaces, conference rooms and corridors, plus will possess a fire safety system including smoke detectors. A digital switchboard (PABX) equipped with optical fibres will also be installed in the building.
The interior design aims to provide office space which is as effective and flexible as possible. Furthermore, the architects have done their best to ensure that a maximum amount of daylight enters the building.

Strabag Sp. z o.o. – number 3 in the Polish market, and a subsidiary of the Austrian firm Bauholding Strabag AG, is the general contractor. Strabag has been operating in Poland since 1986, during which time it has developed the Ilmet office building, LIM (Marriott Hotel building), Saski Crescent, as well as the head offices of Warta, Bayer, Amplico Life, and Creditanstalt Bank in Wroclaw, amongst others. It has branches in Gdynia, Lublin, Katowice, Szczecin and Poznań.

Project development services, as well as work on the ground, are being supervised by SAP-PROJEKT Sp. z o.o., a building contractor with 10 years of experience. Projects carried out by SAP-PROJEKT include office buildings, well-known hotels such as the Radisson SAS or SHERATON, large housing estates, supermarkets, industrial facilities and public buildings. The company has managed many projects in Poland (for Bank PEKAO S.A., Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. and Coca – Cola) as well as abroad.