The Warsaw Heart of Central Europe
By Ola Wronecka
The Heart is a newly built business space in Warsaw. It is unique not only due to the location on the 38th floor of the Warsaw Spire skyscraper but also the concept of the office layout.
The Heart, opened in January 2017 in one of the Warsaw Spire buildings, goes outside the traditional perception of office space, both due to its beaconing idea of sparking innovation and inspiring ideas, which without such a place would not have the possibility to exist, as well as the business aspiration to become the new heart of the digital economy of Central Europe. The concept of the office layout was to facilitate meetings, mutual inspirations and cooperation between European corporations and startups and experts from Pixers Business helped in personalizing the space.
The area of the Heart Warsaw is 1700 m², of which 1,000 m² is allocated for club members, and 500 m² is conference space. The Heart office section includes more than 40 individual workstations, 9 meeting rooms and 7 two-person enclosed offices. Meanwhile, the space allocated to events is divided into 4 sub-areas, which can be arranged in random configurations to accommodate events for 20 to 180 people. Additionally, The Heart also includes a creative room, a so called chillout, room and a kitchen.
The owners wanted to create a lively, friendly ecosystem for innovation and customers from diverse business backgrounds — startups, investment funds and corporations, which naturally reflected in the concept of the office space. The entire 38th floor of the award-winning Warsaw Spire main skyscraper, one of Europe’s tallest buildings of this type, was divided into two sections: one accessible to all who want to make use of the highest convention center in Warsaw, and other as a permanent office for coworking.
‘We designed an inspirational space full of meeting rooms of all sizes, small offices, places for quiet work and relaxation for our permanent residents. And everything above the beautiful panorama of Warsaw’ says Sergiusz Sawin, VP Corporate Services The Heart.
The Heart itself refers to Warsaw as the heart of Europe offering opportunities for meetings, mutual inspiration and exchange of ideas. Metaphorically it refers to the central organ of the body, where arteries converge and where the body draws its vital strength from.
The concept of space was, first of all, to inspire and encourage the inclusion of courageous ideas in life. The design of The Heart was the responsibility of Workplace Solutions designers, whereas experts of interior design personalization from Pixers Business were liable for its implementation.
‘Cooperation on the modern business space of The Heart in vibrant Warsaw was a real pleasure for us. Pixers originated from a startup, hence the contribution to creating a personalized space that connects companies at the beginning of their development path was particularly dear to us’ admits Joanna Strzala, Country Sales Director at Pixers.
The designers used a unique system of spatial orientation and a so-called space branding, or in other words visual identification of the space. Each room got its own hero — we will find the “rebel” hall, which is patronized by Nicholas Copernicus, “love” under the patronage of Michalina Wisłocka or “joy”, where guests are welcomed by Wisława Szymborska. Behind this ingenious branding and wayfinding in The Heart stand Damian Bieniek (Forward Agency), Anna Rzeźnik and Kasper Skirgayłło-Krajewski, and the author of the portraits is Łukasz Sawicki (Made In Cosmos).
The following are also visible on the walls of The Heart: a graphic map of Warsaw and the capital’s horizon drawn with a simple red line referring to the logo of the entire office building. Stickers and foils used on walls and windows are simple and expressive accents, created in collaboration with Pixers Business — experts in personalization of space.
The visual identification of space in The Heart was done in a subtle, yet effective manner, giving visual identification of the company a new dimension. Such efforts allow businesses to talk about themselves through a unique interior, but also to play with the convention of office design.
Thanks to this form of personalization of space, it took on a unique nature in a fast and attractive manner. Pixers Business service itself fully interacts with the multifunctional nature of the office, because it allows you to customize any space to your individual business needs and to easily change the appearance of the premises without any architectural changes.
Extraordinary projects such as wall murals, wallpapers, furniture and stained glass veneers using proven and eco-friendly materials allowed to tell the stories that are important to the company, stimulate the imagination and delight guests.
The Heart space fits perfectly into the Warsaw Spire complex. The central 220-meter office building has changed the cityscape of Warsaw and as an integrated complex of modern buildings has carved a new space on the map of the capital — the European Square. The owner of the building, developer Ghelamco, hopes that the investment will become an innovation center that will attract corporations and startups from across Europe to Warsaw.
‘Partnership with The Heart Warsaw will provide us with innovative ideas developed within thematic programs such as Omnichannel, Internet of Things and Smart City. Some of them will certainly be used in our projects. This will allow us to offer our customers the most inventive and innovative solutions unmatched by other developer projects’ says Jeroen Van der Toolen, Managing Director of Ghelamco CEE.
Pixers Business is a special division in Pixers that will take care of your individual needs for personalizing your office, restaurant, hotel, gym and any other commercial space you have. Pixersizing = Personalization — These are unique designs for wall murals, wallpapers, canvas prints, posters, furniture veneers, stained glass, and even floor coverings using proven, patented and environmentally friendly materials for both commercial and private use. More on: http://www.pixers.biz/pl-hr
The Heart Warsaw is a European cooperation hub for startups and corporations, located on the 38th floor of the Warsaw Spire office building. The center connects young technology companies with the largest Polish, regional and global companies. Essentially, the space is filled with thematic programs related to: FinTech, Omnichannel, HealthTech, Internet of Things and Smart City. The Heart Warsaw supports corporations in implementing innovations created by selected startups from all over Europe. More at: https://theheart.tech/
Workplace Solutions — is a lab where every project begins with research, such as checking the nature of work and space utilization, and then working on a workplace strategy. Workplace Solutions is known for its functional and expressive interior design. Change management is an important part of company processes. Specializations: Workplace Design & Strategy, Space Branding & Wayfinding, Change Management, and Technologies. More at: http://www.workplace.pl/
Ghelamco Poland is the market leader in commercial real estate in Poland and a pioneer in sustainable construction and the creation of public space. For 25 years, the company has established its leading position on the Polish market as an investor, developer and general contractor, delivering 1,100,000 m2 of top-class office space, residential space as well as retail and warehouse space. Sales volume of completed projects exceeds EUR 1.3 billion. The flagship investment of the company is the Warsaw Spire office complex with the European Square. More on: http://www.ghelamco.com/site/pl/en/
The team of open-minded designers at @PIXERS_ works with offices, restaurants, gyms, hotels and the like to bring out a happy vibe from a working space. They use wall murals, window stickers, furniture decals, canvases, and posters. Discover their work at pixers.biz
