22 meters long, 15 meters high, several dozen species, over 6,000 plants – a green wall, inspired by nature, was installed in the lobby of the Generation Park Y office building in Warsaw, developed by the Skanska office unit. It is the largest arrangement of this type in Poland. This unusual design, thanks to the glass facade of the building, can also be admired from the outside.
The Generation Park Y tower crowned Skanska's largest office project in Warsaw. It is the company's tallest office building in this part of Europe, and at the same time the greenest and most sustainable skyscraper in the capital. The tower is applying for the prestigious WELL Core&Shell certificate, confirming its benefits for the health and well-being of employees, as well as for the LEED Platinum certificate and the Building without Barriers certificate.
Forest effect
The green wall in the Generation Park Y lobby is 22 meters long and 15 meters high, which can be compared to a five-storey building. The entire arrangement consists of several dozen species and has over 6,000 plants. These are mainly philodendrons, ferns, monsteras, laceleafs, peace lilies and aglaonemas. The selected plants have unique properties – both in terms of air purification, oxygen production and the absorption of volatile organic compounds. The oxygen they produce daily would suffice for 150 people for 24 hours. The plants have been selected in such a way that they can develop freely inside the office building. The relationships between individual species were also taken into account. In such a selected group, it is easier for them to maintain elevated air humidity, thanks to which plants grow healthier, are less susceptible to diseases, more easily resist pest attacks and better withstand all inconveniences.
The project was designed very carefully, so that each plant has its place. The arrangement consists of specially adapted sections and is fully automated. Plants receive the right amount of water, nutrients and light – about 150 headlights with "feeding" lighting, arranged in three rows. Plants largely support each other, work together, creating a specific microclimate – the "forest effect". These types of green solutions create a calming and relaxing effect, draw attention to nature, but also have a positive effect on acoustics, reducing noise levels.
– At Skanska, we like to focus on unique and original solutions. The idea of such a huge wall filled with vegetation sounded like a challenge we wanted to take on. The final effect exceeded our wildest expectations. The wall makes an extraordinary impression both when we are inside the building and when looking from the outside – says Rafał Stoparczyk, Project Manager at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in CEE. – Generation Park Y has been called the greenest and most sustainable high-rise building in Warsaw. The latest plant installation is another confirmation of this.
Inspired by the Vistula
When the interior designers from Uroczysko Zielone-Ściany saw the size of the space for the first time, they immediately thought of something unusual, but at the same time familiar to the residents of Warsaw. They designed a plant arrangement inspired by the Warsaw section of the Vistula valley. If we use our imagination, on the green wall we will see water, beaches, tiny islands and flower meadows. The arrangement is also visible from Rondo Daszyńskiego.