Skyscraper planned in Warsaw Ghetto
By Vanessa Gera
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland - Poland's Jewish leaders have unveiled plans for a glass skyscraper in a neighborhood that was the heart of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.

The building, projected to rise 680 feet, would tower over the elegant Nozyk synagogue, Warsaw's only remaining synagogue, dramatically altering the look of the historic neighborhood.

The skyscraper would include a new house of prayer, a kosher restaurant, and vast commercial space, giving Warsaw's growing Jewish community a place to expand its activities and providing a source of profit for the future.

The project is another step in the revival of Jewish life in Poland, which was home to Europe's largest Jewish community until World War II.

Today, after being nearly wiped out in the Holocaust, the community is gaining people and financial support. Some Poles are discovering they have Jewish roots and are trying to reconnect to that culture, while a 1997 law that compensates the Jewish community for lost property has left it with new wealth.

However, the community still has not received approval from city officials for the building, and some Jews are adamantly against the plan.

Community leader Piotr Kadlcik said he and other Jewish leaders were working to meet city requirements, and hope that city approval will come soon. He also said the community was looking for investors to help fund the ambitious project.

Eleonora Bergman, director of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, called the idea for the skyscraper a "bad joke," arguing that it would damage the historic character of the synagogue and the surrounding area.

Herbert Block of the Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish organization that has worked in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989 to help rebuild Jewish life, said Jewish communities in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia successfully carried out similar projects.

The Nozyk synagogue, which opened in 1902 and now serves the city's Orthodox Jewish community, is the only prewar synagogue still standing. It is in what used to be the Warsaw Ghetto, where Nazi occupiers confined Jews before sending them to death camps, and was the site of a desperate uprising by Jewish resistance fighters in 1943.

Kadlcik described the new center as essential for Warsaw's Jewish community, now in cramped quarters. Blueprints show a building shaped like a sail that would use solar and wind power to generate its own energy.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20071103_Skyscraper_planned_in_Warsaw_Ghetto.html


http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb80/visualmark/wgz443.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb80/visualmark/qwert45.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb80/visualmark/hinesgz05673.jpg

Great desing and good Height

Nice tower! Smart people!

What are the chances of this thing being built?

and it's near the Palace of Culture and Science and the modern center of the city, so it'd be great!!

What a great design.

Wouldn't it be difficult for this to be approved though? I thought that maybe the Jewish Ghetto would be a point of historical significance, so wouldn't it be protected?

interesting design, great for poland

I'm very ambivalent about this project. As an interested outside observer--I'm the son and grandson of Holocaust survivors and victims from Poland and Lithuania--I must say that I'm opposed, despite the apparent benefits to the community. I think its out of scale and inappropriate.

p.s. I do love lots of other projects in Warsaw. :okay:

First the Shalom Tower, now the Jewish Leaders' Tower...among others. These names make quite a statement.

Holes in the building are designed to generate energy ! If it gets built it will be the first such building in the world.

First the Shalom Tower, now the Jewish Leaders' Tower...among others. These names make quite a statement.

There is no Shalom Tower. That project turned into the Hines Tower.:)

del

Isn't the Jewish Foundation (the people that are building the tower for them selves) the investor?

del

Jewish Community is the owner of the parcel where they want build the tower - they want to find financial investor to help build and maybe manage the tower.

I thought that maybe the Jewish Ghetto would be a point of historical significance, so wouldn't it be protected?

In fact almost nothing left in Warsaw after Jewish Ghetto - all was burned to the ground by german troops in 1943/44 - now only some monuments, few pieces of wall and names of the streets left. In 1960s new district (Muranow) was built there - many socrealistic buildings with new broader streets and some parks.
I think it should be understandable for all that community of Warsaw Jews doesnt want to see Warsaw ONLY as a cemetery and former Jewish Ghetto area and think that together with new museum of Polish Jews they will be great future projects for Warsaw.

looks incredible! mabey a few little changes and it will be perfect!

looks very nice, i really like the design. fits well in the skyline of warsaw

Holes in the building are designed to generate energy ! If it gets built it will be the first such building in the world.

There's another building like that http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=410543 and it will probably be completed before this one :D

del

^^:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

is the other little tower so close to the 'mother' one, or is attached to it?
that sinagogue looks so streched, poor little building...
i think this is only a sketch, the project needs improvement.

The renders look nice, except this one:
Skyscraper planned in Warsaw Ghetto
[I]By Vanessa Gera
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb80/visualmark/hinesgz05673.jpg

Wheres the windows?

^^ In Polish newspaper they wrote that it'll be the most modern building in the world ;)
They meant the Third World probably:lol:

The renders look nice, except this one:


Wheres the windows?

It's only a simple render made by one of this forum users, cichus1, to show the placement of this buildings :)
The green one is Shalom Tower(160m)

Let's get this one approved! :cheers:

Its the Jewish community tower not the "Jewish leaders tower"
Also it is supposed to hold a hotel which will have all the requirements for orthodox Jews. Also the rest of the space will be taken up by offices. Im not sure bout the current situation but its a hopefull. Also there are two different versions of the project
http://www.urbanity.pl/photos/57/12/5712.jpg
Version 1 with a rounded roof

http://www.urbanity.pl/photos/60/48/6048.jpg
With an un rounded roof

project on the second picture is actually valid.

The facade is quite nice.

Any news about that one? Was it approved already or is still a pro?

This is a classy glassy tower for Warsaw, more of a supporting act to the new Zaha tower and that 283m one, but still excellent.

Love the green credentials as well, especially in this age of climate change.

^^Skyscraper that will use solar and wind power to generate its own energy.

The investor has not given us any new info yet...i reckon there sorting out the paper work which in Poland takes some time...Then they will announce more info

Actually, i like this one most of the 3.

The renders look nice, except this one:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb80/visualmark/hinesgz05673.jpg

Wheres the windows?

omfg :doh:

Today the authorities approved this building for construction along with Lilium Tower. Can someone change the title?

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk252/ringssc/wgz.jpg

beautiful!

i think this tower is really ugly SORRY WINNETOU !!

I like it a lot. Certainly different from all the boxes or cheap-looking dubai-almaty-style stuff.

Beautiful tower, I like her simple design :) Go Warsaw

Wheres the windows?

The tower was probably drawn on Sketchup.

It would be great! Warsaw's panorama is so cheap now, it doesn't look like a capital of Poland.

now i'm pessimist - polish goverment can destroy everything... just look at the tempo of EURO 2012 arrangements...

It would be great! Warsaw's panorama is so cheap now, it doesn't look like a capital of Poland.

now i'm pessimist - polish goverment can destroy everything... just look at the tempo of EURO 2012 arrangements...

Warsaw's panorama is so cheap now, it doesn't look like a capital of Poland.
You are joking right? In my opinion Warsaw is in Top 5 in Europe:)

^^ Maybe the new commercial buildings and stuff. But the suburb is indeed looking very cheap and ugly. I like this tower btw :)

This building will definitely help the skyline as well as strengthen the vibrancy of the CBD.

^^ Maybe the new commercial buildings and stuff. But the suburb is indeed looking very cheap and ugly. I like this tower btw :)
I don't know Warsaw well but I heard its suburbs looks pretty cool thanks to a lot of new apartments and green areas, and the city centre is still quite ugly even with new towers.

^^ Indeed suburbs are much cleaner than the city center...

Domestos_WC and Nielsiej13 you don’t know Warsaw!!!
Warsaw is richest city in the former Eastern Bloc
Warsaw City Center:


http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5981/bwpueberflu1gwarschaumw6.jpg

I hope the second version (with "cut" roof and more organic general shape) will be used. It'll make the wind turbines more effective (the inlet edges!) and the overall shape less boxy.

Great tower, but its back side is...plain white?

Is the title correct? I think that it's the Jewish Community Tower (it's an official name of the building). Am I right? Even if I'm not right, the present title isn't grammatically correct.

Yea Jewish comune tower would be the exact translation

Great tower, but its back side is...plain white?

?
?
?

Great tower, but its back side is...plain white?Yes. It's implied by Halacha and it's the only way to keep it kosher :lol:

Actually the draft was made by Polish forumer.

Originally Posted by crumbb


Adds a handful of good news. Emphasize that they are a very reliable source:

-The Jewish community got very conditions of their high-rise buildings, although the construction will not be a rush

-Established in the vicinity of the theater is also thought to build a skyscraper

If it gets built it will be the first such building in the world.

or will it?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=410543

http://www.chinesearchitecture.cn/CACN/Images/Guangzhou/PearlRiverTower-001.jpg

or will it?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=410543

It's quite obvious what inspired the concept of Poland's Jewish tower. I wuold say it's even too similar to that one in China, and looks like a worse copy.

or will it?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=410543

It's quite obvious what inspired the concept of Poland's Jewish tower. I wuold say it's even too similar to that one in China,and looks like worse copy.

much too similar to pearl river tower in guangzhou, but i like it:)

From Poland Forum:

The municipality has reportedly already authorized to build and secure financing.

Like a fortress, people from the council - added soon move from the building. I hope it's true, not just the statutory propaganda of success ...

:bash: stop writing unverified information in international threads... BTW using Google translator you're making ass of yourself... :ohno:

sorry

Clerks cut the building up to 170 m. Still this year (probably with autumn) construction of the WGŻ tower block will begin.


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/712/dsc1317.jpg

by Pedroni (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/member.php?u=648113)

Project :



http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/0/8274/z8274980X,Budynek-Centrum-Spolecznosci-Zydowskiej-przy-Twardej-.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/1/8274/z8274981X,Obok-budynku-Centrum-Spolecznosci-Zydowskiej-stanie.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/2/8274/z8274982X,Obok-budynku-Centrum-Spolecznosci-Zydowskiej-stanie.jpg

Are the above renders showing this height reduction? I think it actually works better being of a similiar height to the tower nextdoor.

It actually is called Jewish District Tower and it does not have any financing and it will not start for some time. The tower under construction in the pic is the Hines' Twarda Tower. Please correct, thanks.

What is the point in this tower and such a name? there are less than 3000 Jews left in Poland as of today and this whole business with the name sounds as a mix of ridiculous and crazy

Its going to be built on top of a historical synagogue, so its on land belonging to jews. Its going to have a jewish community centre and a new synagogue in it :) also the correct translation would be Jewish comune tower

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb80/visualmark/wgz443.jpg

^^as you can see

^^This visualisation is not actual. Building will be lower.

I know its just to show the position of the building in relation to the synagogue

That cladding on the render looks celestial. What does the Jewish have to do with this building. Will it be religious in nature at all?

^^ The tower meant to be used as a "kosher hotel" and the actual (though probably temporary) name for the tower is Jewish Community Tower (in Polish: Wieżowiec Gminy Żydowskiej) and not "Poland's Jewish Leaders Tower" or "Jewish District Tower" (in Polish one of the meanings for the word "district" is the same word as "community" (gmina) so formally it can mean both commune/community or territory of its activity/administration).

The rumours say they will start late this year, but we cannot be sure of anything. At least they had been assured that the new master plan for that district allows 170m tall tower there.

^^ It takes quite some time, but hopefully it will get built. :)

In my opinion a little too close Twarda Tower ...hmm

A very cheap knock off of Pearl River Tower.

I hope this gets a redesign.