6 August 2003

Prestressed pioneer for Poland – Liberty Corner completed

Liberty Corner, a new office development in Warsaw designed by architects PRC with structural engineer Buro Happold, has been completed. The building at the corner of the Polish capital’s Bracka and Mysia streets, which prior to 1989 housed the Polish censorship authorities, has been replaced by a new seven-storey reinforced concrete structure.

Liberty Corner is thought to be the first example in Poland of the use of prestressed slabs, which, despite a thickness of just 450mm, can achieve spans of up to 18m without the need for columns, affording a flexible office space for clients Von der Heyden Group and the Polish Press Agency.

Though the building utilises contemporary technologies, its design remains sympathetic to its immediate surroundings and retains some architectural features of the previous building, such as the stone facade detail, which proved a particular challenge to the contractor.