CMS
Trzop Architects
Project description
The starting principles in creating the concept of this "suspended in the clouds" space were the values upheld by the law firm, where the focus is on the individual and their needs. It was also important to continue the concept of cultureplace developed by CMS – fostering collaboration and building relationships within the team and with the firm's clients.
Location: Warszawa, budynek biurowy Varso Tower
Area:
Lead Designer:
Bartosz Trzop
Lead Architect:
Magdalena Antończyk
Design Team:
Michel Juraszyński
Marta Janiszek
Karolina Konieczna
Alicja Zimniak
Magda Woźniakowska
Małgorzata Szlązek
Kinga Gajewska
Interiors:
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Photos:
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Visualizations:
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Modernist design
The goals important to CMS and our priorities were aligned from the start. The aim was to create a highly friendly and functional space with an abundance of natural materials and greenery. An office built with ecological awareness in mind, yet also incorporating the latest solutions. Interiors where employees do not feel like they are in a typical law firm. From the beginning, we were also searching for a leading design idea that would be consistent with our philosophy, aesthetics, CMS's ideas, and the location itself. We wanted the office to be unique.
The principles and postulates of modernism, as well as the architecture of Warsaw's interwar period, were perfectly applied here, with their interpretation appearing both in spatial elements and in the forms and materials used. The glazing we chose – offering the possibility of changing perspectives and perceiving the office as one interconnected space – is exceptional. Specially designed for CMS's office, the systems are three meters high and, along with the doors, create a seamless, clean surface.
A modernist feature is also the rounded corners of the conference rooms and corridors, which refer to the arched corners of building facades in Warsaw's Żoliborz and Mokotów districts. At the same time, these design elements make communication within the office more welcoming, and the interconnected spaces become more attractive for users.
Warsaw style
The entrance to the reception on the 42nd floor already greets us with an extraordinary view. We didn't need to include the typical clock motif often found in such places, as directly at eye level, right in front of the entrance, we have a view of the clock on the Palace of Culture and Science. The reception is dominated by black – in the form of stained oak on the walls – and a white floor made of large-format sintered stone. The ceiling also corresponds with the view outside, using a cloud-like grid cut into metal panels, backlit with energy-efficient LED lighting that mimics daylight. This effect makes the reception, which is 320 cm high, appear even taller.
It is right next to the reception, in the central part of the office, that we designed the internal staircase connecting all five levels – between the 39th and 43rd floors. To achieve maximum transparency of the stairwell with the spaces it passes through, we decided to enclose it in glass. On the southern wall of the stairwell, covering an area of fifty-five square meters, a vertical garden runs through all five floors. Another unique element in this 21-meter-high space is the mural on the northern wall of the staircase. It is a journey through the characteristic modernist buildings of Warsaw.
In the spirit of sustainability.
Each floor features typical spaces for individual work – offices, where classic shades of gray dominate. Noteworthy is the fact that all the carpeting used in the office was made from recycled materials. Electric height-adjustable desks and ergonomic chairs are the standard for all workstations. Their lighting consists of custom-designed LED fixtures in the form of brass desk lamps, which echo the shapes and materials of the furniture details. It is also important to highlight that in CMS's spaces, the same quality of equipment is maintained throughout – both in client areas and in all employee zones. Innovation meets environmental care here. Renewable energy powers modern technologies, and recycling has become an everyday ritual.
The use of numerous design elements, such as furniture and lighting, created by Polish designers, is one of the key motifs that guided us in the office project. The new CMS office also includes spaces with dedicated functionalities: a parent-child room, rooms for creative work, and a room for video meeting preparations. The CMS office is a place in the spirit of sustainability and ESG that simultaneously allows for focused work, fosters creativity, provides relaxation opportunities, and promotes building closer relationships with both colleagues and clients.
AWARDS
The project has been awarded in the following competition
