A big space defined by communist block of flats, urbanism for the 80, rigid and alienated. On the other side of the boulevard, a sea of houses. A space crowded between important streets that are intersecting in a place known as Munci square. The plot that must be developed is right in the middle of this storm… The site is very small and is considered almost unbuildable because of the complexity caused by the underground networks, the nearby gas station or even because of the access problem caused by the network of crowded streets. Apparently a common brief, a common solution – an office tower.

The project takes the traffic flows of the area, both on sidewalks and on streets, from their sum resulting the building’s footprint on the ground. In order to confer personality to the building, the façade became the element which confers a dynamic attitude to the volume and the alignment will be the attitude to the surroundings – provoke and complete the square space. The ground floor was designed to be open and transparent, with large glass surfaces to better integrate the building into the area and city life (otherwise quite used), and the facades potentiated the entire assembly in a sculptural direction

Authors: Liviu Zagan, Costin Beekman, Robert Popescu, Marian Mihaiescu Colaborators: Aukett Fitzroy Robinson - Paul Philips, Monika Mayova Engineers: Popp & Asociatii, Miga AirVent, Conseng Photos: Andrei Margulescu

The construction of a multi-storey office building, in an overcrowded and demanding area of Bucharest, was a tough challenge. The complexity of the underground networks and the proximity to a fuel station added a higher level of difficulty regarding the final result.  
 

The architectural office PZP Architectura designed a tower that stands out with its modern, wavy, façade. However, the plot that was selected perplexed the situation, due to its restricted size in a densely crowded area.  

Externally, the tower adapts to the aesthetics of its urban environment, while bringing a strong sense of the contemporary, fast-paced city life. It is worth mentioning that the building forms a recess at the center of the construction, therefore if someone looks at it from afar, it seems to be separated in two identical towers.  

The large window frames are supported by an innovative curtain wall system, which combined with thermally insulated aluminium systems, brings a special character and high energy performance to the building. Furthermore, the design of the elevated ground floor is based on the element of transparency. Thus, the wide glass surfaces contribute to the smooth inclusion of the building to the external environment, providing  large spaces for shops. 

Olympia Tower covers all the needs of an office building of our times and it constitutes a unique designing proposal, in an area full of uninspiring older apartment blocks. The addition of the spectacular tower opens new roads for the future and at the same time becomes a “bridge” that connects the building with the urban past of the city.