Green-up: The Lukasiewicz Research Network Headquarters

23 Apr 2024

A transformation tool of an intensively built-up European city centre.

The ?ukasiewicz Research Network Headquarters, aerial view from Zela?na Street Photo credit: FAAB, Unique Vision Studio

This multi-functional building project, known as The Lukasiewicz Research Network Headquarters, was carried out by FAAB. The main task of the Lukasiewicz Research Network is to plan and coordinate scientific research and development work carried out by 26 research institutes scattered throughout Poland including, among others, the Institute of Aviation, the Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics, the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, and the Institute of Innovative Technologies EMAG. The Lukasiewcz Network aims to assist scientists in implementing research for use in industry. The institution also promotes science and innovation among children and youth.

The patron of the Lukasiewcz Research Network is Ignacy Lukasiewicz, a Polish chemist and pharmacist, and later entrepreneur and social activist. His discovery changed the world and began the era of better lighting, available on a large scale. The invention by Lukasiewicz was first used on July 31, 1853, to illuminate the operating room of the Piarist Hospital in Lviv (now Ukraine) during a life-saving procedure.

The facility is located in the centre of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, on Zelazna Street, originally laid out in the 17th century. In the mid-19th century, during the first industrial revolution, numerous industrial plants were built on Zelazna Street, including factories producing various metal items.

The building is 32 meters tall and has 4 underground and 9 above-ground floors. The first underground floor will house a multi-functional exhibition and conference area, while the remaining floors will house parking for cars and bicycles, as well as technical and storage rooms. The space on floor -1 is intended for organizing events popularizing science and innovation, including cyclical workshops, available for all age groups. The INNO café and the Innovation Incubator are located on the ground floor and first floor of the building. By design, both spaces are to create conditions for cooperation and exchange of information between start-up organizations and representatives of the worlds of science, industry, and business. The remaining upper-level floors are occupied by office space and spaces designed for group work and meetings.

In the area where the building is located, due to the dense development, there is no space for a public square or park. Accordingly, the building introduces greenery into the urban space in an innovative way. A vertical garden and a vertical park are planned on the facades of the facility. A green repository is also planned to be built as part of a vertical park in which plants are placed in prefabricated pots made of laminated wood. The park will provide optimal vegetation conditions for native Polish endangered and rare species. In the case of the vertical garden, the installation of a system based on prefabricated panels filled with substrate is planned. It is intended for low plants, resistant to various weather conditions, including evergreen and seasonally flowering plants.

The vertical park and vertical garden will be the basis for the implementation of a long-term research project. Using sensors to examine, for example, chlorophyll levels among others, data will be collected to optimize the process of creating a microclimate around the building. The process will be supported by specialized solutions based on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The second aspect of the research project will be the development of an automatic plant care system based on the use of inspection drones and care robots.

In the initial phase of the project, cooperation between automatic systems and humans is planned. The ultimate goal is to create a self-correcting bionic system that can function without human intervention.

The project scope includes several technologies that will reduce the building's demand for water, heat, cooling and electricity. At the same time, solutions have been provided to increase the comfort and well-being of the building users.

Photovoltaic panels with an area of 110m2, on the roof and within a dedicated facade structure, will be equipped with a sun-following system that can generate enough energy to illuminate the office areas of the building and power chargers for electric vehicles.

A vertical collector, in the form of probes 200m deep, spaced approximately every 16m, will provide the appropriate yearly heating and cooling to the building. Rainwater from the roof and paved surfaces will be collected in a retention tank and used to irrigate vegetation. Grey water from sinks and showers will be stored and used to flush toilets. Thermal ceilings, compatible with heat pumps, ensure uniform temperature distribution in rooms, and thus optimal thermal comfort for users.

According to current scientific research, the opportunity to experience greenery has a positive impact on people's mental health. A reduction in stress levels and a lower risk of depression and anxiety have been reported. At the same time, an increase in work efficiency and acceptance of the workplace itself was found. Taking this into account, the building will include two internal green areas. The first one, located on the ground floor, opens onto the entrance hall. The second one, located on the 4th floor, opens onto the Creativity Space and the internal café. It is assumed that the green areas, named "Polish Grove", will use native plant species that produce phytoncides, i.e. compounds with bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties.

FAAB has been designing and building projects using greenery on the facade for many years, beginning with the headquarters of the Foundation of Polish Science in Warsaw, completed in 2014. In cooperation with Sempergreen Group, FAAB developed an individualized solution for the renovation of the existing building.

In terms of the construction of a vertical garden and water distribution management installation - the Vertical Oasis designed in 2020 is a prototype solution in the form of a skyscraper - shaping the climate and designed to be built in harsh weather countries. Now, the Lukasiewicz

Research Network Headquarters,

designed in 2023, is a proposal to transform the central regions of densely built-up European cities, based on collective experience.