The Skyscraper as a Component of Public Space—The Case of Warsaw

Abstract

The following paper is devoted to the problem of relations between public space and high-rise buildings which were constructed in Warsaw in the years 1989–2022. The location of twenty-three high-rise buildings with a minimum height of one hundred meters was examined in terms of their role as basic elements of the city image and urban composition. According to the theory of K. Lynch and K. Wejchert, there were examined: multifunctionality of the space available in the public space in buildings, number of building users, parameters of the nearest neighboring public space including its area and width, and the visibility of buildings from the public space. Research shows that the high-rise buildings in Warsaw are located adjacent to public space that does not correspond to their scale and the generated traffic in the public space. Most of the analyzed buildings do not have a multifunctional ground floor, or offer more than three functions of public space. Most of the buildings are located at streets or traffic junctions while only two buildings are located at urban squares, and one at the closure of the streets. It is not possible to distinguish a coherent planning strategy related to the location of such facilities in Warsaw.