Foster & Partners skyscraper is less than a metre higher than The Shard

Varso Tower1

Source: Source: Aaron Hargreaves / Foster & Partners

A 60m spire takes Varso Tower in Warsaw to a height of 310m, making it the tallest tower in the European Union

A tower in Warsaw officially measuring just 40cm more than The Shard and now the tallest building in the European Union has been completed by Foster & Partners.

At 310m, Varso Tower, designed for international developer HB Reavis, replaces the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt – another scheme by Fosters which completed in 1997 – as the tallest in the EU. It is now the sixth-tallest building anywhere in Europe.

Varso Tower 2

Source: Aaron Hargreaves / Foster & Partners

The tower has a direct underground link with the adjacent Warsaw Central Station

The 87-storey Lakhta Center in St Petersburg is Europe’s tallest building, at 462m high, and the next four are all in Moscow. The Shard, at 309.6m, is Europe’s seventh tallest building. 

Even without its 60m-tall spire, Varso Tower would be the second-tallest building in Poland, behind Warsaw’s 237m-tall Palace of Culture and Science. 

Jedrzej Kolesinski, a partner at Fosters, said: “Varso Tower is a timeless addition to the skyline and a vibrant destination in the heart of Warsaw.” He hoped the building would “breathe new life into the surrounding urban quarter”. 

Head of studio Grant Brooker said: “We are so proud to be part of this development. Our client HB Reavis has been a fantastic champion of the project throughout and our local collaborators at Epstein and Buro Happold have worked tirelessly alongside us.

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“We believe that the tower, filled with activity and featuring extraordinary rooftop public spaces will make a strong, positive contribution to this wonderful city. We hope that it will become a hub for local and international business and a symbol for contemporary Poland.”

With 70,000 sq m of office space, Varso Tower features large-span floorplates with 3m clear height for open-plan offices. The lobby features a 10m high ceramic artwork by the local artist Krystyna Kaszuba-Wacławek.

The building has achieved BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Gold certification due in part to its triple-glazed facades.

Varso Tower5

Source: Aaron Hargreaves / Foster & Partners

The tower’s lobby features a 10-metre-high ceramic artwork by the local artist Krystyna Kaszuba-Wacławek, which animates the space