Skyscrapers of Warsaw: Intraco II

Intraco II

Main data:

Height to the roof: 141 m
Total height: 149 m
Number of floors: 47
Year of construction: 1979
Designers: J. Skrzypczak, H. Swiergocka-Kaim, W. Grzybowski
Location: ul. Chałubińskiego 8

Intraco II is a light blue, box-shaped building that is situated on the eastern side of Chalubinskiego street. It is sometimes also called Oxford Tower, after the company Oxford Polska, that has its offices here, or Elektrim, after this large company that used to have its main offices for many years in the building. This skyscraper has already became a fragment of Warsaw landscape, most Warsaw inhabitants probably could not imagine the city without it. Intraco II was one of the first skyscrapers constructed in the city, after Forum Hotel (currently Novotel Warszawa Centrum) and another Intraco (from Stawki street). The building's construction was started in the mid-1970s and finished in 1979. Intraco II and Marriott Hotel, which was constructed a few years later, are also sometimes described as 'the Western Centre'. Those two buildings were built, among other reasons, to decries the domination of Palace of Culture.

The building is the first one in Warsaw that has elevators and other technical facilities located in one main core. Thanks to this solution it is possible to compose freely the arrangement of each floor. The building is very prestigious, thanks to its height and localization, although its offices represent B standard, so a little bit lower class.

Intraco II is located just in the middle of Warsaw city, in Chalubinskiego street. The panorama that the building forms, together with Marriott Hotel and FIM Tower, is really impressive and is even sometimes described as 'Warsaw Manhattan', what is off course an exaggeration. There is a broad view from the top of the building, especially from its southern side, where no other high building hides the view.

The skyscraper has 42 floors, the top of the last one is located on the height of 140 metres above the ground. On the roof there is a 10-metre-high antenna, so altogether the building is 150 metres height and that makes it seventh highest in the city.

An interesting fact is that the building appeared in the Polish film for children 'Pan Kleks w Kosmosie' ('Mr Kleks in space') - it played a role of... a primary school of the future.