The world’s tallest man-made structure, historically, was the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt which held the top position for well over 3800 years.
In Chicago, the first building considered to be a skyscraper was the 42.1 metre Home Insurance Building, built in 1885.
Since then, Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers, Taiwan’s Taipei 101 and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa have all surpassed these engineering feats.
The race has been on for many countries to also hold the top honour of having the highest building producing momentous skyscrapers.
One European country’s impressive skyline now holds a colossal structure that rivals that of London’s The Shard.
The Varso Tower in Warsaw, Poland was completed in September 2022 and is a 52-story booming tower.
Varso stands at an impressive 310 meters tall, including an 80-metre spire, and is used as a neomodern office complex.
The staggering complex features three buildings and is the tallest building in the European Union and the sixth tallest building in Europe.
The structure was topped out in February 2021, completed in September 2022 and next year will feature an observation deck which is planned for the summer of 2025.
The estimated cost of construction for the Varso Tower was approximately £417 million (€500 million).
It is ever so slightly taller than The Shard as it has a 60-meter spire, making it 310 meters tall, while The Shard is 309.6 meters.
Thus, The Varso Tower is the sixth-tallest building in Europe whereas The Shard is the seventh-tallest building in Europe but the tallest building in the United Kingdom.
The Polish tower surpassed the Commerzbank Tower, in Frankfurt, Germany, which previously held the record at 259 metres.
The Varso Tower was designed by Foster + Partners and developed by HB Reavis and is located in Wola, on the corner of Chmielna Street and John Paul II Avenue (pl).
Peter Pecnik, the country CEO of HB Reavis Poland spoke to Emerging Europe, and said: “Once we acquired it, we knew we had to turn it into a landmark project that is also as human-centric as possible.”
He added how the tower provides not only “a modern business workplace but also a well-designed and easily accessible public space.
“It will be a unique place in the heart of Warsaw dedicated to business, residents, and tourists – a place where people will work, go about their everyday business, and unwind in comfort.”
