The New Office Building

It's pretty noticeable, the rise of the new Warsaw.  From the new MoMA, to the new stadium, to the new metro, and the explosion of both apartment blocks and business parks.  These new office buildings shed the gray cement and small windows of the communist era, and erupted as massive monoliths of glass.  Now, that's not to say that they tower above like in New York or Hong Kong or Tokyo (the tallest building is still the Palac Kultury i Nauki), but they are springing up like mushrooms after a summer rain.

The new boom has pushed construction in Poland into a wild frenzy, but many don't think it will last.  Studio apartments are selling for 500,000zl in places like Wola and Praga.  With Warsaw's rapid expansion (and the rest of Poland emptying out, both due to people flocking to the cities and Ireland, UK, and Norway) many fear that there's a bubble that's inflating.  When that bubble pops, Warsaw will be stuck with monuments to man's over-frenzied greed.  Landlords won't be able to find enough tenants for to fill their offices and prices will plummet.  It's a common story, visible in Frankfurt and (most noticeably) in Dubai.  But, Poland has a lot of catching up to do.  We'll just have to wait and see how this recent tear will end up.

The office building of yesteryear

A more modern site.

A ocean of glass.