A transparent building designed to attract talent - PLH is designing a new office building for DSV in Warsaw

Life inside the transparent office building will be visible for passersby when the new building for DSV is completed in the spring of 2019. PLH is designing the building - and one of the architectural concepts is to use transparency and visibility inside the building from street level to attract new employees.

Situated prominently in central Warsaw
The office building, with capacity for 1.500 workstations, will be situated prominently in central Warsaw, close to a key highway in and out of the city. The transparency of the facades reveals the activities inside the house and the large open main entrance has a very inviting appearance that brands and exposes DSV as a workplace with a living work environment, a high level of employee care and a positive work-life balance. Inside, an open workplace design supports different ways of working and sets the framework for a social and living work environment according to the Danish model with close cooperation, flat hierarchy and short chains of command.

DSV – global headquarters in Hedehusene, designed by PLH
After having designed and planned DSV’s new, global headquarters, completed in Hedehusene in 2014, PLH got the task of designing a similar office building in Warsaw. Just like the headquarters in Denmark, the new office building in Warsaw will have a clear and strong identity supporting the company brand and its Scandinavian roots.

’One company – One DSV’
Different themes reoccur in the two buildings. In the Danish office building PLH has visualized the DSV brand ’One company – One DSV’ in a simple, square building, consisting of one big room supporting company workflow and the fact that everyone is equal. The same is the case in Warsaw where the building is arranged over 7 levels around an open central atrium surrounded by different types of meeting rooms, informal cafés, working lounges and quiet rooms facilitating a social an living working environment with close cooperation, flat hierarchy and short chains of command.

The choice of materials is also similar for the two buildings – light nuances and natural materials dominate the interior and a maximal utilization of daylight is emphasized throughout the building. From the exterior you also notice the similarity between the two buildings in the rounded corners and the metal facade with horizontal lines.

Seven floors and 1.500 workstations
With 21.600 m2 the building is arranged over 7 levels around an open central atrium surrounded by different types of meeting rooms, informal cafés, working lounges and quiet rooms. Besides 1.500 workstations the new office building also includes a fitness center a restaurant for the employees where they can enjoy lunch together according to Danish traditions. Both are visible from the street. Outdoor dining areas are placed in connection to the restaurant and a number of exterior balconies close to the cafés higher up in the building also give the employees the possibility of having meetings outside, under the open sky.