Warsaw is pursuing a climate policy that is more modern than the requirements imposed by the national law. "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the task of Poland, which is a signatory to the Paris Agreement. Unfortunately, we don't yet have statutory changes regarding climate," - says Jacek Kisiel of the Office of Air Protection and Climate Policy of the City of Warsaw. Now is the time to implement this policy in the design of city buildings and their surroundings. The Warsaw Green Building Standard is slowly entering the implementation phase. It's an interesting moment when idea meets reality.
"Believing that sustainable construction is key to fighting climate change and improving the quality of life, the implementation of the WSZB is most reasonable and even desirable," comments Dorota Bartosz, Ph.D., Director of Sustainable Construction at the Polish Green Building Association PLGBC. "Unfortunately, national regulations related to the construction of buildings do not cover all of these aspects." - she adds.
Library in Choszczówka
Photo: Marcin Czechowicz © AMBIENT
In conversations with architects and entrepreneurs, a recurring opinion is that the new requirements are less of a problem for them than the discretionary nature of the regulations and the arbitrariness of officials. This applies to Warsaw as well as other Polish cities. Since they work with offices on a daily basis, it is difficult to persuade them to speak publicly on this issue.
The meeting on the Warsaw Green Building Standard, which took place on January 23, 2025 in the ZODIAK pavilion at Warsaw SARP, focused, as if through a lens, the burning issues and showed them from different perspectives. It was organized by the Sustainable Architecture Circle of OW SARP and the City of Warsaw. The part in which the authors presented the Standard was followed by a discussion, held between representatives of the City Hall, the Energy Forum and architects. The event was part of the Architecture for Climate series.
Transformation of Warsaw's space
The Warsaw Green Building Standard, which will apply to all new city buildings as of July 1, 2025, is part of a broader climate policy. The city wants to dictate trends: it plans to be one of the first in Poland to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest.
who's behind it?
The Warsaw Standard directs city investments to create buildings that fulfill important social functions, are friendly, visually attractive, energy efficient and at the same time rational to maintain.
- says Anita Cieslicka of the Energy Forum.
The team of experts who worked out this set of requirements was inspired by modern solutions, including those from Berlin. The document was created in a tripartite cooperation of the Energy Forum, the Office of Air Protection and Climate Policy of the City of Warsaw and the Sustainable Architecture Circle of the Warsaw Branch of SARP. It was also widely consulted with representatives of the districts.
Discussion of the Warsaw Green Building Standard in the ZODIAK pavilion at Warsaw SARP photo Artur Wosz.
what does the architectural community think about it?
The discussion about the WSZB in the design community continues. Architect and president of Warsaw SARP Piotr Bujnowski calls the current stage "idealistic." He praises the Standard for its legibility and the introduction of clear criteria verifiable by an easy methodology. He believes that regulations can work, as long as they are well executed.
The WSZB does not have as wide a spectrum for discretion as the built regulations, which is due to the fact that it was created by teams of people who know what they are doing
- concludes Bujnowski.
Architects and architects are concerned about what will happen as the project enters the implementation stage. Piotr Bujnowski predicts that, to the already overburdened designers, there will be new responsibilities in the form of yet another procedure to be completed and approved. He cites a similar example, the Accessibility Standards for the City of Warsaw. He stresses that high design standards, sustainability and aesthetics of space require adequate funding, not only for the facilities themselves and the anticipation that they will be more expensive, but also for designers to be taken into account.
What you have created is an excellent document. On the other hand, it is necessary to talk with the city to make it clear that the new regulations mean higher time and financial costs
- explains the architect.
Library in Choszczówka
Photo: Marcin Czechowicz © AMBIENT
concerns raised by the standard
The introduction of the WSZB also raises concerns about the lengthening of development times. Also unregulated is the issue of monitoring compliance with the standard during and after construction. Who will do this? It is not clear. If this duty falls to designers under supervision, it will mean another effort for architects.
The question also remains: what happens if the developer refuses to apply the WSZB? Since national regulations override the Mayor of Warsaw's management of the WSZB, even if a developer ignores the Standard, he will be able to obtain a building permit. However, the city promises to make it more difficult to apply for funds for further investments.
first implementation
The library in Choszczówka is the first example of a completed investment meeting the Warsaw Green Building Standard. Another certificate has already been issued and we will find out what the building is in the near future. Two other projects are under evaluation.
Library in Choszczówka
Photo: Marcin Czechowicz © AMBIENT
Is this a good direction? By all means! For me, it's a signal that with small steps we can change the quality of our buildings," says Dr. Dorota Bartosz, Director of Sustainable Construction at the Polish Green Building Association PLGBC. - I also hope that this first initiative will be replicated in other cities, but also that in the years to come the green standard will extend to other types of buildings, because we spend as much as 90% of our lives in them, she adds.
