The Atrium Promenada shopping centre has played a key role in the revitalisation of Warsaw’s Praga district, on the east bank of the river Vistula. The developer, Atrium, is well-versed in this type of development – with an extensive portfolio of malls across central and eastern Europe – and wanted a modern, sleek and energy-efficient upgrade to the 20-year-old mall.

Arup was brought in from the beginning of the retrofit, providing building design consultancy and engineering, as well as supervision of the project.  

Client comfort, together with energy optimisation and cost control, informed this refurbishment project, for which Arup provided the concept, building and tender designs for the extensive retrofit. Our building design consultants and engineers have worked to create a sense of quality and comfort throughout by means of an award-nominated Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) solution. We also provided site supervision of all mechanical, electric and public health installations for the reconstruction and enlargement of the mall. 

The refurbishment focused on visitor comfort and sustainability, for which we developed new thermal systems, fresh-air inflow and adaptable lighting. The innovative HVAC system we developed was nominated for the Pascal 2019 Awards by the Polish Ventilation Association for its sustainable, technical advances in building design. Perhaps the greatest challenge, though, was undertaking the refurbishment without ever closing the building or ceasing trade. 

Arup delivers MEP design services which facilitate refurbishment of existing building and its further extension having in mind our needs and business priorities.

Ronen Goldberg

Project Director, Atrium Poland Real Estate Management

Sustainable buildings and design

Our building engineers and consultants provided a range of energy-saving solutions, including an innovative HVAC system which received a nomination for the Pascal 2019 Awards by the Polish Ventilation Association for sustainable, technical advances in building design. To account for the huge changes in occupancy - as the number of shoppers fluctuates during the course of any one given day - all Atrium Promenada stores feature a variable air volume (VAV) ventilation system managed automatically by CO2 sensors. This reduces the amount of energy needed to power ventilators, heaters and coolers. The ventilation system uses the heat waste produced by air conditioning to warm up the ventilation air, which significantly decreases the overall energy use and reduces the demand pressures on the municipal network.

Atrium Promenada shopping centre

Designed to provide an exciting, contemporary shopping experience, the Atrium Promenada refurbishment strategy focused on indoor thermal comfort, fresh air inflows and the design of adaptable lighting.