The building’s architectural design was led by Foster + Partners, with Buro Happold acting as façade consultant, supporting the performance, constructability, and integration of the building envelope at extreme height.

At the core of the façade execution stands Scheldebouw, part of the Permasteelisa Group, responsible for the delivery and installation of the unitised curtain wall system for Varso Tower. The façade is realised as a panelised, unitised system incorporating triple-glazed insulating glass units, a key requirement for thermal performance, acoustic control, and energy efficiency at scale. Publicly available project data attributes approximately 49,400 m² of unitised façade panels to the tower alone, underlining the logistical and engineering complexity of the envelope works.

Within the insulating glass units, SWISSPACER ULTIMATE warm-edge spacers were used, a confirmed component of the glazing build-up for the Varso project. The glass manufacturing scope for the project package is linked to Saint-Gobain Glassolutions, referenced in technical coordination and glazing documentation related to Varso Place.

Beyond transparent elements, Varso Tower integrates a substantial volume of opaque façade panels. These were supplied by Escofet, which manufactured 2,426 UHPC (Ultra-High-Performance Concrete) panels, covering approximately 12,400 m² of façade surface. The use of UHPC allowed for high durability, precision geometry, and visual consistency within the tower’s envelope composition.

Metal façade elements form another critical layer of the building skin. Outokumpu supplied stainless steel materials for Varso Tower, with Kasso Mühendislik responsible for fabrication and Scheldebouw coordinating façade integration. Documented stainless steel grades and finishes were selected to meet durability, aesthetic, and environmental performance criteria at high elevation.

Varso Tower stands today not only as a skyline landmark for Warsaw, but as a reference project for large-scale, high-performance façade delivery in Europe, demonstrating the coordination required between developers, designers, façade specialists, glass manufacturers, and material suppliers at the highest level of execution.

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The architectural concept is led by PCA-STREAM, under the direction of Philippe Chiambaretta, proposing a distinctive composition of two connected towers joined by a series of elevated “links”. These connections are not only spatial elements but structural and environmental devices, reinforcing the building’s vertical continuity while enabling large-scale façade integration.

At the core of The Link’s architectural identity is its fully glazed envelope, described by the project team as an all-glass façade. To address thermal performance, solar control, and energy efficiency at this scale, the building employs an insulating double-skin façade system. This approach allows the tower to maintain high levels of transparency while controlling heat gain, ventilation, and occupant comfort, key challenges for tall office buildings in dense urban environments.

A defining feature of the façade strategy is the integration of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) directly into the glass envelope. ISSOL® has confirmed its role as the designer and manufacturer of the photovoltaic glass modules, used on the project. ISSOL supplied more than 4,000 m² of tailor-made photovoltaic glass, with individual modules reaching up to four metres in height. These large-format PV glazing elements are fully integrated into the façade system, combining energy generation with architectural expression.

The Link is officially described as the first tower in La Défense to incorporate photovoltaic panels at this scale within its façade. The project targets HQE Exceptionnel certification, reflecting its ambitions in energy performance, environmental responsibility, and circular construction practices.

Construction is being delivered by VINCI Construction France, with Groupama Immobilier associated as the site owner and development stakeholder. While the curtain wall contractor, IGU fabricator, and base glass manufacturer have not been publicly disclosed, The Link already stands as a reference project for double-skin glass façades and BIPV integration in European high-rise office architecture.

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The architecture follows the curvature of the road, allowing the site perimeter to define the volume. Within this controlled form, the façade is conceived as a layered envelope combining exposed concrete and glass blocks. Rather than functioning as transparent openings, the glass blocks operate as a translucent architectural system, mediating light, privacy, and urban presence.

During the day, the glass blocks filter natural daylight into the interior, diffusing light evenly across the retail spaces while avoiding glare and direct visibility from the street. This controlled translucency creates a calm interior environment suited to fashion display, where material textures and garments remain visually dominant. The modular rhythm of the glass blocks reinforces the building’s sculptural quality while maintaining a sense of solidity.

At night, the role of the glass blocks shifts. Interior lighting transforms the building into a softly glowing volume, giving MANMADE Seoul a distinct identity within the Itaewon streetscape. The façade emits a uniform, restrained luminosity, positioning the store as an urban landmark without relying on signage or spectacle.

The glass blocks are embedded within exposed concrete cast using OSB formwork and finished with a mineral glaze. The concrete retains visible traces of construction and develops patina over time, while its subtle woven texture conceptually echoes textile logic. Inside, a sequence of mezzanine levels connected by a central vertical core allows daylight filtered through the glass blocks to permeate multiple floors, reinforcing spatial continuity.

The project demonstrates how glass blocks, when precisely integrated, can function as a contemporary façade material, balancing daylight control, material expression, and urban presence in modern retail architecture.

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The extension is positioned on the northern edge of the existing terminal, projecting approximately 18 metres toward the runway to create additional passenger regrouping and boarding areas. Complementing this intervention, a secondary eastern extension of around 17 metres aligns structurally and visually with the main addition. Together, the two volumes form a coherent architectural composition that integrates seamlessly with the existing terminal while clearly expressing its contemporary expansion.

A façade defined by vertical rhythm and transparency

At the core of the project’s architectural language is a façade articulated by a sequence of semi-transparent yellow metal arches. These elements establish a pronounced vertical rhythm that contrasts deliberately with the terminal’s long horizontal massing. The result is a façade that is both visually dynamic and highly legible, allowing the new extension to be easily read within the larger airport complex.

Rather than acting as a solid barrier, the arched metal structure introduces controlled permeability. The semi-transparent envelope filters natural light into the interior while framing outward views toward the airfield and surrounding landscape. This balance between openness and enclosure enhances passenger experience without compromising operational requirements.

Connecting interior space, movement, and identity

Beyond their visual impact, the metal arches perform an important spatial role. They mediate between interior and exterior environments, reinforcing a sense of movement and direction that aligns naturally with airport circulation flows. From close range, the arches provide texture and depth; from a distance, they give the terminal a recognizable silhouette that strengthens its urban presence.

Ground Studio de Arhitectură’s approach avoids decorative excess, instead relying on repetition, proportion, and material clarity to achieve architectural expression. The restrained use of color and transparency ensures that the extension remains contemporary yet timeless, supporting the airport’s long-term evolution.

A strategic upgrade for a growing regional hub

As passenger numbers continue to grow, the new terminal extension positions Avram Iancu International Airport to meet future demands while projecting a confident architectural image. The project demonstrates how metal architecture, façade rhythm, and transparency can be combined to deliver both performance and identity in transport infrastructure.

By aligning functional expansion with a clearly articulated design concept, the Cluj airport extension stands as a reference point for modern airport architecture in Romania and Southeast Europe, where infrastructure upgrades increasingly serve as opportunities for architectural distinction rather than purely technical solutions.

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The building envelope is conceived as a folded façade, formed by slightly offset stainless-steel panels that wrap the tower in a continuous skin. These shifts are deliberate and consistent, creating a relief effect that introduces shadow lines, depth, and changing reflections across the elevation. The result is a façade that reads differently depending on viewing angle and distance, sharp and defined at close range, softer and more diffuse from across the city.

Integrated high-performance glass panels reflect the surrounding sky and cloud formations, visually reducing the tower’s mass. This reflective quality is not purely aesthetic: the façade incorporates orientation-specific panel configurations that respond to solar exposure. On more exposed elevations, flexible shading elements limit direct sunlight, while still allowing generous daylight penetration into office floors.

At the lower levels, the façade opens up to support a publicly accessible lobby and an elevated garden platform above. Here, transparency and openness are prioritised to bring daylight and natural ventilation into the courtyard and adjacent low-rise buildings. This base condition softens the transition between tower and campus, reinforcing the building’s role as part of a connected workplace environment rather than a standalone object.

With façade engineering by PAG Façade Systems and execution by China Fangda Group, the Cloud Tower demonstrates how material precision, solar control, and visual restraint can work together. Rather than relying on expressive geometry alone, the façade delivers performance, identity, and long-term urban presence, marking Kingdee’s headquarters as a clear yet measured landmark in Shenzhen’s evolving tech corridor.

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