V Tower – Making a comeback
In Warsaw, apartment buildings stand alongside gleaming glass-and-steel towers, each taller than the last. V Tower sits right in the middle of it all. To help rejuvenate the building, our team replaced 19 elevators and installed Schinder PORT – helping to transform it into a vibrant modern office tower.
Standing on the top floor of the V Tower, pausing between checks on the newly installed elevators, Bartłomiej Wiórkiewicz, Senior Technical Specialist, gestures toward a cluster of skyscrapers piercing Warsaw’s skyline. "They’ve really shot up over the past 10 years," he says with a proud smile. "The city looked nothing like this a decade ago."
When it first rose in 2000, V Tower’s 22 stories briefly put it among Warsaw’s tallest buildings. Today, it cuts a more modest figure, with its understated glass façade and four brutalist podiums anchoring its base.
Look within, and that’s where the V Tower truly shines – a textbook example of how thoughtful modernization can breathe new life into a building without changing its character.
Changing with the times
Originally known as the Warta Tower, the building served for two decades as the headquarters of Poland’s largest insurer – the company that gave it its name. By 2020, the real estate market had shifted. Across Warsaw’s central business district, new developments with attractive tenant offerings and strong environmental credentials were raising the bar. Building owners faced a choice: fall behind, modernize, or cut their losses and sell.
Cornerstone Investment Management saw an opportunity in the V Tower – and in commercial office space as a whole. They acquired the tower with a clear vision. Demolition was out of the question. Instead, the building would be transformed into prime, highly sustainable, downtown office space while retaining its historical character.
Renovating a cultural classic
The modernization went far beyond cosmetic updates. All major building systems were overhauled – from HVAC and electrical to IT and building management – with sustainability in mind. Meanwhile, the building’s distinctive dark blue façade, a defining feature of the original Warta Tower, was carefully preserved and upgraded with improved insulation to meet modern energy efficiency standards. The goals were ambitious: BREEAM and LEED certifications, alongside the European certification Building without Barriers, which recognizes buildings that meet rigorous accessibility standards.
Touch-free building access that prioritized safety, security, and hygiene was implemented, and top-of-the-line interiors – complete with plush furnishings and sleek finishings – were put in place. With historical preservation in mind, the building’s iconic elements – its unique architecture, lush patios and cascading courtyards – were preserved and enhanced.
Elevating energy efficiency
Within this broader refurbishment, the building’s elevators proved central to the building’s transformation into a champion of sustainability. Its elevator systems were over 20 years old and were extremely energy intensive.
In our early conversations with the customer, we were able to give them a precise idea of the emission savings they could achieve by switching to our elevators. We also conducted traffic simulations to clearly show how Schindler PORT can improve traffic flow and limit congestion without adding additional reducing waiting times and achieving considerable energy savings."
Paweł Zawieja, Head of New Installations Project Management
The project involved the replacement of 19 elevators in total: 13 Schindler 3000 in the main tower, all managed by Schindler PORT; five Schindler 5000 serving the four podiums; and a single Schindler 6000 reserved for firefighting operations.
The results were significant. By replacing the existing elevators with Schindler equipment, the elevator systems alone reduced energy consumption by 50% – showcasing the remarkable gains achievable through modern, smarter technology like Schindler PORT. With all these changes in place, the building is now expected to save more than 2,000 tons of CO2 per year – a reduction of over 40% compared to pre-modernization levels. That’s on top of the 30,000 tons of carbon, equating to an 85% reduction in embodied carbon, saved by refurbishing the tower instead of demolishing it.
The energy and carbon savings achieved are just one part of the story. The modernized elevators are also enhancing the building’s aesthetics and supporting its high-tech look and feel. "We worked closely with the property management team and architects to ensure the modernization respects the building’s original character," says Bartłomiej. The main tower’s elevators are equipped with in-cabin digital screens, and every detail – from material selection to design finishes – was chosen to ensure the new components blend seamlessly with the updated interiors and lobby spaces.
Managing the modernization
The modernization of the elevators was carried out on quite a tight timeline – and while expertly overcoming complications as they arose. For one, some shaft measurements differed significantly from the blueprints, requiring the team to make adjustments on-site. Each installation was at a different stage of completion and sophistication, ruling out any one-size-fits-all modernization approach.
To make things even more complex, the building remained partly occupied throughout, so elevators had to be modernized in stages to keep some in operation. "Through careful planning and flexibility, we managed to address each challenge successfully," Piotr Zieliński, Head of New Installations Key Projects, comments. "In projects of this scale, precise planning is important, but often not realistic – adaptability and problem-solving skills make the difference."
That ability comes with experience – built over years of managing complex modernizations. As Bartłomiej explains: "Strong teamwork is key to avoiding major disruptions before they turn into critical issues," adding that regular meetings and clear communication channels with building management ensured alignment on progress, priorities, and any adaptations needed on-site.
Paweł Tański, Regional Sales Manager, agrees: "Together we were able to solve any problem that came our way and provide the customer with a solution and personalized service. I think that’s critically important."
And that didn’t go unnoticed by the customer. "From the very beginning, the Schindler team showed genuine engagement with the building and a deep understanding of the modernization’s scale and complexity," says Karol Klin from Cornerstone Investment Management. They lived up to the company’s reputation. As Karol adds, "In Poland, Schindler stands for quality."
It may not dominate the skyline, but the V Tower stands proudly alongside its taller neighbors. Its renewal shows that true progress isn’t about reaching higher – it’s about modernizing smarter.