Galeria Wilanów is scheduled for completion at the end of 2014 Courtesy of GTC

A new commercial center in Warsaw's Wilanów district, scheduled for completion at the end of 2014, could be a plagiarism of the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
Galeria Wilanów's architects, from the APA Wojciechowski architectural studio and the Israeli Moshe Tzur design studio, maintain that any similarity to Zaha Hadid's German project is coincidental.
There are two schemes within the center. One is 250 meters long and will offer 60,000 sqm of retail space, while the other one, smaller in size, will comprise 16,000 sqm of retail space. Both are set to be built at the intersection of ul. Przyczółkowa and ul. Branickiego. The first building's construction cost is estimated at ?160 million.
The larger building's glass elements, asymmetrical lines and small windows, make the design reminiscent of a "Star Wars" space shuttle, according to Gazeta Wyborcza. The Phaeno center includes very similar design elements, the paper said.
Szymon Wojciechowski, the head of APA Wojciechowski, said in an interview with the newspaper that the Phaeno Center was not an inspiration for Galeria Wilanów and that he was shocked by the resemblance.
The sole developer of the planned Galeria Wilanów, the WSE-listed Globe Trade Centre (GTC), acquired the remaining 50 percent stake in the investment previously held by Polnord.
Since residents began moving into district's large-scale development project "Miasteczko Wilanów" some years ago, it has begun attracting business and commerce. The district has so far been mainly regarded as purely residential (it is often referred to as "Warsaw's bedroom") and is now beginning a new chapter.
According to real estate experts, in terms of offices, the district, with its lush green areas, offers a refreshing alternative to Warsaw's other well-established office districts.

Karolina Kowalska