Harmonia Mokotów

Dom Development acquired the site together with a completed design and a final building permit. Buying a design with a valid permit gets a developer on site sooner, but it leaves less room for manoeuvre: the developer's own apartment standards have to fit within what has already been agreed with the authorities.

That was PAKA.archi's task: to bring in the developer's standards and improve the development's return without departing from the permit. Going beyond it would have meant applying for an amended building permit and halting the development for many months.

Before drawing anything, PAKA.archi reviewed the documentation it had taken over. When a design is bought together with the land, this is the only chance to establish exactly what the developer is starting with. Anything missed at this point turns up later on site, by which time it costs money.

PAKA.archi took on dealings with the authorities overseeing the development, so that day-to-day administrative matters stayed off the developer's desk.

Dom Development's standards differed from what was in the inherited documentation, and bringing them in within the existing permit gave PAKA.archi the chance to make three changes that improved the development's return.

PAKA.archi adapted the apartment and commercial unit mix and layouts to the developer's sales needs. NSA was increased by 2% without changes that would have required a new building permit. Resized windows and prefabricated balconies reduced the construction cost.

Prefabricated balconies brought the cost down without lowering the quality, and the high design standard Dom Development is known for was fully maintained.

The job also meant being clear about the limits. Whenever an idea went beyond the permit or posed a serious risk to the occupancy permit, PAKA.archi said so straight away. A rejected change costs one meeting. The same change made and then reversed costs three months.

Market conditions called for phase III to be brought forward. Construction started in Q3 2024, while the detailed design was still being produced. Any delay on the documentation side would have meant the site standing idle.

When design and construction overlap, coordination takes the most time, so PAKA.archi ran all coordination with the engineering consultants and building services designers in-house. At the same time, the team got to grips with the developer's procedures and set up a way of working with the general contractor.

Construction never waited for drawings. Phase III was completed in Q4 2025, about 15 months after work began, with the detailed design produced alongside construction. The whole development is now finished: construction ran from Q4 2023, and residents have moved in.