Rafał Giersz

Dynamic Architectural Director with 15+ years of expertise in creating commercially successful retail and mixed-use environments across Europe. Known for balancing design excellence with commercial pragmatism, resulting in award winning projects that exceed client's expectation enhance user experience. Proven track record in securing projects and negotiating contracts, while leading diverse teams to success. Recognized industry voice on retail innovation and sustainable design, serving as a jury chairman for PRCH Retail Awards and speaking at major forums including Property Forum and PLGBC Green Building Summit. Passionate about creating future-proof developments that integrate ESG principles while maximizing commercial performance.

• Led implementation of sustainable design strategies across retail and mixed use portfolio including extension of Designer Outlet Warszawa and Gdansk as well as AC Marriott in Poznań.
• Integrated ESG principles into design process
• Knowledge of certification system - BREEAM
• Speaker on sustainable design at PLGBC Green Building Summit
• Member of the Project Circion and Building Life 2 - Circular Economy and Road map for decarbonisation in Poland

Sports: Running (half and full marathon distances), skiing, swimming, biking.

Music: classical, rock and heavy metal, piano and guitar.

Aviation

Traveling with family - Europe as well as polish coast (Kaszuby and Hel peninsula) in the summer.

Selected Retail Projects:

Designer Outlet Warsaw – Lead Architect / Project Team Leader. Extension with a new retail section, a multi-level above-ground parking structure, and a new food court area – multidisciplinary coordination, architectural design, interior design, and author supervision. All stages were multidisciplinary with design coordination.
Size: 5,500 m² GLA + 22,000 m² multi-level parking + 5 ha external areas. 130 seating places in the food court.
Designer Outlet Gdańsk – Lead Architect / Project Team Leader. Extension of the existing outlet with a new retail section and food court – conceptual design, building permit documentation, tender documentation, interior design, detailed design, and author supervision. All stages were multidisciplinary with design coordination.
Size: 3,500 m² GLA + approx. 5 ha external areas. 160 seating places in the food court.
Designer Outlet Sosnowiec – Lead Architect / Project Team Leader. Expansion of the existing center, modernization of the food court, new façade design, land development including the conversion of unused forest areas into a relaxation zone and customer parking – conceptual design, interior design, building permit documentation, detailed design, and author supervision. All stages were multidisciplinary with design coordination.
Size: 5,500 m² GLA + 9 ha external areas. 130 seating places in the food court.
Sky Tower Food Court Refurbishment – Lead Architect / Project Team Leader. New food court area within an existing shopping center on level +1 – multidisciplinary conceptual design, building permit documentation, detailed execution documentation including interior design, furniture, and decorative elements.
Size: approx. 3,000 m². 14 new food court units and 300 seating places.
Złote Tarasy Food Court Refurbishment – Lead Architect / Project Team Leader. Redevelopment of the existing seating area – conceptual and execution design, interior design, furniture, and decorative elements.
Size: approx. 3,500 m². 600 seating places in the food court.
Galeria Bemowo – Senior Architect, project team member responsible for planning aspects related to initiating the process of amending the Warsaw master plan and commencing work on a new local zoning plan for the redevelopment and expansion of the center.
Scope: Redevelopment of the existing shopping center, including the cinema and food court area – feasibility study, conceptual design, building permit documentation, multidisciplinary tender design, author supervision, and planning procedures.
Size: approx. 57,000 m² GLA.
Lublin Plaza Food Court and Common Areas Refurbishment – Lead Architect. Design of new relaxation and common areas as well as food court seating area – conceptual design, execution documentation.
Size: approx. 22,000 m² GLA. 220 seating places in the food court.
Forum Radunia / Gdańsk – Architect, project team member. Design of a new shopping center (now Forum Gdańsk) – urban and architectural conceptual design.
Size: approx. 120,000 m² GLA.
Galeria Jagiellońska – Architect, project team member. Design of a new shopping center – conceptual, building, and revised building design, BIM architecture, multidisciplinary projects.
Size: 50,000 m² GLA.
Galeria Victoria – Architect, project team member. Design of a new shopping center – multidisciplinary conceptual design, building permit design, interior design (graphics and signage) for the commercial area, coordination of other industry designs, site supervision, and detailed interior design. 

Size: 45,000 m² GLA.

Selected Hotel and Mixed-Use Projects:

Pinea Resort – Team Leader, Designer, Reviewing Designer. Design of a hotel-apartment complex including three buildings, an underground parking garage, a swimming pool with a sauna and wellness area – conceptual design, building permit documentation, tender design, detailed design, and author supervision. All projects were multidisciplinary.
Size: Plot area 1.5 ha, usable building area 52,000 m². Revit / BIM Lod min. 300 / 3D site scan during construction.
AC Marriott in Kupiec Poznański – Project Team Leader and Lead Architect. Redevelopment of an existing shopping center into an AC Marriott hotel with 146 rooms, a restaurant, and a multifunctional conference room. Responsibilities included obtaining zoning decisions, conceptual design, building permit documentation, tender design, and execution design, including interior design approved by Marriott. All projects were multidisciplinary. Revit / BIM Lod min. 300 / 3D scan
Size: Shopping center area 28,000 m², hotel area 8,500 m².
Golden Wilanów – Project Team Leader and Lead Architect. Design of a new mixed-use development comprising office, residential, and apartment buildings, as well as retail and recreational sports areas – multidisciplinary conceptual design.
Size: Plot area 7.5 ha, usable building area 120,000 m².
OSiR Żoliborz / RKS Marymont – Project Team Leader and Lead Architect. Urban and architectural conceptual design for the redevelopment and expansion of the existing RKS Marymont sports and recreation center. Multidisciplinary conceptual design, approved by the Polish Football Association (PZPN) and the Polish Athletics Association (PZLA).
Size: Plot area 7.2 ha, usable building area 12,000 m².
ETHOS – Architect, project team member. Redevelopment of an existing building's retail section – multidisciplinary conceptual, building, and execution design, including interior design of common areas.
Size: Usable area 17,500 m².

Selected Masterplan Projects:

Warsaw Steelworks  - Project Team Leader and Lead Architect. Transformation of the biggest site in Warsaw available for new development and construction with designated new uses, such as different types of residential of varying densities (from multi-family to student housing), workplaces (offices, startups, technology parks), hospitality, retail and leisure, education, recreation and sports, exhibition spaces, light industry, warehousing and logistics etc.

Size: Plot area 220 ha, usable building area ca. 360,000 m².

Shipyard Zacisze in Wrocław - Project Team Leader and Lead Architect. Transformation on the historical river shipyard into multi factional complex. Main principles guiding the masterplan concept:
- Reduction of the port basin by ca. 1/3 to increase buildable area
- Creation of office / workplace
– hotel – conference complex
- Retail and gastronomy (F&B) at ground floor of buildings

- Apartment buildings enjoying river views and over the port basin
- Water basin upgrade to a new river port and marina for yachts and motor boats
- Creation of new public realm for recreation, exhibitions and museum spaces along port basin banks reminding of the location’s history
- Green roofs and common / public spaces with large amount of natural greenery
- Underground parking directly under buildings

Size: Plot area 8 ha, usable building area ca. 17,680 m².

S8 Corner, Warsaw  - Project Team Leader and Lead Architect. Multifunctional complex located in the western part of Warsaw in the direct vicinity of the major S8 road artery. A variety of uses is proposed on the ca. 11,7 ha site – residential, offices, retail, leisure and entertainment as well as sport facilities, all to form a vibrant urban mix. The main principle of the concept was placing majority of parking below ground and creating an over 300m long retail street linking two main squares and becoming an urban compositional axis.

Size: Plot area 22 ha.

Shipyard Nowa, Szczecin - Architect, team member. Masterplan of the redevelopment of the existing shipyard. The strategy aimed to maintain the production of floating units in the area of the Wulkan slipway, which had been in operation since the mid-19th century and was part of the historic Vulcan-Werft shipyard, founded in 1851.

In place of the Odra slipway, a new district was proposed, featuring offices, a technology park, a business incubator, as well as an exhibition space for yacht manufacturers and a marina.

Due to the historical significance of the location and the presence of the former meeting hall where agreements between the authorities and striking shipyard workers were signed in 1980, the land development concept was coordinated with the Municipal Heritage Conservator.

Size: Plot area 58 ha.

Selected Industrial Projects:

Aircraft Maintenance Base (MRO), Rzeszów Jasionka Airport - Team leader supervisor. The goal of this project was to expand
LOTAMS’ ability to provide base maintenance services, especially for wide-body aircraft. The infrastructure consists of one hangar for servicing and repairing aircraft and some workshops for painting planes, enabling LOTAMS to perform simultaneous maintenance of two wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or five narrowbody aircraft such as the Boeing 737.

Size: Hangar 13 000 m2, workshops and offices 22 000 m2

Michelin SKY, Michelin Olsztyn, Poland - Project Team Leader, Lead Architect - Main production building. A one-story building with technical mezzanines, 35x48 m in size and 29.6 m high at the highest point. The building includes MEL / MEF production rooms, forklift loading area, office, sanitary block, IT room, electrical rooms, fire panel room, transformer room, technical rooms for mechanical devices. Concept and Building Permit documentation as well as design coordination.

Size: 8 000 m2

Michelin SANCHO, Michelin Olsztyn, Poland - Project Team Leader, Lead Architect - Warehouse for the storage of semi-finished and finished products. A single-storey warehouse building with dimensions of 60.0 x 66.4 m and a maximum height of 12.65 m at the highest point. The building consists of a forwarding part, a warehouse system in the form of 2 halls - one for storing raw materials, the other for storing fillers, a service part, a logistic office, social rooms for drivers.

Size: 8 500 m2

CPK / STH - Solidarity Transport Hub  - Project team member - Chapman Taylor created a concept design for the proposed new Central
Transportation Hub (CPK) between Warsaw and Łódź in Poland, which is due to serve as a major multi-modal aviation and railway
interchange serving 45 million passengers annually when it opens in 2027. The concept envisages a six-level structure,
called ‘Solidarity Transport Hub’, which will offer a new template for transport interchanges – creating an exciting, curated experience which will be proudly rooted in its location and offer a popular destination for travellers and non-travellers alike.

Size:  Plot area 3 000 ha