30/10/26
From the first foundation piles installed for the Opel factory in Gliwice, through record-breaking diaphragm walls in Warsaw, to some of Poland’s largest infrastructure projects, Soletanche Polska is celebrating 30 years in business. Held on 29 October 2026 at the Norblin Factory in Warsaw under the theme “WHAT LIES BENEATH MATTERS”, the anniversary event provided an opportunity to reflect on three decades of experience, discuss the future of cities and present the company’s strategic development priorities for the years ahead.
Over the past 30 years, Poland has undergone a remarkable infrastructure transformation. Thousands of kilometres of new roads have been built, railway lines modernised, metro networks, ports and airports expanded, and modern office buildings, public facilities and entire new urban districts have emerged across the country. Yet much of this transformation began in a place that remains largely invisible in everyday life – beneath the ground.
This is where Soletanche Polska has been operating since 1996, specialising in the design and execution of advanced geotechnical and foundation works.
The anniversary celebration brought together clients, investors, general contractors, business partners, representatives of academia and industry organisations, journalists and company employees. The event took place at the Norblin Factory, one of Warsaw’s most recognisable urban regeneration projects, whose foundations were constructed by Soletanche Polska. The company was therefore celebrating its 30th anniversary quite literally on its own foundations.
From Gliwice to Poland’s Largest Infrastructure Projects
The history of Soletanche Polska began in 1996. One of its first projects involved installing CFA piles for the construction of the Opel factory in Gliwice. Another important milestone came in 2002, when the company carried out geotechnical works for the Złote Tarasy development in Warsaw – a project whose scale and complexity presented new challenges for the growing organisation.
In the years that followed, Soletanche Polska contributed to projects that permanently transformed Poland’s urban landscape and infrastructure. These included the S2 and S79 expressways in Warsaw, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, the Trocka, Bródno and Karolin stations on Warsaw Metro Line 2, the redevelopment of Warszawa Zachodnia railway station, and the expansion of the T5 terminal at Baltic Hub in the Port of Gdańsk.
As the scale of these projects increased, so did the company’s technological expertise, enabling it to take on increasingly demanding geotechnical challenges.
One example is the record-breaking depths of diaphragm walls constructed in Warsaw:
- 56 metres – Warsaw Spire office building;
- 58 metres – Plac Unii office building;
- 58–60 metres – C18 Trocka station on Warsaw Metro Line 2.
Railway projects in Łódź demonstrate another dimension of this scale. During construction of the Retkinia shaft for the High-Speed Rail project, diaphragm walls 120 cm thick were used, while the Odolanowska shaft for the Cross-City Railway Tunnel required walls as thick as 150 cm. The diaphragm walls reach depths of up to 45 metres, while excavations extend as deep as 30 metres. Such projects demand exceptional precision, advanced technologies and rigorous control at every stage of execution.
Foundation works for the T5 terminal at Baltic Hub in the Port of Gdańsk also reached an impressive scale. The total length of CFA piles installed amounted to approximately 50 kilometres, requiring more than 33,000 m³ of low-carbon concrete. The piles extended to depths exceeding 33 metres.
Another outstanding achievement was the construction of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, where one of the largest underwater concrete pours in European history was carried out. Over seven days and seven nights of continuous work, approximately 25,000 m³ of concrete was placed.
These projects demonstrate how geotechnical capabilities have evolved over three decades, alongside the increasing scale of the developments in which Soletanche Polska has participated.
The Future of Cities Lies Underground
One of the highlights of the anniversary celebration was an expert panel discussion entitled “The Second Life of Cities: Unlocking the Potential Beneath Our Feet. How Can Underground Infrastructure Address the Greatest Challenges of the 21st Century?”
The discussion was moderated by Monika Socha-Kośmider, Vice-President of the Management Board of Wydawnictwo INŻYNIERIA. The panellists included:
- Professor Anna Siemińska-Lewandowska – an expert in geotechnical and underground engineering, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Civil and Water Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Vice-President of the Polish Committee on Geotechnics, and Poland’s representative to the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES);
- Alicja Kuczera – Managing Director of the Polish Green Building Council (PLGBC);
- Rafał Zarzycki – representative of the Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers;
- Piotr Szturmowski – Director of the Northern Region at Soletanche Polska.
The discussion focused on the challenges facing modern cities and economies, including rapid urbanisation, limited space availability, the energy transition, climate change and the need to ensure infrastructure resilience and security.
For decades, cities have primarily expanded outwards and upwards. Today, a third direction is becoming increasingly important – underground. Subsurface space is emerging as a strategic area for the development of modern cities, offering new opportunities for transport, energy and utility infrastructure, water retention and new urban functions.
The debate explored this potential from the perspectives of academia, construction, sustainable building and the engineering profession, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the responsible planning and use of underground space.
Safety, Innovation, Diversity and Ethics – The Foundations of Our Organisation
During the anniversary celebration, Hubert Tomczak, Managing Director of Soletanche Polska, emphasised that the company’s development would not have been possible without the values that have shaped its organisational culture over the years.
One of the most important foundations is safety. The company develops its own occupational health and safety standards and implements solutions that, in many cases, were introduced ahead of common industry practice. These include mandatory chin straps on safety helmets, protective eyewear and RED ZONE systems currently being tested, which use lighting to mark safety zones around operating machinery.
In addition to the international safety standards applied throughout the Soletanche Bachy Group, Soletanche Polska has established 18 of its own occupational health and safety standards, tailored to the specific nature of its operations. These standards are continuously reviewed, improved and expanded.
The company also runs a management site-visit programme, with more than 60 visits completed, as well as the “One Day on Site” initiative, which enables office-based employees to gain a better understanding of on-site working conditions and the challenges faced by construction teams.
The second key foundation is innovation. The company develops technologies and material solutions that not only enable increasingly complex projects to be delivered but also help reduce their environmental impact.
Soletanche Polska continuously develops and implements innovative technological solutions that improve operational efficiency, optimise construction processes and enable more effective use of available resources.
One area of focus is the development of new materials, including EXEGY low-carbon concrete and cement-free concrete based on activated slag. At the same time, the company is improving its construction processes through the use of polymer slurries tailored to ground conditions and decanter centrifuges that enable the recovery of process fluids. Another area of innovation is the management and reuse of materials generated during construction works. This includes multi-deck screening systems for recovering materials from jet grouting operations and superabsorbents that improve the dewatering and handling of excavated material. The development and implementation of new solutions are supported by research and development activities, including collaboration with Polish technical universities.
The company emphasises that innovation is not limited to new technologies. It also involves identifying ways to reduce the consumption of concrete, steel, energy and other resources while simultaneously improving construction efficiency and safety.
Diversity is another important element of the company’s organisational culture. Women currently hold 40% of management positions at Soletanche Polska. The company invests in employee development, supports intergenerational collaboration and benefits from international knowledge transfer within the Soletanche Bachy Group.
The fourth foundation is ethics, understood as integrity, respect, responsibility and the development of long-term relationships with clients, partners and employees.
Environmental Responsibility and Efficient Resource Management
Environmental responsibility is becoming an increasingly important part of Soletanche Polska’s operations. During the anniversary event, the company presented its progress towards the environmental targets set for 2030.
By the end of 2025, the company had achieved the following results:
- 23.13% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, against a target of 40% by 2030, compared with the 2021 baseline;
- 44.16% reduction in Scope 3 emissions, against a target of 20% by 2030, compared with the 2022 baseline;
- 68% share of low-carbon concrete, against a target of 90% by 2030.
These results demonstrate progress in reducing the company’s carbon footprint while also identifying areas requiring further action.
Reducing the environmental impact of its operations is one of Soletanche Polska’s key development priorities. These efforts begin at the tender preparation stage, when opportunities to optimise construction technologies and improve resource efficiency are assessed.
During project execution, the company applies circular economy principles, including the use of recycled steel, the collection of used oil and scrap metal for recycling, and the reduction of plastic waste through the use of bulk AdBlue storage and dispensing systems.
Reducing CO₂ emissions is another important priority, supported by the modernisation of the equipment fleet and the gradual introduction of HVO100 fuel in construction machinery.
These initiatives are complemented by the digitalisation and automation of processes, as well as equipment monitoring systems that enable better control of fuel, energy and other resource consumption.
A New Structure, New Markets and Infrastructure for the Decades Ahead
Three decades of growth at Soletanche Polska have brought not only increasingly ambitious projects but also organisational changes designed to better respond to market needs.
Today, the company’s operations in Poland are structured around three regions: North, Central and South. This regional approach is intended to strengthen client relationships, improve understanding of local investment needs and give teams greater autonomy.
At the same time, Soletanche Polska is expanding its activities in neighbouring markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltic states. The integration of Soletanche Bachy Slovensko into the company’s organisational structure strengthens its expertise and project delivery capabilities across Central Europe.
In response to the growing scale of investments, the company has also established a Major Projects Department, responsible for coordinating its most complex projects and bringing together specialist expertise across regional and national boundaries.
Another important milestone in 2026 was the opening of a new Equipment Base in Brzóze, near Mińsk Mazowiecki. Covering more than 15,000 m² and located close to the A2 motorway and National Road No. 50, the facility includes a modern equipment maintenance and repair hall, warehouses, workshops, offices and technical infrastructure.
The investment is designed to improve equipment availability and reliability while streamlining support for projects delivered both in Poland and abroad.
This development is supported by the international resources and expertise of the Soletanche Bachy Group, which operates in approximately 50 countries and employs 10,000 people representing more than 100 nationalities. The Group delivers around 3,000 projects annually, has a portfolio of 500 patent filings and generates approximately €2.3 billion in revenue.
Building from the Ground Up. Thinking in Decades.
The 30th anniversary celebration also provided an opportunity to present Soletanche Polska’s strategy for the coming years.
During his presentation, “Building from the Ground Up. Thinking in Decades,” Hubert Tomczak outlined four strategic pillars for the organisation’s development: People, Efficiency, Innovation and Growth.
The first pillar focuses on safety, competence development, technological specialisation, building autonomous teams and transferring knowledge and experience across the international Group.
The second pillar involves further digitalisation of processes, the development of equipment monitoring systems, automation, better use of production data, and the modernisation of the equipment fleet and supporting facilities. The objective is to improve project predictability, accelerate decision-making and reduce the risk of downtime.
The third pillar covers the development of specialist technologies, such as Springsol® and Trenchmix®, alongside solutions related to slurry engineering, material recovery and environmental efficiency. The company intends to expand its technological capabilities while reducing resource consumption.
The fourth pillar is growth. Infrastructure remains the core of Soletanche Polska’s business, accounting for approximately 70% of its project portfolio. At the same time, the organisation plans to develop its expertise in new sectors, particularly energy, defence and inland hydraulic engineering, while increasing its participation in major infrastructure projects.
Further international expansion and the continued development of regional organisational structures also remain important priorities.
The strategy aims to strengthen Soletanche Polska’s position not merely as a geotechnical contractor, but above all as a partner capable of developing optimal solutions for the most demanding construction projects.
The company’s mission is expressed in the statement: “We take pride in building places that matter for generations.”
People Build. 30 Years of Shared History
Above all, the anniversary was an opportunity to thank the people who have contributed to Soletanche Polska’s story over the past three decades.
From a team of just a few people in 1996, the company has grown into an organisation employing more than 250 specialists today, including engineers, designers, equipment operators, site personnel and support teams.
Throughout the event, the importance of collaboration with clients, investors, general contractors, universities, industry organisations and technology partners was repeatedly emphasised. It is thanks to mutual trust and long-standing relationships that the company has been able to deliver projects which, on many occasions, required entirely new solutions to be developed.
The anniversary programme also featured films showcasing the company’s most significant projects and the people behind its success, as well as an interactive quiz entitled “30 Years Beneath the Surface. How Much Do You Know About Us?”, giving participants the opportunity to test their knowledge of the company’s technologies, records and history.
Three decades of Soletanche Polska represent a story of growing expertise, technological advancement and organisational development. Above all, however, they are a story of people who take responsibility every day for the safety and successful delivery of the projects entrusted to them.
The company enters the years ahead with the ambition to contribute to the most significant infrastructure and construction challenges, both in Poland and international markets.
Because although so much has changed over the past 30 years, one thing remains constant: what rises above the ground begins with what we build beneath it.
Soletanche Polska. Ready to Keep Building. From the Ground Up. For Decades to Come.
Congratulatory Letters on the Occasion of Soletanche Polska’s 30th Anniversary
