To decide on the height of the building, Soviet and Polish architects gathered in the area of the Śląsko-Dąbrowski Bridge on the east bank of the Vistula river. Over the site of the future skyscraper flew a small plane pulling a balloon behind it. The group standing near the bridge had radio contact with the pilot of the plane. First, the balloon flew at an altitude of , then higher at and . The Soviets, led by Lev Rudnev, decided that was enough for the highest point of the city. The Poles, led by the plenipotentiary for the construction of the building and chief architect of Warsaw, Józef Sigalin, began to shout "Higher!" after every of balloon height increase. Finally, the tower was set at a height of , with a main structure, a turret and a spire.