Park life

Sending a letter from the post office, picking up your package from a parcel locker, using the laundrette, shopping at the grocers and bakers, getting the car washed – this is not a to-do-list handed to you by your partner, but chores you can get done during your lunch break, in one location, next to your office. This might seem like a dream, but no – it’s real, although maybe not so noticeable to the outside observer. And this lack of visibility is another advantage of such places. The pioneering business park in Warsaw, Poleczki Park, is still gaining more tenants and growing all the time. And this year the construction of a new building is to be launched.

What makes the project so popular? Unlike city centre office projects it is close to the airport, the motorway and the ring road system, and also has easy access to the suburbs and Warsaw’s commuter belt. The question that might arise is: but why is all of that important? – we just need ‘a good address’. “Companies that need a city centre location and ‘a good address’ can go for that option, but there is also a market for those that want to get away from the hectic downtown. Every project has its own fans. But it is we who are filling this niche that was previous empty on the Warsaw office market,” explains Jakub Mirosławski, the head of sales and marketing at UBM Polska, the developer and owner of Poleczki Park. And on top of all that, the offices in Poleczki Park have very competitive service charge with the same standard of offices as in the CBD.

The way that Poleczki Park has been designed follows the general trend centred around the employees’ work-life balance. The office complex has a huge relaxation area in its midst, between the office buildings. At the beginning of the project (ten years ago), the idea was floated of building this free space up with another block, but it very quickly became clear that it was a major asset as it was. “People often ask us if we are planning to build over the greenery between the buildings, because it is one of the main pluses of our project. The space, its quietness, greenery, benches and so on – is all very much in demand. The area is used as a relaxation zone and many events are held on it for tenants and their employees,” points out Jakub Mirosławski. “There is also access to the pond, where a grill zone is to be created. This idea was provided by one of our tenants, which organised an after-hours grill for their employees. It was great success. So now we want to open up such opportunities for everyone,” adds Katarzyna Szumańska-Kalisz, the PR and marketing manager of UBM Polska. The green zone is used for open air events, such as yoga in the morning, food truck days, bike days, etc. These are the events organised by UBM Polska. But many of the tenants have their own meetings on the grass: departments and boards often meet for brain-storming sessions or just for a focus change.

Poleczki Park’s location is perfect for international companies or those on business trips from other cities. It is just a few minutes from the airport or the motorway – so everyone can get there easily. For those who are staying over, there is a hotel within the park. For those who want to reach the park from other parts of Warsaw, UBM has set up shuttle bus services. One bus goes to and from the airport train station, while the other connects the park to Imielin metro station. Poleczki Park is also cycle friendly – as with every LEED certified project, facilities for cyclists are provided – including sheltered bike parking areas and showers for cyclists in every building.

But the most important factor for such an office park is having the greatest possible car accessibility. Some of the companies in the park have confirmed that this makes it easier for them to recruit suitable employees. Poleczki Park also has an excellent parking ratio (one space per 30 sqm), which allows almost every employee to use their car to commute. That’s why a lot of people from the suburbs or smaller towns outside Warsaw prefer to work at Poleczki rather than in the city centre. All of this means that an employer has a much wider pool of potential employees to choose from. Commuting is even easier for employees from other towns outside Warsaw, who can get to Poleczki within 20 minutes, than it is for someone within the city limits to travel to Mokotów’s business district in Służewiec – sometimes it’s even impossible to get onto the tram in the direction of Służewiec at the nearest metro station, claim UBM’s representatives.

“Now we have an employee’s market. Employers need to attract new employees and convince those already working for the company to stay – not only by providing them with a good salary but also with a nice place to work, with good infrastructure,” argues Jakub Mirosławski of UBM. The developer offers the same high standard of offices in Poleczki Park as can be found in the CBD, but... all the offices have openable windows, space between the buildings, services such cafés, bakeries, shops, fruit stores, open air events, and, as Katarzyna Szumańska-Kalisz underlines, there is no other office complex in Warsaw with such an intensity of greenery. “And these are not trees in pots, like on the streets in the city centre...” adds Jakub Mirosławski.

With the rising demand from tenants, UBM Polska has decided to launch the next phase of the park’s development. “The next building will be Stockholm, in front of the existing Vienna building,” reveals Jakub Mirosławski. The construction work will probably start this year. “Now we have had a three-year break and it’s clear that we need more space. Our tenants definitely need it. Some are expanding and changing their premises within the park, or even in the same building. One company is moving for the third time, each time taking up much greater additional space. This is one of our biggest advantages. Our tenants can grow with us. An office building on its own tends to be less flexible in this regard. Here a company can either move within the park, or wait for new space in a new building than can be designed just for them. Tenants who take this option say that it is of great assistance to them as they do not have to waste time and energy searching for a new place – especially when they are happy with our park already. Our tenants tend to stay with us for subsequent lease periods, mostly taking up more space when they do. We have had many lease extensions,” adds UBM’s director.

Poleczki Park has different kinds of space so there should be something suitable for each tenants’ needs. There is warehouse space. There is also the possibility for a manufacturer to open their own retail outlet in the same building as its offices. “All of our warehouse space is now leased,” reveals Jakub Mirosławski. “Our tenants are also very eager to cooperate with us in organising events. One of these, beauty product manufacturer Orientana, is to work with us on our open air health events, which will feature free skin tests and workshops, giving the company the opportunity to trial-run its products,” explains Katarzyna Szumańska-Kalisz.

The location is perfect for companies that don’t need a central location, especially now, that there is really no need to be in such an office basin or in the city centre. The city is removing parking space, so the cost of parking is rising, traffic jams are getting worse – it’s not easy to commute within the city, due to all the roadworks, work on tram lines, metro construction... so many companies are now plotting their escape from this congested, stressful environment. “Our recent tenants have mainly come from what has been nicknamed ‘Mordor’ – Mokotów’s business district. It’s easier and faster to get to Poleczki, by car or on our shuttle bus, than by bus to Mordor at the moment,” claims Jakub Mirosławski.

As he points out, business parks are also very popular abroad. These can be huge parks that almost form separate cities, ideally designed for companies to hold on to their employees – and it’s mainly IT and other tech firms that favour such places. In Poland this is still a niche market but, according to UBM Polska, Poleczki Park is becoming a pharmaceutical hub for Warsaw. “In Poland ITC companies still want to be in the city centre – and this is expected by employees, whose requirements are the most important thing now for almost every company. But the pharmacy sector wants something else for their employees – quietness, greenery, and the highest quality adapted for their needs,” explains Jakub Mirosławski. “Some companies want – and this is the trend now – their own entrance. They do not lease the whole building, but their own entrance and own reception at the entrance is a must – so we provide this for them, as we have much more ability to do so and we can be flexible,” says Katarzyna Szumańska-Kalisz, while also adding that it is easier to follow trends and react promptly in Poleczki than in the CBD. “And this is what we do,” she says.