Skanska on a Wave

In Hungary and the Czech Republic

Skanska has started the development of the third and final stage of the Nordic Light office complex in Budapest. The building is to comprise 14,000 sqm of leasable space over six storeys and will also include three underground parking levels. The work is to be completed in the second quarter of 2020 with the investment costs coming to around EUR 29 mln. Skanska is planning to certify the building under Well and is aiming for a rating of ‘Gold’. The developer sold the first two buildings of the complex to the Erste Alapkezelő fund in 2016. Skanska leased out 80 pct of the building, of which 10,600 sqm will be occupied by an undisclosed international pharmaceutical company. Skanska has also begun the construction of its Parkview office project in Prague 4. The nine-storey building designed by Richard Meier & Partners will have 16,000 sqm gla and its completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020. “Parkview is our second project in Prague’s Pankrác district. There is long-term demand for administrative premises in this premium location,” says Alexandra Tomášková, the managing director of Skanska Property in the Czech Republic. “From our experience, we know that people who work in offices all day long appreciate natural light. We wanted Parkview to become synonymous with a well-lit place with lots of fresh air. Because of the U-shaped floor-plan, the offices in the building will have nearly 100 pct natural lighting for most of the day. Both the inner and outer façade will be made of glass,” she adds. The grand atrium of the building will include a sunken courtyard surrounded by trees and greenery and the project is to apply for LEED ‘Platinum’.

Another one in Łóddź

In Poland the company is working on a couple of projects. One of them is the Brama Miasta office complex in Łódź, in which the developer is to install its Connected by Skanska building operating system. The system allows many of a building’s systems to be controlled through a smartphone app. Skanska has now finished the reinforced concrete structures on the top fifteenth floor of the first building, which is scheduled to open in Q2 2019. Skanska is both the developer and the general contractor and the project was designed by Medusa Group. “Brama Miasta has now reached its full height and dominates the Nowe Centrum Łodzi [New Łódź City Center] skyline. We will soon be ready to cover the first office building in a unique corten and glass façade. By mid-2019, we will be able to lease out around 27,800 sqm of modern office space,” says Krzysztof Wilczek, a regional director at Skanska. The developer will soon display a fragment of the corten façade so that people can see how this material changes colour over time taking on a rusty colour in reference to the city’s industrial past. The walls of both office buildings face a shared courtyard and will be glazed. As a result, the development will look like one building that has been cut in half and opens up to reveal the entrance to the centre of Łódz. Brama Miasta will comprise two buildings with the total of 41,400 sqm gla. It is Skanska's third investment in Łódź and On completion it will increase the the total office space provided by developer in the city to almost 96,000 sqm.

On a Wave in Gdańsk

Skanska has also presented the concept for its first office development in Gdańsk. The developer will debut in TriCity with the development of Wave to be located on al. Grunwaldzka opposite the University of Gdańsk building. The complex will include two fourteen story and 55m high buildings. The first of them is planned for completion at the beginning of 2020. It will provide 24,700 sqm of space. CBRE is responsible for the commercialization of the project. The developer is to apply for the LEED, Well and Building without barriers certificates for the project. The investment cost for the first stage are to come to EUR 41 mln. The project has been designed by Medusa Group. ν