The only way is APP

APP-Projekt made its debut with Justin Center – a hotel, apartment and retail complex in Wrocław, the construction of which was launched in 2006. The investor behind the project, SJM Development, entrusted APP with the role of project supervisor and supervision inspector, as well as making it responsible for the cost control. The complex with construction costs of app. PLN 140 mln was developed in a prominent location – in Wroclaw’s Old Town, opposite the Galeria Dominikańska shopping centre. The 37,000 sqm building comprises residential units (including rented apartments) ranging from 26 sqm to 114 sqm. On the ground floor it has retail and services including a restaurant, while offices are located on the first floor.

“This was our first major project, and today we are our proud of it due to its prestige – in terms of the location of the complex as well as its original architecture,” says Jacek Korwin-Małaszyński, a board member of APP-Projekt. Also in the Lower Silesian capital, the company underwent something of a baptism of fire with Echo Investment’s three-phase office complex in the city (the third phase of which is currently under construction). APP-Projekt acted as project supervisor, site manager and supervision inspector for these projects. The company was also responsible for the cost control and coordination of the tenants. West Gate (completed in 2015) and West Link (also called West Gate II and completed in March 2018) are adjacent office and service buildings on ul. Na Ostatnim Groszu, comprising a total of app. 30,000 sqm. Investment costs for the buildings came to a combined PLN 180 mln. West Link also houses a bilingual nursery school and crèche for the children of Nokia employees.“The commission by Echo Investment was exceptional due to the high degree of complexity of both projects and the comprehensive character of the services entrusted to us. When the first two buildings were being developed, we saw how important it was to build long term relationships with the investor and take constant care to ensure the professionalism of the services we provide – and due to this approach with Echo we were rewarded with the contract for the third stage of its mega-project in Wrocław,” says Jacek Korwin-Małaszyński. A similar range of services (plus the operations of the tendering department) was carried out by APP-Projekt for Wrocław-based investor LC Corp for the construction of Wrocławʼs first skyscraper – the PLN 1 bln Sky Tower building.

Respect for history and the art of construction

Out of APP-Projekt’s many Warsaw contracts, it’s worth highlighting its project supervision and other services provided to the owners of Wola Gate, Concept Tower and P4 projects. “The last of those projects was interesting because its anchor tenant, hotel chain Vienna House, wanted to re-purpose the entire building – from a predominantly office function to a hotel. As a result, an ultra-modern, four-star hotel has opened with more than 160 rooms, which you can check in to using a smartphone. We were able to carry out both contracts – for the construction and redevelopment work – without a hitch,” claims Jacek Korwin-Małaszyński with some pride. The company also made a significant contribution to the development of the prestigious Plac Zamkowy – Business With Heritage office building, which is situated on ul. Senatorska, close to the Royal Castle on the edge of Warsaw’s Old Town. “The project was difficult because, due to its historic surroundings, it was under the constant scrutiny of the city’s authorities and local residents. It was important to be sensitive to its historic setting and for every detail of the new project to be perfectly in line with the character of the Old Town,” explains Jacek Korwin-Małaszyński. APP-Projekt was also involved in reconstructing Cedet (formerly known as Dom Handlowy Smyk) on ul. Krucza in Warsaw. The building, which was originally constructed in the 1950s, was recently completely renovated and expanded. Its reopening took place in May 2018. It’s worth noting that Cedet is among the four finalists nominated for the best refurbished building award at this year’s MIPIM in Cannes on March 12th to 14th, where the winning projects will be voted on by those attending the trade fair.

In its own nest

APP-Projekt has also been involved in many projects around Poznań, its home city. The list includes Amazon’s fulfilment centre near the city, a Curtis pharmaceuticals plant, the CAT construction machine service station and the renovation of Solaris’ production hall. However, the most spectacular of these projects has been Okrąglak – an iconic Poznań department store, which has been redeveloped into an office and retail building. The Kwadraciak office building was also constructed next to it. Okrąglak now comprises 7,000 sqm of leasable space, 800 sqm of which is retail. Kwadraciak comprises a leasable area of 950 sqm, including 100 sqm of retail space and 850 sqm of office space.

“Since our company originates from Poznań, this project had particular importance for us – it’s one of the best known buildings in the city and the local residents are especially fond of it. As a result of the excellent cooperation we had with the city council and the owner, it was possible to entirely change the function of the building while preserving its distinctive appearance, which has been such a feature of the city for decades,” reveals Michał Korwin-Małaszyński, who supervises the company’s activities in the Wielkopolska region at APP-Projekt. APP-Projekt’s latest ventures include owner management and supervision service for Franklin Templeton Investment, which is developing one of the latest generation of office buildings in Poznań. This will form part of the huge Nowy Rynek office quarter being built in the heart of the city. The building will have almost 25,000 sqm of office space.

Long term prospects and quality

It shouldn’t be forgotten that APP-Projekt is also a regular investment partner for a number of large corporations. One of these, Jerónimo Martins Poland, entrusted the company with the project management and technical supervision for the construction of seven logistics and distribution centres across Poland. These facilities, with a combined area of more than 180,000 sqm, were developed in an investment of almost half a billion złoty.

“Jerónimo Martins also brought us in for the construction of its Warsaw headquarters. We managed this project, looking after the cost control, project supervision and tenant coordination. This is a very demanding client that cares about all the details and builds for its own needs. We understand this perfectly, because we like orders for ‘quality’ buildings that we can later be proud of. Such cooperation is usually very smooth, because each time we know the client’s expectations even better and we eventually get to the stage where we can almost understand one another telepathically,” insists Michał Korwin-Małaszyński.

Panattoni, which employed APP-Projekt as the construction coordinator and supervision inspector for the development of logistics and distribution centres in four locations in Wielkopolska, has been cooperating with the company for years. The total area of these four projects exceeds 500,000 sqm while their value comes to around PLN 600 mln.

APP-Projekt has also been co-operating with residential developers for many years. These clients have included Okam Capital, Ronson Development, Bouygues Immobilier Polska, SJM Development, REF Eastern Opportunities as well as many others, both international and local housing market players.

The services provided by APP-Projekt also include bank monitoring, which is only sometimes necessary. More than 200 bank monitoring contracts have so far been carried out by the company and in doing so it has formed excellent relations with all the banks that finance real estate projects.

Another important area of APP-Projekt’s activities is transaction consulting for the purchase or sale of real estate – in other words, technical due diligence. The company has more than 100 completed commissions under its belt in this segment.