Vastint Poland is a company with a long-standing tradition and extensive experience. You’ve been operating on the Polish market since the early 1990s – a few years longer than ‘EurobuildCEE’. How would you assess the transformation of the commercial real estate sector over these years? What has changed the most?
Roger Andersson, Vastint Poland: Poland has moved on from being an emerging market to a mature one. In the early 1990s, Poland’s commercial real estate market was in its infancy. The country was just beginning its transition from a centrally planned economy to a free-market system. Back then, the sector lacked institutional investors, professional standards and modern infrastructure. The sector has since undergone dramatic professionalisation. From the design through the construction to the property management, international best practices are now standard. BREEAM, LEED and Well certifications have been widely adopted. One of the most impactful transformations in recent years is the focus on ESG principles. What used to be just a trend has become the industry standard. Vastint Poland, for example, integrates sustainable design from the earliest stages of development, placing emphasis on green areas, energy efficiency and long-term community value. Over the last three decades, tenant expectations have shifted considerably. In the early days, the priority was simply having modern space in a good location. Today, occupiers demand flexible layouts, advanced technology integration, and amenities that support hybrid work models and employee well-being. The “office as a service” model has been gaining ground. Major global events – from Poland joining the EU in 2004 to the Covid-19 pandemic – have acted as accelerators or disruptors. The pandemic, in particular, forced a rethinking of office space, focusing attention on health and flexibility, while fast-tracking digital adoption.
Is there anything that could still surprise someone with such vast market knowledge and experience as yourself? What happened in recent years that made you genuinely drop your jaw in astonishment and left you momentarily speechless?
Absolutely. No matter how much experience one has of the commercial real estate market, this sector has a way of keeping you on your toes. And that’s part of what makes it so compelling: it keeps evolving, challenging assumptions, and rewarding those who are prepared to adapt, stay curious and think long-term. The biggest game-changer was the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a once-in-a-generation shock. Virtually overnight, it redefined what the office meant, challenged long-standing leasing models, and made remote and hybrid work mainstream. Seeing central business districts go quiet, with office towers nearly empty for months on end, was something nobody could ever have predicted at such a scale or speed. The second shock factor has, of course, been the war in Ukraine, which has had and continues to have an impact on Poland and the real estate business. Supply chains, energy strategies, tenant risk profiles and even regional infrastructure planning were suddenly being re-evaluated. Seeing how the market adapted, balancing caution with opportunity, especially as Poland took on a larger strategic role in Europe, was both surprising and impressive. The third biggest area of change is the years-long conversation about sustainability, but the acceleration and depth of ESG integration in the last 3–5 years have been truly remarkable. What surprised many of us wasn’t just how quickly ESG became non-negotiable for investors and tenants – it was how sophisticated the demands have become. We’re no longer just talking about energy-efficient lighting or green roofs. Stakeholders now expect measurable carbon reduction pathways, full transparency, circular construction strategies and socially inclusive placemaking. The pace of this shift and how deeply it has penetrated every layer of the business have been surprising, even to seasoned players.
What event in your professional journey do you see as a major turning point?
One clear turning point with Vastint Poland was the decision to move beyond pure office development and embrace large-scale, mixed-use projects. That shift fundamentally changed how we work as a team, how we interact with cities, and how we think about the role of real estate in people’s everyday lives. Projects like Business Garden or Waterfront in Gdynia marked that transition, not just in terms of scale, but also in terms of complexity and ambition. They required us to think not only as developers, but as long-term stewards of urban environments. We weren’t just building offices or apartments, we were shaping neighbourhoods, creating ecosystems, and taking responsibility for how people live, work and connect. Another personal milestone was the steady expansion and professionalisation of our team in Poland. Watching the local team grow into a mature, independent and creative organisation fully capable of driving major initiatives, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. It confirmed that our long-term approach towards development and people was the right one.
Vastint has been cooperating with ‘EurobuildCEE’ for many years. News about your activities regularly appears in our publications. You recently received the Eurobuild Lifetime Achievement Award. What do you remember most fondly from all this cooperation?
I would like to thank ‘Eurobuild’ for the fantastic collaboration we have had over the years. We have done many things together and produced numerous articles and reports for the magazine about our projects and our successes. It’s difficult to single out just one special moment, but I would like to highlight our meaningful partnership with Fundacja Iskierka, made possible through ‘Eurobuild’. Over the years, ‘Eurobuild’, Iskierka and Vastint have worked together on several initiatives, and we are truly grateful to have been able to support such an inspiring cause. As for the Lifetime Achievement Award, it was an incredibly humbling moment. What I hold most dear about that recognition is that it wasn’t just about the work Vastint Poland has done – it was about the people behind it. It’s a reflection of the hard work, creativity and dedication of the entire team. At the same time, it symbolises the lasting relationships we’ve built over the years, including our valued connection with ‘Eurobuild’.
