Sustainable attraction

Material partner
"Our research shows that 65 pct of employees in the CEE region want to work in a certified sustainable office. We expect that tenants will opt to migrate to new buildings that suit their needs better", admits Paweł Warda of Skanska Commercial Development Europe
You are reading this content because it is covered by the free limit. Buy full access!

What lessons has Skanska learnt after 18 months of the pandemic? Has anything changed in your approach to your business?

Paweł Warda, executive vice-president (EVP) Poland operations, board member, Skanska Commercial Development Europe: The pandemic has been and still is a huge challenge for everyone, not only at the business level. I think that at Skanska we have dealt with it very well. We were able to adapt quickly to the new conditions. Our financial model based on our own capital has given us a huge advantage in this regard. We have been able to provide stability to our business partners, both financially and in terms of delivery, due to the fact that our investments are realised exclusively within the Skanska Group. We have certainly noticed a general increase in the importance of the values we prioritised a few years ago. Skanska’s wide-ranging ‘Care for Life’ approach to health, the environment and living has taken on a new dimension. This approach has proven to be the right one – it has allowed us to respond effectively to the pandemic. It resulted in the introduction of improved safety and hygiene standards as well as the implementation of the ‘Care for Life Office’ concept. This is an approach that makes it possible to comprehensively adapt office space to the current situation and users’ requirements.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, you have launched eight new projects in seven cities in four CEE countries. In Poland, many of these are in regional cities. Do you think that the situation in secondary cities has stabilised enough for you to invest in them again?

We approach each market individually. Each has its specifics and different perspectives. We certainly need to avoid generalising and assuming that all regional markets should be treated in the same way. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have noticed a degree of imbalance when it comes to leasing space. Obviously, this has had an impact on the situation for developers. There are cities in which the number of projects under construction, combined with the effects of the pandemic, have resulted in vacancy rising to relatively high levels. However, there are also regions in which we have a very strong position – where we have leased more office space, we’ve started projects, and we will launch new ones. We monitor each market very closely, because – and let me stress this – for us the entire investment process usually takes more than three years, often even five years or more, so we need to secure our future position today. As a result, we are also active in markets that, despite the current difficult situation, we believe will be very attractive for tenants and investors in the near future.

What are your predictions for the demand for office space over the next few years? Are we facing any structural changes to the market?

Quite a few companies are now in the process of redefining the way they work. I wouldn’t expect to be able to be able to tell you the shape the post-pandemic office world will take in the next few months. This will be a longer process and may turn out to be one of never-ending evolution – but it could also be one that was already picking up momentum before the pandemic and the coronavirus just set the ball rolling for good. At the moment, a large proportion of tenants have been focused on securing their operations for the next 12–36 months in order to make it easier to redefine their needs in terms of hybrid work models into the long term. We don’t know the results of this process, but we can already draw the first conclusions as to the direction this change will take. There has been a visible tendency to slightly reduce the amount of office space and, at the same time, ensure that it is of a much better quality. This is all about providing sustainable office space offering a healthy working environment and that supports a new model of flexible functioning for companies, while at the same time providing an attractive workplace that is well-connected in terms of public transport, with an attractive micro-environment. The key change is that office buildings used to be focused mainly on companies, but now they have to concentrate on being attractive to the people using them, in order to persuade them to come back to the post-pandemic office.

How will developers respond to this?

As Skanska, we are pleased with the direction the market is taking. Many years ago, we could already see that the future of the sector would be about sustainable development – about creating healthy and friendly space. As a result, our buildings have for a long time been ahead of the market in this respect. Our company has the experience as well as the technical and financial background to develop a new generation of office buildings. When it comes to the construction of new buildings the aspect I mentioned earlier will especially have to be taken into account – that of the climate crisis, which is now becoming a pressing social problem, as can be seen in corporate declarations as well as surveys of the average office user. Our research shows that 65 pct of employees in the CEE region want to work in a certified sustainable office. The growth in office stock is currently running at several percent per year, but there are still a lot of old office buildings that do not fulfil the current requirements. We expect that tenants will opt to migrate to new buildings that suit their needs better.

When it comes to offices, we often hear about the growing importance of the business services sector in Poland and the rest of the CEE region. Do you expect anything significant to happen in this direction after the pandemic?

According to our latest report, ‘The 100 Most Important Trends in CEE Economies’, prepared with analysts SpotData, this direction of development will be maintained into the long term. For years, most foreign investment in the CEE region has been in finance, business services and technology. Furthermore, most new investment is in the so-called KIS sector – knowledge-intensive services – and such investment is expected to grow over the next decade. The acceleration in the digitalisation of work, which took place across Europe due to the pandemic, has made it even more profitable to move business services from Northern and Western Europe to cities such as Bratislava, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw and Bucharest. Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has put logistics and supply chains around the world to the test. This may mean that the trend of nearshoring – the provision of services from another relatively close geographic location – is set to grow further, and again Poland may prove to be one of the beneficiaries of this. All of this is having a direct impact on the demand for office space in the region.

Safety in offices is also a hot topic at the moment. However, other aspects now have to be taken into consideration. How is office space being designed today to address sustainability issues and the growing importance of well-being?

The pandemic has had a positive impact on the popularity of certain phenomena and trends. What were once considered unique features have now become standard. The human factor has taken on even greater importance. It’s crucial to see offices as more than just places where employees sit at their desks and work on their laptops. They are rather now being seen as space where people can feel safe and comfortable in every way – both mentally and physically. When creating such space, many aspects have to be borne in mind: the air quality, the lighting, the acoustics, comfortable and ergonomic furniture, green space, and areas that encourage interaction and team-building. At the same time, office space has to be adapted to current safety procedures in order to minimise the pandemic risks. This also manifests itself in small things, such as adding signs with recommendations for the rooms, e.g. specifying the maximum number of people in a conference room, or providing special zones for individual work – such as small rooms.

Ensuring safety and the ideal conditions for the users of our buildings has always been a priority at Skanska. We have introduced a range of features that support the management of the building as well as that take care of specific aspects, such as the lighting and air circulation. Our office buildings are also fitted with many touchless solutions included in the Connected by Skanska system – and these were introduced before the pandemic even started.

Latest news

Investment & finance

Poland Fortress buys from Panattoni

schedule 21 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Fortress Real Estate Investments has acquired Panattoni Park Tricity East V. The complex includes a completed warehouse covering 50,000 sqm.

Investment & finance

Poland Henderson Park & EPP secure EUR 148.6 mln refinancing

schedule 20 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

Henderson Park, the international private equity real estate firm, and EPP, the asset manager of office properties, have successfully secured a EUR 148.6 mln loan from Berlin Hyp AG and PKO Bank Polski to refinance a Polish office portfolio.

Warehouse & industrial

Poland GLP attracts magnets

schedule 20 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

The final building at GLP Kraków Airport Logistics Centre has been completed. The developer delivered a 9,500 sqm warehouse for SMA Magnetics.

Warehouse & industrial

Germany Garbe leases to vehicle manufacturer in Ludwigsfelde

schedule 20 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

Garbe has signed a long-term lease with a well-known German vehicle manufacturer. The new tenant will occupy a total area of 12,400 sqm in the logistics property which is currently under construction near Berlin. 

Investment & finance

Poland Millions by the sea

schedule 19 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Panattoni has secured EUR 17.3 mln in financing from Santander for Panattoni Park Gdańsk City Airport. The project consists of two speculative distribution facilities.

Investment & finance

Poland IHG invests in urban micro-hotels

schedule 19 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

IHG Hotels & Resorts acquires the Ruby hotel brand for an initial purchase price of EUR 110.5 mln, or approx. USD 115 mln. Ruby is the 20th brand in the IHG portfolio.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Tenants expect sustainable solutions

schedule 19 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

In the last quarter of 2024, Warsaw’s office market continued to experience stable occupier demand amid constrained new supply, reveals “At a Glance: Warsaw Office Market, Q4 2024”, a report from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland.

Warehouse & industrial

Poland Volkswagen is loyal to Segro

schedule 19 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Segro has extended its lease agreement with Volkswagen Group Polska for over 32,000 sqm at Segro Logistics Park Poznań, Komorniki.

Investment & finance

Poland Office sale in Szczecin

schedule 18 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Blackstone has sold the Szczecin office building Piastów Office Center. The buyer is a joint venture of Bud Holdings and Investika Real Estate Fund.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Cornerstone stays in High5ive

schedule 18 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Cornerstone OnDemand has decided to remain in Cracow’s High5ive complex. The company has extended the lease for over 1,500 sqm of space.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Pegasystems stays at B4B for longer

schedule 18 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

Pegasystems has extended its lease agreement at the Bonarka for Business office complex. The software development company leases a total of almost 4,000 sqm of office space in Building C and has been present in the complex since 2011.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Developers exercise caution in new investments 

schedule 18 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

According to the Axi Immo report ‘Office Market in Regional Cities’, which summarises the situation in the eight largest regional office markets in Poland, despite challenges in gross demand, stabilisation is still being observed. Decisions to start new investments are being made with great caution, and office building owners are focusing on improving the standard of the properties.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Clyde & Co chooses The Form

schedule 18 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

In May, the new headquarters of the global law firm Clyde & Co will open in The Form office building. The company's Warsaw office will occupy 1,100 sqm.

Investment & finance

Slovakia CPI Europe sells property portfolio in Bratislava

schedule 18 February 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

CPI Europe Group has agreed to sell an office and retail complex in the Slovak capital to Wood & Company, thus taking another step in its strategic portfolio optimisation.

Warehouse & industrial

Poland Hillwood grows in Tri-City

schedule 17 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Hillwood has expanded its Polish portfolio with a logistics park spanning nearly 43,000 sqm in the eastern part of Gdańsk.

Warehouse & industrial

Czech Republic Low completions, rising vacancy

schedule 17 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

According to the quarterly survey conducted by Colliers, the Q4 of 2024 did not bring any significant change to the Czech industrial and logistics real estate market.

Warehouse & industrial

Czech Republic CTP sparks development for Hitachi

schedule 17 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

CTP has launched a development project for Hitachi Energy at CTPark Brno. Phase I of the high-voltage products factory will involve the construction of a 50,000 sqm facility.

Warehouse & industrial

Poland Delta expands in Silesia

schedule 14 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Delta Trans Group has decided to expand its leased space at the Hillwood Ruda Śląska complex by an approx. 9,300 sqm. The logistics operator will now use a total of 27,000 sqm.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Coworking with a view

schedule 14 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

AND2, the tallest building in Poznań, is gaining a new tenant. BeIN Offices will offer coworking space located on two storeys, with a view of the city skyline.

Retail & leisure

Poland At the height of luxury

schedule 13 February 2025
Opr./edited by JC

According to the latest report “At a Glance: Modern Retail Market in Poland, Q4 2024” from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland, Poland’s retail market experienced record growth in 2024, expanding at its fastest pace since 2015.

Latest in Material partner

schedule 07 October 2024

Brownfield rather than greenfield – a model for sustainable development at City Point Targówek

Contemporary cities are grappling with the challenge of fostering dynamic growth while alleviating environmental pressures. Traditional infrastructure expansion often requires the development of greenfields, with adverse impacts on both local ecosystems and communities. A sustainable alternative is to revitalise brownfield urban sites, as exemplified by City Point Targówek, a project led by Peakside Capital Advisors.

schedule 02 May 2024

Nordbygg 2024: Many innovations and strong interest

Last week, Nordbygg, Northern Europe’s biggest trade fair for professionals in construction and real estate industry, took place at Stockholmsmässan in Ävsjö, Sweden. 35,000 visitors attended which, combined with the 5,000 people on the stands, gives a total of 40,000 participants. New features for Nordbygg 2024 included the strong involvement of the City of Stockholm and a popular online app.

schedule 04 April 2024

Excellent Fern at Off Piotrkowska

Intensive commercialization of the multifunctional Fern building under construction at Off Piotrkowska Center has begun. A modern building, the construction of which will start at the turn of 2024/2025, offers 4,700 sqm of service space and 2,700 sqm of office space.

schedule 21 March 2024

New opportunities emerge in uncertain times

Over 20,000 delegates representing 90 countries gathered in Cannes for the 34th edition of MIPIM, the global urban festival that brings investors, political leaders and the real estate community together to facilitate relationships and find solutions to the challenges facing the built environment.

schedule 07 March 2024

Silesia invites you to Cannes!

We would like to invite you to the meeting: "Explore Silesia: Where Economic Resilience Meets Opportunity!", held at MIPIM this Wednesday. Silesia and its metropolise are one of the fastest growing and most innovative regions in Europe. During the discussion, the roots of its success and specific future prospects will be discussed.

schedule 12 February 2024

Challenges accepted at MIPIM!

The premier real estate fair of the year is now fast approaching! On March 11–15th, at its usual grand venue of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, MIPIM will welcome delegations from more than 90 countries to take part in an extended four-day programme of speeches, panels, awards and networking

schedule 15 November 2023

In business, we focus on long-term partnerships

Michał Ptaszyński, Country Manager Poland, Logicor, tells us optimistically about the future of the logistics industry in Poland, the company's upcoming investment plans and explain why it is worth cooperating with local communities

schedule 29 September 2023

Łódź invites you to Munich!

We cordially invite all guests of this year's Expo Real to the events organized at the stand of the Łódź City Hall, "Eurobuild" will also be there as a media patron.

schedule 25 September 2023

Grounded in experience

Justyna Cymerman, the head of the urban planning department of land transaction consultancy Greenfields, and Michał Różycki, its director of the land department – living sector, tell us about the company’s greatest achievements, the state of the market, and what needs to happen next to tackle the housing shortage

schedule 06 July 2023

A solid relationship for years

Operational and financial systems supporting property managers are constantly expanding and changing to keep up with changing market needs. Good relationships between providers and users of these systems and a willingness to face challenges together remain invaluable.

schedule 13 April 2023

Land is the key to success but requires skills

Warsaw is one of the most affordable capitals in the European Union to live in. In order to maintain its competitiveness, it is crucial to expand the availability of plots

schedule 22 December 2022

Biuro Na Miarę - more comprehensive, across Poland

The company has been strengthening its position on the commercial real estate market as a specialist consultancy providing comprehensive tenant and landlord services.

schedule 02 August 2022

New ESG Report – Atrium

Atrium European Real Estate has published its 6th ESG report summarising the company's achievements in 2021. The report details the key initiatives involved in the implementation of the its ESG strategy. The company has set new and even more ambitious medium-term targets for 2030, which include a 40 pct reduction in the carbon footprint of its shopping centres by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. By 2050, Atrium wants to have become a carbon-neutral organisation.

schedule 15 June 2022

Power is in people

SKJB Szybkowski Kuźma Jeleń Brzoza-Ostrowska is a Polish boutique legal practice that’s not only celebrating its 5th birthday this year but also its listing on the Legal 500 ranking.

schedule 04 April 2022

Coworking in Atlas Tower

In the times of uncertainty due to the pandemic situation worldwide and restrictions connected with that, co-working spaces and offices are gaining more and more popularity amongst potential tenants. Flexibility of renting terms plus tax law support for new entrepreneurs are things highly needed for small and medium businesses and these come in handy when cooperating with Twój Startup foundation.

schedule 22 March 2022

Tricity attracts with its Scandinavian climate

It will soon be two years since the first COVID-19 cases appeared in Poland. What can be said about the current condition of the office market in our country?

schedule 01 February 2022

How to return to the office in good health?

Skanska has recently carried out its third survey on the return to the office in four countries – Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary. While previous studies have focused on the needs of employees and their expectations of offices in the new reality, this time Skanska has focused on the impact that the pandemic has had on the employees’ mental health and well-being.

schedule 08 November 2021

Sustainable attraction

"Our research shows that 65 pct of employees in the CEE region want to work in a certified sustainable office. We expect that tenants will opt to migrate to new buildings that suit their needs better", admits Paweł Warda of Skanska Commercial Development Europe

schedule 20 October 2021

MAPIC returns to Cannes

MAPIC 2021 will be held at the Palais des Festivals from Tuesday, the 30th of November, to Thursday, the 2nd December, 2021

schedule 31 August 2021

It's a comfortable life

Ziv Zviel, the CEO of Atlas Estates, tells ‘Eurobuild’ about the company’s plans for the residential sector, top investments and the future of the market

Read flipbook version

Edition 1 (295) January 2025

Latest comments

Categories

Your order

Your data
Invoicing data
Order summary
Net order
VAT (%)
Gross order
Payment security is ensured

Don`t miss out the current edition