PL

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

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

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Atlas Ward is responsible for the redevelopment of V Tower

schedule 21 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

Atlas Ward appointed as general contractor for the redevelopment of V Tower. The green modernization of the office building at ul. Chmielna in Warsaw has entered its decisive phase. The work began in January and is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.  

Warehouse & industrial

Poland InterPadel is the first tenant at MLP Business Park Poznań

schedule 21 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

MLP Group has signed a lease agreement with a company operating a network of padel centers  in Poland. InterPadel will occupy approx. 2,800 sqm of space at MLP Business Park Poznań. The facility is scheduled for handover in December 2025. 

Warehouse & industrial

Germany Bravobike shifts into high gear

schedule 20 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Garbe Industrial Real Estate has concluded a rental agreement with Bravobike in Kabelsketal (Saale district, Saxony-Anhalt). The company will use a total area of approx. 23,500 sqm.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland PFR is staying in Cedet

schedule 20 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Companies from the PFR group, including Kuke, remain tenants of Cedet in Warsaw. The companies use a total of 9,500 sqm in the office building.

Investment & finance

Poland The French are shopping in Poland

schedule 20 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

At the beginning of 2025, Remake Asset Management made its debut in Poland. We received exclusive commentary on the matter from Julien Lamy of Remake and Błażej Czwarnok of the Gide law firm.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Some Oxygen for Grupa Transportowa

schedule 20 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Grupa Transportowa has joined the group of tenants of Oxygen Park. The new Warsaw branch of the company is located in nearly 200 sqm of office space on the ground floor of Building B.

Land acquisitions

Serbia CTP purchases land in Kragujevac

schedule 17 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

CTP has strengthened its presence in Serbia with the acquisition of a significant parcel of land which will provide 50,000 sqm of lettable space in Kragujevac. 

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Grundmanna Office Park has a new tenant

schedule 17 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

IT company Sopra Steria Polska will change its Katowice address in 2026. The company has signed a lease for 4,000 sqm of office space in the Grundmanna Office Park A building, owned by Cavatina Holding.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Cushman commercialises Equal Business Park

schedule 16 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as sole letting agent for three buildings of Kraków’s Equal Business Park, owned by funds managed by Apollo-Rida. 

Warehouse & industrial

Poland Construction works start on City Point Okęcie

schedule 16 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

The joint venture between Partners Group, acting on behalf of its clients, and Peakside Capital Advisors announces the start of construction for City Point Okęcie. The urban logistics facility, spanning over 11,000 sqm, will be strategically located near Warsaw Chopin Airport.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Matarnia Office Park is fully leased

schedule 16 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

The Matarnia Office Park office complex in Gdańsk has been fully leased. The two buildings together offer more than 5,000 sqm of space. The facility belongs to the Domesta company, which is part of the Inpro capital group.

Investment & finance

Germany ECE Work & Live sells another logistics centre

schedule 16 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

The state-of-the-art logistics centre near Heilbronn, Germany, which is spread across two buildings and fully let, was bought by a logistics fund of Axa IM Alts. The transaction was signed shortly before the turn of the year and is to be closed shortly.

Warehouse & industrial

Austria Demetra and Activeon join MLP Business Park Vienna

schedule 16 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

MLP Group has signed two new leases at its flagship project in Vienna, covering a total of 6,700 sqm of space. A facility management company and a company affiliated with a trampoline park operator have joined the tenants.

Investment & finance

Poland Another Student Depot in Warsaw

schedule 16 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Kajima Europe has acquired Student Depot's third development site in Warsaw, bringing its total operated and secured buildings in Poland to 12. Warsaw Ciołka Street will provide 628 rooms and various amenities across eight floors, totalling 10,100 sqm of NLA.

Investment & finance

Germany Two hotels for Centralis

schedule 15 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

Centralis Immobilien, an owner-managed property developer and investor, has acquired two further existing hotels in Bonn and Düsseldorf. Both properties will be modernised and strategically repositioned.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Imagine office complex welcomes a new tenant

schedule 15 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

The Polish branch of one of the leaders in the aviation industry will move to the Łódź office building Imagine, developed by Avestus Real Estate. The company has leased over 1,600 sqm of space on the fourth floor of Building A. 

Warehouse & industrial

Poland MDC2 Park Gdańsk East set to launch

schedule 15 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

The MDC2 Park Gdańsk East warehouse and industrial complex is set to be constructed in Koszwały, near Gdańsk. The project's first phase will feature a single building with a total area of 84,000 sqm.

Warehouse & industrial

Poland Big factory, small appliances

schedule 15 January 2025
Opr./edited by JC

BSH Home Appliances Group is strengthening its operations in Poland. In Rudna Wielka near Rzeszów, Panattoni will construct a new, larger factory for the company.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Ireland stays at Liberty Corner

schedule 14 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

The Irish Embassy in Poland will remain in its current location in the Liberty Corner building in the centre of Warsaw for the next ten years. The diplomatic post has been based in the office building at ul. Mysia 5 since 2004.

Office & mixed-use development

Poland Arla Foods gets to the point

schedule 14 January 2025
Opr./edited by ANZ

Arla Global Shared Services – Arla GSS will move its local headquarters to the Punkt office building under construction in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz. The company has leased nearly 10,000 sqm of space, to which it will move in early 2026.

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 12 (294) December 2024

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