It’s no surprise that expansion of the European logistics real estate market continued in 2018, with another strong year for occupier demand, lowest vacancy rates and long anticipated rent growth began to materialize. At the start of 2019 concerns increased around capital market volatility and potential impact to global GDP due to US-China trade tensions and Brexit. Even though the logistics real estate market ended 2018 on a strong note, some increased concerns at the start of the year raise the inevitable question: what can we expect in 2019? Prologis looked at the top trends influencing the market this year.

The Heweliusza 18 office building has been given a valid occupancy permit. Tenants will start to move into the building from spring.

DLA Piper has launched a new "proptech" practice for the real estate and construction sector and new technologies. The firm's Polish proptech team is led by Poland Co-Managing Partner Jacek Gizinski, Head of Real Estate, and Ewa Kurowska-Tober, Head of Intellectual Property and New Technologies.

Amsterdam will be the epicentre of facility management in Europe for three days. From 20 to 22 March, the Dutch capital city will set the stage for World Workplace Europe meets Facility for Future. The event is owned by IFMA, the International Facility Management Association and FMN, the Dutch professional association for the facility sector. It is the perfect opportunity for European Facility Managers to network internationally and to fully immerse themselves in the most important trends shaping Facility Management today and tomorrow.

Start-ups, venture capital investors, property developers and investors, asset managers, agents, advisors, valuers, tenants, property and facility managers from Hungary, CEE and beyond are coming together at Budapest PropTech Forum 2019 to share their vision for the future and to learn about the next phase of our profession.

Advances in AI applications are already causing revolutionary changes in the commercial real estate field, and we’ll continue to see a shift in the way real estate professionals do business in the years to come. With PropTech start-ups increasingly offering technologically innovative products and business strategies for the real estate market, Instant Offices looked at some of the top predicted AI trends that PropTech companies will be bringing into the real estate market in the next two years.

JLL has appointed Tomasz Trzósło as Managing Director of the CEE Markets. He will oversee the company’s operations across Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, alongside his existing responsibilities as country manager for JLL’s business in Poland.

Israeli developer Hagag Development Europe has received the building permit for the Victoriei 139 residential project which will see the transformation of an old building located on Calea Victoriei in central Bucharest.

WDP will be constructing a new 60,000 sqm warehouse for Pirelli in Slatina, Romania as part of an expansion of the tyre manufacturer’s existing production facility. WDP projects an investment of some €40 million for this development.

One and a half years after starting work on the site in the western part of Bucharest, Globalworth has finalised the construction of Renault Bucharest Connected (RBC). The project includes 40,000 sqm of Class A offices, served by an underground level with approximately 240 parking spaces, with a further 760 spaces outdoors. Renault Bucharest Connected includes an 8,000 sqm design centre, and the employees who work there will benefit not only from a 350 seat amphitheatre but also other facilities such as a restaurant, gym and a medical office.