Ziv Gigi, GTC’s Executive Director for SEE, spoke with Property Forum about the new tenants attracted to the City Gate complex in Bucharest, the importance of amenities in boosting the work environment and the growing demand for ESG-ready projects.

More than three-quarters (76%) of office stock across Europe will be at risk of obsolescence by 2030 according to the latest report from Cushman & Wakefield. One of the reasons is the increased level of legislative action around sustainability requiring investors to modernise real estate to ensure ESG compliance. To take one example, commercial property landlords are required in a growing number of cities across North America and Europe to install green roofs that help increase urban biodiversity, optimise energy costs and improve the user experience.

Witold Rafalski joined GTC Poland as the Head of Asset Management and Marcin Zaskurski joined as the General Counsel and Head of Legal Department. 

Panattoni has started further construction for BestSecret, a European online distributor of off-price fashion. The company took the already delivered 90,000 sqm at Panattoni Park Sulechów III into operations in March. As part of the facility expansion, the new contract involves – building an additional 43,323 sqm of warehouse space and 2,632 sqm of office space.

CTP has signed three new deals totalling 31,750 sqm at CTPark Budapest West and CTPark Komárom, both located close to Hungary’s capital city Budapest.

PSN is opening up the brownfield site in Plynárenská Street in Brno to the public, which is being transformed into the "Brno Jedna" project. The company plans to organise small cultural and social events in the area, as well as the possibility of private renting of space. The developer is also leasing the existing office space, which is currently 60% occupied. Construction, which will include both apartments and new commercial units, will begin after all necessary permits have been processed. The approval process is expected to start this year. The company's goal is to revitalize the site overall so that it can offer a pleasant place to work, live and gather not only for local residents but also for the general public.

UBM Development Czechia has successfully completed the rough construction of the Astrid Garden residential project in Prague 7 - Holešovice, where 138 apartments and two commercial units are being built. Construction of Astrid Garden has been underway since November 2021 and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2024. The sale of the project, designed by renowned architectural studio Bogle Architects, is being handled exclusively by the real estate agency Lexxus Norton. 

Panattoni is undertaking another large-scale project in Silesia. The company has bought 26 ha of land and has launched work on its first development in Bytom, which is to comprise three industrial buildings. The location allows for easy access to key cities both within the country and throughout the Central European region.

7R is preparing to start construction of 7R Park Bytom I. The project will be built in the spirit of ESG: it marks the revitalization of 25 ha of neglected land, will have numerous pro-environmental solutions, at the same time the developer has established cooperation with local authorities and actively supports the local community.

After Cavatina Group S.A. separated the residential development business from the entity responsible for the construction and management of a portfolio of PRS projects, with Resi Capital S.A. and Cavare S.A. taking over respective roles, the latter company is preparing to launch its first investments. The company announces its presence primarily in the markets of Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Kraków, and Poznań, a secured pipeline of circa 1.6k units.