The key pandemic-related trends on the Polish office market of 2020 include the transformation of the way work we work and where we work. This prompted many occupiers to redefine their needs regarding the size of the office and the way the office is arranged. Equally important was ensuring workplace safety, also through new technological solutions. As a result of the pandemic and the lockdown measures, both development and leasing activity decreased slightly last year. Demand came mostly from new contracts and renewals. The AXI IMMO advisory firm summarises market conditions in 2020 and explores current office space trends in Poland.

Managed by Colliers and owned by AMASI Grundstücksgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG., the Warsaw office building Prosta Office Centre has been awarded a BREEAM certificate at Very Good level. The rating applies to both the Building Efficiency (Part 1) and the Management Efficiency (Part 2) parts of the certificate.

BCR Romania is working on a project that takes into account the increased demand for telework and flexible offices in the two buildings in Bucharest where it has rented offices, which can lead to a reduction of workplaces, Economica.net informs. 

In 2020, office take-up hit its lowest level in ten years amid pandemic headwinds despite the largest-ever single lease contract signed to date and one of the highest volumes of new office space coming onto the Warsaw market on record, says real estate advisory firm Savills. Rents remained resilient and the overall vacancy rate is still below the levels last seen during the previous supply peak five years ago.

Skanska’s has commenced construction on its new project in Prague’s Holešovice district. Based on an architectural design by the DAM.architekti studio, Port7 will include 3 new administrative buildings, which upon planned completion in the second quarter of 2023 will offer 35,000 sqm of office and retail space.

In 2020 the coronavirus pandemic pushed Poland into its first recession in 30 years following a GDP contraction of around 2.8%. According to Moody’s forecasts, implications of the second wave of the pandemic will reverberate through the economy also during the first quarter of 2021. The second quarter is, however, likely to see a recovery and this year’s GDP growth is expected to reach approximately 4%. Cushman & Wakefield summarised 2020 on the Warsaw office market.

Imel Group has started the construction of the Green Escape business complex in New Belgrade’s block 51, right next to the highway. The complex will comprise three plots intended for business and commercial facilities, on which the construction of multifunctional business facilities is planned. The construction of the complex started in December last year, it will be performed in three phases and the total area of ​​the planned facilities is 65,569 sqm.

Twin City Tower, an office building in Bratislava developed by HB Reavis and sold to a South Korean investor in 2019, has been awarded a WELL Core & Shell Certification at the Gold level and it’s the third-largest building in Europe to reach the standard.

Skanska invests €45 million in the second phase of the Equilibrium project in Bucharest, the company announced.

Brugnola, a joint venture of Rida Development and Mack Real Estate Group has bought the office complex from A&T Holdings for an undisclosed sum. Apollo-Rida Poland, the Polish branch of Rida Development will be the investment and property manager of the property.