Chapman Taylor’s design for a mixed-use community in Budapest has been unveiled. The urban regeneration masterplan would transform a derelict former slaughterhouse complex into a dynamic residential and office district with complementary retail and leisure provision and two underground levels of parking.

AFI Europe Romania broke ground this month on AFI City, the first large-scale residential project to be developed by the company in Romania. TGC was assigned as the general contractor for the first phase of the project.

Prime Kapital, a property developer established by four former top executives of NEPI, will be developing its first residential project in Romania, called Avalon Estate. The 800-unit project, located in northern Bucharest is due for completion in 2024, zf.ro reports.

Echo Investment is launching a joint venture with a company controlled by an unnamed investor. Resi4Rent is the first fully integrated investor, operator and asset manager for purpose-built residential communities in Poland. With more than 1,200 apartments under construction and another 1,700 apartments ready for construction in the next 12 months, Resi4Rent will be the largest residential for rent platform in Poland. The first tenants will be able to move in during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Hagag Development Europe has recently launched an IPO on the Tel Aviv stock exchange covering its projects to be developed in Romania. The IPO’s value is €15 million. The Israeli developer is planning a series of further acquisitions targeting landmark buildings and land plots in Bucharest.

Zeitgeist Asset Management, a company specializing in property development and asset management services for private and institutional investors, has expanded its portfolio by the acquisition of a new property for a German pension fund, administered by Institutional Investment Partners. The residential project is located in downtown Budapest.

Alesonor, a Greek-held property development company, plans to invest €100 million in an energy-efficient residential project in the northern part of Bucharest.

Real estate developer Werk Property Group is planning to invest €14 million in Vox Vertical Village, a residential project in Timisoara. The development of the 120 housing units is scheduled to start soon with completion scheduled for the end of 2019.

Golub GetHouse has embarked on the construction of a student residence in Kraków. Unibep S.A. is the general contractor for the investment, which involves renovating the former Telpod factory and adapting it for the needs of modern, high-standard university accommodations. The industrial interiors will contain 290 functional housing units with various layouts – for one, two, three or four persons, offering a total of over 700 beds. Golub GetHouse is implementing the project in partnership with Chicago’s CA Ventures International, a company specializing in student housing construction in North and South America. The investment is financed from Golub GetHouse’s real estate fund.

New projects are building up slowly, the number of commenced constructions are declining and high demand remains. At the end of last year, approximately 8,100 units were under construction in Prague. This is the lowest result since 2014. The total number of completions reached 6,176 apartments which is 5% below 2016 levels. 2018 will most probably not bring a major change, rather the opposite. In 2018, the construction of around 3,800 new flats will commence, the lowest figure since 2009. About 5,000 units will be completed, marking a significant decline compared to 2017.