The office sector accounted for 66% of total investment volumes recorded in Romania’s commercial real estate sector in the first semester. Deals worth close to €290 were closed in the first half, down 41% year-on-year, according to a report by real estate consultancy Colliers. 

Aareal Bank announced the closing of a financing agreement with developer Ghelamco Group at the end of the second quarter of 2021. As sole agent, arranger and lender, Aareal Bank is providing a senior loan in the amount of €312.5 million to the family-owned real estate group, which is mainly active in the office, residential, retail, leisure and logistics markets.

87% of respondents believe that the physical office is essential for successful business operations, reveals a survey conducted by real estate advisory firm Savills. Additionally, 54% of respondents feel that the hybrid model combining working from home and the office is the best for their health and well-being.

Liviu Tudor, Chairman of Genesis Property talked to Property Forum about the new IMMUNE Building Standard and the hybrid future of work that will shape the development of the office industry in the years to come. 

Building B at the Warsaw Spark complex and Generation Park Z are the next Skanska office buildings which have received the WELL Core & Shell certificate at the Gold level from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). This is the fourth and fifth Skanska project certified in Central and Eastern Europe.

Austrian company Karimpol Group officially launched the construction of the Squarebizz Bory project in Bratislava which will include retail, storage and office space. Peter Šmitala, Project Manager at Karimpol Slovakia talked to Property Forum about the project and the company’s future plans.

Property developer Speedwell has kicked off the construction of Building 2, part of the first phase of residential complex THE IVY located in Băneasa, northern Bucharest. 

Bucharest’s office stock topped 3 million sqm at the end of the first half, with more than 250,000 sqm of new spaces slated for delivery by the end of next year, according to a report by Colliers. 

Cushman & Wakefield will represent the owner of the Kraków office complex in Armii Krajowej Street, a major road of the city, in office leasing processes. The complex offers a total of more than 36,900 sq m of modern office space.

The office market is now at the epicentre of changes caused by the transition to the remote work model due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the epidemic situation improving, organisations have already commenced planning the return of employees to the workplace. The analysis of the findings of a survey of tenants of the office buildings in the portfolio of properties under the management of Cushman & Wakefield Poland reveals how companies are preparing for this change.