Viorel Lăcătuș, Country Manager in Romania for Atenor, talked to Property Forum about the company’s ongoing residential and office developments in Bucharest and the growing interest of tenants for the sustainability certifications of buildings.

Warsaw’s Skyliner office building has extended its contract which guarantees 100% of electricity from renewable energy sources until 2026. The supplier is the E.ON Group.

MBH Bank, a newly established Hungarian player in the local financial market, will launch a huge development project aiming to build its new headquarters in the most important office destination. The handover of the first phase is scheduled for Q1 2026.

"We have recently come across Steelcase's recent survey of 58,000 individuals from 11 countries, which has uncovered intriguing insights into what it will take to entice employees back to the office. The findings, both expected and surprising, shed light on the importance of selling rather than imposing a return to the workplace in the current competitive labour market," writes Darren Allen, Director at Genesis Property, for Property Forum.

Warsaw UNIT, Ghelamco’s high-rise building is the first building in Poland to be awarded WELL Certification rating at the highest possible level of Platinum.

The demand for office development or refurbishment projects remains high as more companies are looking for quality workspaces, according to CBRE data.

Emma Toma, Head of Office Division at AFI Europe Romania, talked to Property Forum about the company’s investment plans in the office, retail and residential areas, as well as the solutions implemented in all projects in the area of sustainability.

Due to the increase in prices of electricity, utilities, services and minimum wage, as well as local taxes and fees, experts from Avison Young Poland are experiencing significant increases in operating costs in office buildings this year. In Warsaw, depending on the class of the property and the components of the operating costs, they have observed an increase ranging from 15% to as much as 30-40%. Tenants are now paying particular attention to the components of the settlement that may vary depending on the building, as well as technological solutions that allow for reducing utility consumption.

There is growing interest in mixed-use projects in the Czech Republic. These are spaces that combine offices, shops, housing, and various forms of social activities. Unfortunately, the construction of such spaces in the Czech Republic still lags behind that in neighbouring countries. The main reason for this is the very long building permitting processes. In Poland, for example, it takes only a few months to get a building permit, whereas here it usually takes years.

Real estate decision-making and people-centric strategies are becoming more integrated, according to CBRE’s 2023 European Occupier Survey. For the first time, CBRE carried out the same survey for global companies having an operation in CEE to point out major differences in workplace culture across the various geographies.