One year (and almost a half) since the pandemic outbreak, business leaders across the world are still struggling with a million-dollar question: how to safely bring their teams back together in the office and fully restart business? With the hybrid model taking shape and employees slowly returning to the workplace in different scenarios, companies are looking to deploy frameworks for the healthy way of working of the future and some are already considering health performance indicators to confirm they are on the right track, writes Darren Allen, Development Manager at Genesis Property and Director of the Healthy by Design Building Institute, in an opinion piece for Property Forum

Regardless of the problems that the measures related to the coronavirus crisis have brought to the retail segment – with shops in Czechia closed for 234 days, the longest period in all of Europe – new brands keep coming to the local market. Nine of them have arrived or will arrive during the first half of the year, the most prominent one of them being Ireland’s Primark fashion chain whose shop opening was expected with a great deal of anticipation.

Arcadis published its Global Construction Disputes Report 2021 comparing the length, value, and ways of solving construction disputes in particular regions of Europe, Asia and North America.

Savills has examined both employee-driven and occupier/employer-driven factors to assess which global cities may see a faster transition to hybrid working post-COVID-19. From an office occupier perspective, New York, Paris, London, Berlin and Frankfurt may be primed for a faster transition to hybrid working, given comparatively high office costs, already flexible working practices and extended lockdowns, while less flexible working cultures in Mumbai, Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City mean that any transition to hybrid working may be slower.

New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo and San Francisco are the top five most resilient cities in the world, according to Savills, as they continue to harness their power as gateway locations, benefitting from a virtuous circle of large companies gathering to take advantage of business ecosystems and large talent bases, thereby attracting more talent, contributing to strong economic performance and robust real estate markets.

According to the new forecast presented by WIFO, the Austrian partner of the Euroconstruct network, construction in the Euroconstruct area is set to register a 3.8% growth this year. Yet, Hungary still awaits negative growth rates this year, although the drop in 2021 is foreseen to be lower than last year.

Property Forum’s next free-to-attend virtual event will focus on sustainability in real estate. Environmental, social and governance factors, alongside financial factors, are playing an increasingly important role in the investment decision-making process for many companies. Leading international experts will come together at our European ESG Forum to discuss sustainable real estate strategies for the future and to provide a deeper insight by going beyond the buzzwords.

In the last week of June, CTP will join the group of 25 Dutch companies included in the AScX index, which is derived from Amsterdam’s Small Cap Index. This will further increase the company’s investor visibility.

Immofinanz has issued a response to S Immo’s recent statement in which the company’s officials have clearly expressed their opposition to the takeover offer by Immofinanz published in mid-May 2021.

At the end of May, the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, has approved an amendment to the building law that aims to accelerate approvals on large construction projects. If approved by the Senate and signed by the President, it should come into force on July 1, 2023. Property Forum asked two renowned market experts for their comments on the possible changes.