The start of 2022 has seen a marked thaw in the capital's office market following the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic seen throughout 2021. Q1 2022 has trends including a gentle decline in vacancy rates, the second-highest volume of office take-up on record, and increased interest in flexible workspace.

Ghelamco launches the construction of photovoltaic farms with a total capacity of 10 MW. By 2024 the company intends to achieve energy neutrality. Warsaw UNIT will be the first skyscraper in Poland powered entirely by clean electricity.

The Warsaw office market is showing signs of a long-awaited recovery, says real estate advisory firm Savills. Office take-up hit 273,200 sqm in the first three months of the year, which were one the best-performing quarters in the history of the capital. Savills forecasts that with office availability continuously shrinking in the city centre, the market is set for further rental growth next year.

Many office developers expect to see a supply gap in Warsaw over the next few years and some are ready to take advantage of this opportunity. Jeroen van der Toolen, Managing Director – CEE at Ghelamco talked to Property Forum about the changes in the Polish office market, the incoming supply gap and the company`s interest in the PRS sector.

In one of the largest transactions on the Warsaw office market in recent months, HB Reavis has leased 18 floors (30,000 sqm) in the Forest skyscraper to Bank Pekao. The second-largest bank in Poland will become the main tenant of the building. 

Macquarie Asset Management, on behalf of its Macquarie European Logistics Real Estate Fund, has agreed to acquire for an undisclosed sum a logistics and warehousing facility currently under development near Warsaw. The seller is Logistic Property Investment, which is owned by the Żabka Group and managed by the Żabka Property Fund.

Specializing in ESG policy and operational cost optimization, Westbridge Advisory has opened its new headquarters in the capital city of Poland in April 2022. Danuta Grzywacz has been entrusted with the duties of director of the headquarters located at 1 Rondo ONZ. As Country Head for Poland, she will report directly to the Managing Director of Westbridge Advisory International AG, who is Hajo Engelke. From now on. the expertise of Westbridge is available locally to investors and asset managers operating in the Polish real estate market. 

Colliers has taken over the management of three warehouse complexes with a total area of almost 180,000 sqm: City Point Targówek, Logistics Point Piaseczno and Logistics Point Raszyn. Their Investment Manager is Peakside Capital. 

Yareal announced that it has signed a contract with a general contractor responsible for completing the final stages of its flagship office complex, LIXA. FineTech Construction will build two office buildings with a total area of 29,000 sqm near Daszyński Roundabout. So far, nearly 49,000 sqm of modern offices have already been developed here at LIXA, including the most recently commissioned building C, which will soon be ready to welcome its first tenants. 

MNK Partners has appointed real estate advisory firm Savills as property manager for its newly acquired office building NC3.