BBI Development at EXPO Real 2015 – strong performance of Warsaw

During the largest B2B property fairs in Europe – EXPO Real 2015, which are about to start on Monday, BBI Development is one of the official exhibitors, presenting itself alongside the Capital City of Warsaw. Together with its affiliates, the company will exhibit its main flagship projects, which are changing the appearance of Śródmieście and Praga city quarters, and are at the same time a confirmation of the huge investment potential of Warsaw. The city will soon witness the commencement of works at two further property projects, namely the Marszałkowska Centrum as well as the final stage in the Centrum Praskie Koneser project.

The Munich fair is one of the largest events of its kind in the property market. Thousands of property developers, investors, architects and local governors are drawn to the capital of Bavaria every year in October. Warsaw will be one of the 1 700 exhibitors present at the event this year. The main theme of the city’s stand will convey a clear message of Warsaw’s huge investment potential and it will also try to confirm the city’s leader position in Central and Eastern Europe when it comes to providing high standards of living.

“Warsaw is a European metropolis, which is open to the world and which is attracting the world league of investors in the property market. Only last year they invested in Poland more than 3 billion EUR. Thanks to the cooperation between private sector and the city’s authorities, Warsaw is developing at an incredible pace, becoming the tiger of Central and Eastern Europe. While implementing our projects in Śródmieście and Praga city quarters, we can observe how the key decisions of the authorities, including the opening of the second metro line, the revitalisation of the main arteries, like Świętokrzyska street, or the revitalisation of Praga quarter lift up the comfort of living of Warsaw’s residents, tourists and our clients, improving at the same time the very way the Polish capital is seen abroad” – says Rafał Szczepański, Vice-President of BBI Development.

BBI Development will use its presence at the Munich fair to show to its potential property partners from all over Europe its four key property projects, which are now entering their further stages of development.

Two new property projects – Centrum Marszałkowska and Koneser’s quarter

Works on the Centrum Marszałkowska project will start this year after the conclusion of a procedure to choose the general contractor. The Regional Administration Court has given its green light for the investment after dismissing complaints lodged by two plaintiffs against an earlier decision of the Masovia Region Governor and the President of Warsaw sanctioning the investment. Apart from its unique central location, Centrum Marszałkowska will be the first office building in Warsaw to be fully integrated with an underground station. It will be erected at the junction of two main arteries of the city, Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyska streets, on the site of a previous Sezam shopping mall. It will offer around 15 500 sq. metres of floor area with 11 000 sq. metres for office space and around 5 500 sq. metres for trade and commercial purposes. The building will be ready at the end of 2017.

All at the same time further works will soon commence on the site of the Central Quarter of the Centrum Praskie Koneser project, co-managed with Librecht & Wood. The works are predicted to take approximately two years. At the beginning of next year, BBI Development is planning to commence works on the construction of a new tranche of flats there – it will be 108 residential units, mixed with office and commercial areas in the “Skarbnica” building. Within its 50 000 sq. metres of the floor area, the Central Quarter of the project will host office, trade and commercial space alongside a hotel and a conference centre. The Koneser project, located close to the Dworzec Wileński underground station, is a mixed-use development. It is being constructed on the site of the old Warsaw’s Vodka Distillery “Koneser” and is contributing to the revitalisation of this part of Warsaw. Altogether within the whole project area, which is about half the size of Warsaw’s old town, there will be around 350 residential units (lofts and soft lofts) as well as around 28 000 sq. metres of commercial and 22 000 sq. metres of office space respectively. On top of that, the whole complex will also host the first of its kind Museum of Polish Vodka and a Google campus, placing Warsaw on a prominent list of cities like London, Tel Aviv, Madrid, Sao Paulo and Seoul where the IT giant has decided to invest in one of its hubs.

Skyscrapers in Śródmieście

At present, BBI Development is awaiting the adoption of the area development plan for the Poznańska street neighbourhood in Warsaw city centre, where a new property project, the Roma Tower, will be built. The investment, which is at the crossroads of Nowogrodzka and Emilii Plater streets, and which is to be implemented in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Warsaw, will see the construction of a 170-metre building with a discreet and timeless architectural style. It will provide for high-standard floor areas and it will be at the same time a fitting addition to the skyline of Śródmieście quarter.

Złota 44, the co-project of BBI Development and its American partner, Amstar, is entering its new phases of development. Złota 44 is located in the very city centre of Warsaw and it is a luxurious skyscraper, offering 287 apartments, designed by a world-famous architect, Daniel Libeskind. The majority of construction works has been already finished and the project is now entering a new phase of decoration of its residential units and common areas. The building, which will offer the highest standards of apartments in Poland, will be ready by the end of 2016. It is worth mentioning that Złota 44 is characterised by an exclusive arrangement of apartments with services and conveniences unseen on the Polish property market. The recreational floor of 1 400 sq. metres holds among other things business and entertainment spaces, wellness and spa with a 25-metre swimming pool, gym, private cinema, terrace and jacuzzi. The apartments were designed by a prominent offices of Woods Bagot.