British Polish Chamber of Commerce

The past two years have been characterised by a high degree of uncertainty on the regional real estate markets, creating many challenges for tenants and landlords. Investors who were forced to rethink the profitability of projects and decisions about the pace of bringing new investments to market were also keen to understand the drivers behind the recovery.  In 2020, the demand for office space in regional cities decreased by 15% compared to 2019, the vacancy rate in the regions increased by an average of 3.2 percentage points, while the volume of office space under construction is currently the lowest in five years.

To show market trends – in particular in the office market –  experts from leading real estate companies summed up the state of the real estate market in Wrocław in 2020-2021, and presented their  forecasts for development in the coming years. The discussion panel gave experts the chance to reply to questions about new trends and they will shape the commercial real estate market in the future, including remote work, e-commerce and green transformation.

The BPCC’s regional director, Ilona Chodorowska, and Paweł Siwecki, CEO welcomed guests to the event, held in a well-ventilated room laid out for social distancing. Everyone had to show their vaccination certificate or a negative Covid-19 test carried out within the past 48 hours.

The three main presentations zoomed in from the future of cities, to the future of buildings, to the future of office space. Anna Patrzyk-Sperzyńska, associate director, and Maciej Moralewicz, regional director at Knight Frank, discussed the mega trends that will shape our cities and their functionality; Marek Stasieńko, leasing director at Skanska, presented the office of the future, showing how much greener construction can be – and what are the social benefits of green offices. Finally, Karina Kreja, international concept manager and workplace expert at Kinnarps Polska, focused on the changing nature of office work, and how these new forms of hybrid work will radically change the way our offices look and functions.

Mr Moralewicz, Mr Stasieńko and Ms Kreja were joined on stage by Katarzyna Minkiewicz, manager for sustainable development and BREEAM assessor at Atlas Ward, Marcin Siewierski, regional head of Cushman Wakefield’s Western Poland Office Department, Katarzyna Kubicka, regional director, at Echo Investment S.A. and Michał Bryszewski, director of the property management department, Savills. The discussion revolved around the green transformation agenda, and how the market, how individuals, will be changing real estate.