Open space enters Warsaw tenement houses

Apart from new, often spectacular projects, the numerous renovated tenement houses also provide high-end office space in Warsaw.

Warsaw combines half of the resources of modern office space currently available in the largest agglomerations in the country. According to Walter Herz specialists, the city offers over 5 million sq m of offices and over 700 thousand sq m of space under construction.

Warsaw office market has never been developing at such a fast pace. The offer is increasingly diversifying and adapting to the numerous groups of tenants. In the central part of the city, where city business is shaping up, glass office towers are growing. Apart from modern projects, which are often built on an unprecedented scale in Poland, the high-class space is also provided by boutique - style office buildings. At the same time, older, capital office buildings and historic tenement houses are being modernized. They also offer offices of the highest standard. Renovated projects most often include the addition of modern facilities or parts of buildings where flexible arrangement of space is possible. In line with tenants expectations, this could be a creative open space or a traditional model of development in the form of enclosed office layout.

Exclusive offices in the center

Walter Herz consultants admit that office space in Warsaw's renovated tenements is a niche product, but it is an interesting alternative to the offices available in the large projects. This category of offers is appreciated by companies that are opting for intimate facilities and exceptional market offers. Especially by the tenants who want to be located in a strictly central location, in an exclusive building. According to Walter Herz representatives, these include consulting companies, investment funds, law firms and specialist companies.

The experts are convinced that the share of office space offered in exclusive buildings in the center of the city, as the Warsaw market develops, will become lower in the whole offer due to the limited supply of these types of properties. They calculate that there are over 100 thousand sq m of modern office space located in tenements in Warsaw. At the same time, the analysts point out that rental rates in the small buildings, which provide the best addresses in Warsaw, can be even higher than in the large office investments currently under construction.

Multifunctional open space in historic buildings

Walter Herz experts note that the renovated, historic buildings, offer open space design more and more often. It significantly increases the capacity of office space. Specialists also point out that these types of projects now offer a variety of functions, not just offices, but also retail and luxurious commercial as well as residential areas.      

The most spectacular of modernization its kind in Warsaw is the Neo-Renaissance Europejski Hotel on Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. Since 1857, for decades, the historic building known as Hotel d'Europe had been the most luxurious hotel in Poland. For several years, the tenement has been undergoing a major modernization, which will be finished before the end of this year. Apart from the five-star hotel with 103 rooms, the restored facility will provide 2.7 thousand sq m of commercial space and 7 thousand  sq m of high class office space. The offices will be located on the two upper storeys, surrounded by a glass façade in the shade of green.

Tenements with poets’ and writers' apartments

At the heart of Warsaw at 37 Poznańska Street, a historic tenement house from 1904, which has not been destroyed during the war, is also undergoing renovation. After the war, Polish poet Miron Białoszewski lived there. This year, the renovated Art Nouveau building is to offer about 4 thosand sq m of office and retail space.

A tenement house from 1916 located at 40 Polna Street will also get a new look. Before the war, the building was part of an urban quarter, later separated by the new Waryńskiego Street. In the neighborhood of the historic building, which is registered as the monument in the front part, which after the renovation will offer 2 thousand sq m of modern office space, a new office building with 5.2 thousand sq m of offices will also be built. The pre-war character will also be restored to a neighboring, historic tenement house located on Jaworzyńska Street, where Maria Dąbrowska's apartment used to be.

Over 17 thousand  sq m of Class A office space and modern retail space will also be provided after the reconstruction of Ethos, a former ING building located at 10/14 Trzech Krzyży Square. The renovation is due to finish this fall. As a result of the reconstruction,  the commercial space available on the ground floor will be doubled.

Restored monuments

Last year, the neo-renaissance building located on 19 Mokotowska Street, which was rebuilt after the war, also underwent renovation. The tenement house offers 5.3 thousand sq m of luxurious office space. The Renaissance Building, which kept the historic façade and elements of the historic elevation, was awarded  the best office investment of 2004 by Construction & Investment Journal.

The Class A office space is also offered in the renovated last year Branicki Residential House located at 40 Smolna Street, near the Charles de Gaulle roundabout. The historic façade and mansard roof of the building have been restored. In the renovated tenement house from 1903 there are 4,500 sq m of high-class hotel, office and retail space. Preparations for the opening of the hotel are in progress.

The Foksal City office building, which is located at the junction of Krywulta and Szczygla Streets, at the back of the former Countess' Maria Przeździecka Palace is occupied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The exclusive building at 10 Foksal Street, which provides 3.4 thousand sq m of top class office space, was designed under the supervision of a conservator of monuments. The architecture of the building refers to modernism from the 1920s.

Intimate office buildings with modern accents

The pre-war tenement at 2 Małachowski Square has also gained a new design. Today, the modernized, classicist building offers over 14 thousand apartments sq m of modern office and commercial space. Thanks to the renovation, the historic façade of the facility was reconstructed and the large, glass displays were restored on the ground floor. A modern office building was added at the back of the tenement.

The historic tenement house at 25 Chmielna Street was replaced by an interesting, modern office building. The facility with its characteristic, wavy façade provided about 4.5 thousand sq m of Class A office space and 1.7 thousand sq m of commercial space. Earlier, the nearby Nowy Dom Jabłkowskich building was also renovated.

Among the modernized, historic Warsaw facilities is also the building of the former Bellona Publishing House, located at the intersection of Towarowa and Grzybowska Street near the Europejski Square and Warsaw Spire. Bellona is partially listed in the register of historic monuments.

Lucrative office addresses

Over 2.8 thousand sq m of Class A office space is also provided in a restored townhouse at 2/4 Mazowiecka Street. The building located at the intersection of Mazowiecka and Świętokrzyska Streets also offers space dedicated for retail and service on the ground floor with mezzanine.

According to Walter Herz experts, an example of a successful Warsaw revitalization is Próżna Street, where the 19th century tenement houses have been revitalized. The historic 160-meter long paving and the pre-war curbs have been renovated, and stylized lanterns appeared along the street. On the ground floor of the office buildings there are restaurants and cultural facilities. Particularly noteworthy is the exclusive Le Palais Offices building, which offers 5.3 thousand sq m o Class A office space and 1.3 thousand sq m of retail and commercial space, located on Próżna Street.

Renovation was also completed in the old tenement house located on 26 Jasna Street, which was transformed into a class A office building with a total of approximately 5.500 sq m of lease area. The ground floor and the cellar are intended for retail and service units.

The tenement house of Count Raczyński, also known as Krasińskich House, has also become a luxurious office building. The history of the building located at Małachowskiego Square, in the vicinity of Victoria hotel and Zachęta art gallery dates back to 1907.

Among the restored buildings with historic past offering office space, Walter Herz specialists also enumerate the Młodziejowski Palace, located in the vicinity of the Royal Castle, at 10 Miodowa Street and the Lipińskiego House, located in the corner of Aleje Jerozolimskie Street and Emilii Plater Street.

New office buildings replace the old buildings

The experts also point out that in the most attractive locations in Warsaw, older buildings are being replaced with the new ones. These investments include the Q22 office building that replaced Mercure hotel last year, as well as the planned office project at the spot of the Ilmet building at the ONZ roundabout. Walter Herz consultant also mention the modernization of the centrally located, representative office buildings such as Spektrum Tower, Atrium Tower, Warsaw Trade Tower and Warsaw Financial Center.

Author: Walter Herz