As we are seeing a slowing down of new office projects across Budapest and the region, occupancy has emerged as ‘king’, while energy efficiency has become the number one priority for both landlords and tenants. Property Forum asked Jake Lodge, Principal at Avison Young in Hungary about his view on the major changes in the local office market and the way landlords and tenants try to overcome mounting difficulties.

How will the current macroeconomic situation affect investment activity and further development within individual sectors, from offices to industrial and logistics complexes to retail real estate? All this is shown in CBRE's latest analysis of the Czech commercial real estate market, which also provides an updated outlook for 2023.

Mindspace, the global provider of flexible boutique office space, has published the results of its global employee survey. The goal of the survey was to illuminate new work patterns and shed light on both current and aspirational employee dynamics. The results gave insights showing how the 9 to 5 job is a dying phenomenon and the hybrid model is here to stay - with employee flexibility being the key determinant in employee satisfaction.

Brno has changed over the past two decades. A total of 635,900 sqm of office space currently exists in the city thanks to the strong growth of companies from the business and IT services and R&D sectors. Brno Spielberg, along with the city centre around Vlněná Street, has become home to companies that create advanced technologies and innovations for global businesses. The city is preparing to expand this space – it will soon add almost 100,000 sqm to the currently unoccupied 70,900 sqm of modern office space, says Colliers in its latest report.

Colliers has taken over the management of three office buildings in regional cities – Carbon Tower in Wrocław, Ocean Office Park A and Tischnera Office in Kraków – with total area of 66,000 sqm.

Forest Center (formerly Forest Offices) will be taken over by the University of Debrecen at the end of January 2023. The property was opened in 2019 and acquired by Central European developer and investor GTC in 2021. No details were disclosed about the size of the latest transaction. 

Around 130,000 sqm of new modern offices could be delivered this year, with a total of roughly 360,000 sqm possible for the 2022-2024 period, though the 2024 calendar could be postponed, according to real estate consultancy Colliers. 

Ana Nekhamkin, Vice President of Real Estate and Projects and Michał Kwinta, City Lead Poland at Mindspace talked to Property Forum about their second office in Warsaw, the development of the flex office sector and the potential effects of high inflation.

Mol Campus, Hungarian oil company Mol's new headquarters, located within the BudaPart mixed-use project and built by Market Építő Zrt., is the highest office building in the country reaching 143 meters and offering 86,000 sqm of office and retail space. 

Mihály Schrancz, the CEO of Hungarian real estate development company Property Market has stepped down. The move was unexpected and no new leader has been announced yet.