UBM Development Czechia wants to become a leading European developer of wooden structures and plans to use them more in its houses in the Czech Republic. It is preparing a new pilot housing project in the Czech Republic too. After a series of sales of three projects and the approval of three more projects in Prague last year, this year it is continuing with the construction of the next stage of the Arcus City residential area in Prague's Stodůlky district and, following the example of its Austrian parent company, is now focusing on sustainability and ecological construction.

"In addition to the successful sale of apartments in two projects and the complete lease of the Astrid Offices office building, we are very pleased to have successfully completed one of our largest investments - the reconstruction of the former Cukrovarnicky Palace. The luxury lifestyle hotel Andaz Prague opened there at the beginning of March. "We are very pleased to have brought this beautiful building back to life and shine and Senovážné Square can now come to life thanks to the guests of the hotel and the clients of the Zem restaurant," said Josef Wiedermann, Managing Director of UBM Development Czechia, and outlined the company's future plans. The principles of the corporate strategy 'Green (sustainability) - Smart (building smart buildings) and More (adding value)' are key for us, and we want to strengthen the environmental elements of the projects as much as possible. Following the example of UBM abroad, we plan to use more eco-friendly wooden structures in construction in the Czech Republic. We are also targeting BREEAM certification for residential projects, which is not yet common in the residential segment, unlike offices."

Focusing more on ecology

The energy performance of buildings and their carbon footprint is one of the main issues in construction today. That is why UBM focuses on environmentally friendly, innovative and energy-efficient solutions in all its projects, from the design phase to implementation. Its green buildings have been verified by internationally recognised building certificates for many years. "The focus on sustainable development is increasingly important and UBM has set itself the goal of becoming the leading developer of timber structures in Europe. We are preparing and implementing residential and office projects abroad and we are also preparing them in the Czech Republic. Wood is a very ecological and fully recyclable material. Combined with sustainable production and energy use, we can significantly reduce CO2 emissions throughout the life cycle of projects. UBM buildings are thus working towards the goal of climate neutrality," explains Josef Wiedermann. UBM's international projects with timber structures include the residential complex barany.7 in Vienna and the Timber Pioneer office building in Frankfurt am Main.

In 2021, UBM Development launched the first phase of construction of the large-scale residential project Arcus City in Prague-Stodůlky. More than two hundred flats will be built in apartment buildings on the border of Stodůlky and Řeporyjí, and in the last stage, there will be four more apartment buildings and ten family houses. According to Wiedermann, a small square will also be created in the new district. Last year, the company also sold three projects in Prague, Lipno and Karlovy Vary, and completed the Astrid Offices in Holešovice, the more than 100-year-old Andaz Prague hotel on Senovážné náměstí with 176 rooms, and the Neugraf residential project in Smíchov. The company has been operating in the Czech Republic since 1993.