Report: Warsaw’s Bliska Wola as a model example of a modern office district
AXI IMMO, the largest Polish real estate agency on the commercial real estate market, presents a special publication "What sets the tone for the Warsaw office market?"
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
The Center-West office subzone, around Daszyński Roundabout, is the most dynamically developing area on the office map of Warsaw, where 70% of newly developed office space is concentrated. At the end of 2023, the total supply of this location was about 1.12M sq m, while take-up reached nearly 170,000 sq m. What is the importance of this office subzone for Warsaw today? What events and decisions have influenced the rapid development of this location? Poland’s largest commercial real estate consultancy AXI IMMO presents a special publication, “What sets the tone for the Warsaw office market?”.
High activity of office developers in Bliska Wola
The Center-West office subzone around Daszyński Roundabout is currently the most dynamically developing area on Warsaw’s office map. By the end of 2023, as much as 70% of Warsaw’s newly developed office space was concentrated here. The decision on the plan for Warsaw’s second subway line and the opening of the central section in March 2015 accelerated developer investments. It made Bliska Wola (the part of the Wola district, around Daszyński Roundabout, close to the City center) the new business center of the capital.
The micro-area is marked by Koszykowa Street to the south, Karolkowa Street to the west, and Solidarności Avenue to the north. At the same time, the subzone borders the Central Business District (Jana Pawła II Avenue and Chałubińskiego Street) to the east. The total stock of modern office space in the Center-West is about 1.12 M sq m, accounting for 18% of the total supply in Warsaw. There are approx. 570 modern office buildings in the capital, about 60 in Bliska Wola. By comparison, 75 buildings are located in the second-largest office zone in Warsaw (1.07 M sq m), i.e., Służewiec.
Center-West Warsaw office subzone right behind Krakow and Wrocław?
Emilia Trofimiuk, Research Manager, Research Department, AXI IMMO, says: “Bliska Wola is first and foremost an extremely successful office project that matches some regional cities in scale. If we were to juxtapose the total supply of offices in the Daszyński Roundabout area with the supply in individual regional markets, the so-called Bliska Wola would rank behind Kraków and Wrocław while ahead of Tricity and Katowice. Referring to the Warsaw market almost one-fifth of the capital’s total office supply is concentrated in the Center-West subzone. Seven of the 15 projects currently under construction are in the Daszyński Roundabout area, and more new investments seem to be only a matter of time.”
Bliska Wola is, above all, an extremely successful office project whose scale rivals that of some regional cities.
The subzone has undergone intensive development over the past decade, with the turning point being the completion of Warsaw Spire in 2014-2016. At the end of 2016, the area’s office supply stood at 510,000 sq m, to double (+118%) in seven consecutive years, bringing several new buildings to the city’s skyline, including Mennica Legacy Tower, The Warsaw Hub, Generation Park Y, Skyliner, and Warsaw Unit.
At the end of 2023, nearly 210,000 sq m of new office space was under construction in Center-West. The largest projects were The Bridge, V Tower, Office House within the Towarowa 22 complex, and The Form. Developers Skanska and Yareal are also active in the study area, with more projects planned, such as Chopin Tower and Skyliner II.
Bliska Wola both for living and for work
Jakub Potocki, Associate Director, Office Department, AXI IMMO, comments: “The last ten years is a model example of how a modern office zone should develop, being, as it were, complementary to other important urban functions, i.e., housing, entertainment, and above all, taking into account efficient public transportation. While planning such a large zone, it was ensured, tenants had access to all possible services near their workplace. Bliska Wola is an ideal definition for a modern city business center and a great showcase for the capital. Here is the place where business happens.”
Bliska Wola is an ideal definition of a modern business center of the city, as well as a great showcase for the capital. This is where business happens.
Despite a large stock of relatively new development projects, office space availability in the Center-West subzone remains limited. As of the end of 2023, the vacancy rate stood at 7.1%, thus significantly lower than Warsaw’s average of 10.4%. This result translates into approximately 80,000 sq m of office space available for immediate lease.
Bartosz Oleksak, Associate Director, Office Department, AXI IMMO, adds, “Daszyński Roundabout is becoming a key investment area for developers, attracting them with its favorable conditions and excellent location. Bliska Wola is developing as Warsaw’s modern business center, providing an alternative to historically traditional office districts such as Mokotów-Służewiec. The location’s future depends on several factors, with the administrative decisions made several years ago and the development plan for this part of the capital proving to be a hit. The balance between the various functions maintained has made Bliska Wola a place to work and live today.”
Rondo Daszyńskiego is becoming a key investment area for developers, attracting them with favorable conditions and an excellent location.
The Center-West subzone is most often chosen by tenants
Gross office take-up in 2023 amounted to nearly 170,000 sq m, representing a 22% share of total Warsaw take-up. The Center-West subzone was the most active micro-area in terms of signed contracts, with a higher share of new contracts and expansions than the average for Warsaw as a whole. The most active industry in the analyzed area was business services (28% of take-up in 2023), followed by the public and manufacturing sectors (15% each).
The many advantages of having an office in the area under review make the Center-West one of the most expensive locations on Warsaw’s office map. Offer rents fluctuate between EUR 14.75/sq m/month and EUR 25.50/sq m/month, while service charges currently range from PLN 23.00/sq m/month to PLN 39.00/sq m/month and show an upward trend.
About AXI IMMO
AXI IMMO offers comprehensive advisory services related to commercial real estate, including warehouse and office leasing and property management, real estate valuation, land acquisition, and sales. The firm also offers B2B and B2C supply chain management services. AXI IMMO’s greatest advantage is combining international business standards with deep local market knowledge. AXI IMMO has received numerous awards, including Best Local Agency of the Year in 2012 – 2019 and 2021 in the CiJ Awards and the award for Best Team in the warehouse sector in 2016 – 2017. In 2019 and 2023, the company won the Local Agency category in the CEE Investment Awards. In 2023, AXI IMMO was named Local Agent of the Year 2023 in the CEE region at the CEEQA.
Report — What sets the tone for the Warsaw office market?
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