Development of Nowe Centrum Łodzi (NCŁ) continues apace – Skanska presents its Brama Miasta investment.
Łódź has not witnessed such interest from business for a long time. Today, the city is the favorite to host Expo 2022. Furthermore, it has the largest urban renewal project in Central Europe. Skanska, now completing the construction of Nowa Fabryczna, its premiere office building in Nowe Centrum Łodzi, has also presented its newest project – Brama Miasta. “We were one of the first major players from the developer market to believe in the potential of this city. Today, Łódź is a significant business location in the CEE region. The city’s strength is confirmed not only by its central location and excellent communication links with the rest of Europe but also and primarily – its people. Brama Miasta will be an attractive place for business and residents alike as it will be a vibrant location during and after office hours”, says Arkadiusz Rudzki, Managing Director at Skanska Property Poland.
Łódź is currently experiencing its momentum. This is the place where Nowe Centrum Łodzi (NCŁ)[1] is being developed. The NCŁ investment, covering an area of up to 100 ha, will be a multifunctional project and will include the revitalization of the city centre. Apart from the Dworzec Fabryczny railway station, it will also include offices, services and residential facilities. Thanks to this enterprise, Łódź is one of the favorites to host Expo 2022, the world's most important fair event. The city’s growing importance for investors is further confirmed by a record-breaking level of office space lease deals and low vacancy rates.[2] Up to half of the overall stock currently under development, approx. 125,000 sqm of modern office space, has already been secured with pre-lease agreements.[3] Łódź is the location for services centres of companies such as Fujitsu, Xerox, Accenture, Cybercom, Whirlpool and Infosys. The sector itself currently employs around 15,600 specialists.[4]
- In Poland, it is currently impossible to find another urban space like Nowe Centrum Łodzi. The project continues to attract publicity from around the world. This is confirmed by the business sector, which for several years now, has been establishing centers in the city at an ever increasing rate. Łódź is often referred to as “the last undiscovered city”. Today, it's not only attracting investors but residents and tourists as well. We need top-tier quality office space as well as places such as the revitalized Piotrkowska Street, which will attract the residents of Łódź after office hours. A city does not merely consist of structures but also the people who live here. Brama Miasta will be an example of such a space – both modern and vibrant – says Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź.
Skanska develops a new centre
Apart from Nowa Fabryczna - the first office building in NCŁ – which is already nearly 100% leased, Skanska will also develop its newest project - Brama Miasta. The investment will be located opposite the biggest underground railway station in Poland – Łódź Fabryczna, which will ultimately become the largest rail hub in this part of Europe. It is just 70 minutes from Warsaw by train, approx. 20 minutes from Łódź Airport and in close proximity to the A1 and A2 highway intersection.
The two office buildings, with leasable office space totaling 40,000 sqm, will be able to accommodate up to 4,000 specialists. Both buildings will have 15 floors above ground. Thanks to its open square, urban cafeterias, publicly available WiFi connection, greenery and street furniture, the investment will become an excellent place to work outdoors, for less formal business meetings as well as the perfect location to host cultural events and initiatives, such as open-air cinema events.
- We are strongly linked to Łódź. We have been developing modern space for business in the city for over five years now. A total of up to 10,000 specialists will be employed in all of the office buildings developed by our company in Łódź – comments Arkadiusz Rudzki, Managing Director at Skanska Property Poland. – Brama Miasta is much more than an office investment – it will be a location in Łódź that, thanks to a patio open to the public, cafeterias and seasonal activities, will be a place which will attract workers and residents alike – adds Arkadiusz Rudzki.
Employees working at Brama Miasta will have the possibility to use 230 parking places and approx. 200 bicycle stands in the complex. Furthermore, another parking lot with 960 spaces is located in close proximity to the investment.
Architectural design that pays tribute to Łódź's industrial heritage
The project’s design was developed by the medusa group architectural studio. The building’s façade covered with a layer of eye-catching rusty colored corten steel and a brick correlate with the aesthetics of Łódź's manufacturing traditions. This is an example of timeless architecture that blends in well with the metropolitan traits of NCŁ.
- Łódź is a multicultural city, a patchwork which, just like Silesian metropolis that I grew up in and live today, needs attractive shared spaces, meeting places, open passages and squares for local citizens and visitors. Brama Miasta serves as one of these places because, as I understand it, what Łódź needs today is the new concept of “glass houses”. Brama Miasta is the example of a new, broad way of thinking about the city and its future inhabitants and employees. The architecture of this building is supposed to be simple and futureproof, covered with corten steel – a modern raw material in the colour of bricks that historically define Łódź’s heritage – says Przemo Łukasik, an architect at the crossdisciplinary medusa group studio.
Łódź has its own architectural style which is perfectly complemented by initiatives such as woonerfs and large wall murals. Furthermore, Łódź was the first city in Poland to establish a traffic-free street (today, there are three woonerfs in the city and more are scheduled for the future). In addition, the city is often called “the capital city of murals” – as there are approx. 70 wall murals in Łódź. This new Skanska project perfectly dovetails with its surroundings. The face of Brama Miasta are Łódź’s inhabitants themselves, who can now be seen at on display on the grounds of the investment. This is a publicly available location created by people for people.
Brama Miasta – key facts and numbers
- Launch of construction works: H1 2017.
- Total leasable space: approx. 40,000 sqm GLA.
- Leasable space of Phase I: approx. 27,500 sqm GLA.
- The complex will provide 230 parking places.
- The building of Phase I at its highest point: 15 floors above ground.
- Certification: LEED Gold.
- General contractor: Skanska S.A.
- Author of the architectural design: medusa group.
[1] NCŁ - the biggest urban renewal project in Central Europe including a quarter of the city centre ,covering the area between Narutowicza, Piotrkowska, Tuwima and Kopcińskiego Streets – 100 ha in total.
[2] http://www.jll.pl/poland/pl-pl/Research/Podsumowanie%20rynku%20grunt%C3%B3w%20inwestycyjnych%20w%202016%20r._raport%20JLL.pdf
[3] https://www.bazabiur.pl/informacje-prasowe-lodzki-rynek-biurowy-ze-znakomitym-wynikiem.html
[4] ABSL Report 2016