Smart Real Estate

Smart Real Estate

BREC MEMBERS: Speedwell`s MIRO Office Building obtains highest level of WELL Standard in Romania

BREC MEMBERS: Speedwell`s MIRO Office Building obtains highest level of WELL Standard in Romania 750 516 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

·        MIRO is the first project certified under WELL v2, the newest version of WELL Health & Safety certification method

·        WELL v2 is considered the most rigorous framework for advancing health and well-being around the world

·        The consultant that coordinated the certification process was BuildGreen, leading advisor in the field of sustainable development in Central and Eastern Europe

Speedwell, one of the most dynamic developers on the Romanian market, joined hands with BuildGreen and obtained the WELL v2 certification for MIRO, the class A office project developed by the Belgian company in the Northern part of Bucharest. This is the highest level of WELL certification obtained to date in Romania, as well as the first project certified under the new, stricter version of this methodology, the developer announces.

WELL is the leading tool for advancing health, safety and well-being in buildings globally. Registering offices, buildings or other spaces leverages WELL’s flexible framework for improving health and human experience through design. WELL v2 is the most rigorously tested and vetted version of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) to date, making it the premier framework for advancing health and well-being around the world.

The WELL certification adds a “greener” note to the current labor market conditions regarding the health and safety of buildings’ users. 

MIRO is the latest office project of Speedwell, the Belgian development company recognized as one of the most active players currently on the Romanian real estate market. Located in the Northern side of Bucharest, MIRO is a class A office building totalling 23.000 sqm leasable area spread out over 5 levels, with large 4.570 sqm floor plates, 1:40 parking ratio, a 1.700 sqm outdoor plaza and 558 parking spaces.

MIRO was designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating and a WELL certification, focusing on environmental and energy efficiency while applying the latest technology. The concept behind MIRO office building is based on three principles: well-beingaccessibility and visibility. The project aims to create a flexible and healthy environment and to combine work, leisure, facilities and green spaces, all monitored by the newest technology on the market, in an accessible location. As a result, approximately 70% of the office space has been pre-leased up to date.  The construction works for MIRO started in July 2020 and are expected to be finalized by the end of this year. For more details about the project, please see the attached property description.

Sustainability is a mandatory aspect for future proofed buildings. We all are responsible for using resources efficiently and, we, as developers, must take responsibility for the standards we are building at. That is why it is essential to create next generation buildings. As a result, we have designed our office project, MIRO, to achieve a WELL certification, a tool for advancing health and well-being, used at a global level, and we are proud to having obtained a platinum rating. Building high standard projects is one of our focuses, and sustainability has always been part of it”, declared Didier Balcaen, CEO and Co-Founder Speedwell. 

The implementation of health, well-being & safety principles in real estate developments already became a practice in the past couple of years. Speedwell is an active promoter of sustainable development in Romania and among the early adopters of WELL Health & Safety standard on the local real estate market. We are proud to accompany Speedwell in taking this new step and reach the highest level in WELL certification at this point in Romania”, stated Razvan Nica, Managing Director BuildGreen.

BuildGreen assisted the client from the beginning, offering consultancy and assessment services in line with BREEAM and WELL requirements, advice for sustainable design and acquisitions, as well as BREEAM and WELL strategy definition, health & safety solutions, energy performance, natural water and ventilation optimization, materials, waste management etc.

About Speedwell

Speedwell has a large portfolio of developments in Romania that includes Record Park in Cluj-Napoca, Triama Residence and The Ivy in Bucharest, Paltim in Timisoara, and Riverside City in Ramnicu-Valcea, together with the above-mentioned project, MIRO office building in the North of Bucharest.

(11.03.2021)

New: Digital Exhibition with all Innovations from Schüco, Jansen & Warema

New: Digital Exhibition with all Innovations from Schüco, Jansen & Warema 740 530 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

If you are an architect, if you represent a joinery company, or you are simply thinking of a new house, you must visit i.NNOVATIONNOW, the online platform where you can get acquainted with all the innovations from SchücoJansen and Warema, presented within a digital exhibition, accessible at any time, throughout 2021.

The i.NNOVATIONNOW platform offers the possibility to experience, in an innovative and exciting way, product presentations, virtual themed tours and attend live webinars.

The Schüco products address 3 main topics:

·        HEALTH – healthy building – From natural ventilation with sound insulation and heat recovery to barrier-free thresholds for windows, doors and sliding doors.

·        SMART – intelligent building – Faster and more efficient manufacturing, textile facades and much more information on design, construction and smart operation.

·        SECURITY – safe building – Various solutions that meet the fundamental need for safety and protection against burglary and fire.

Jansen continues to develop the series of steel profiles in two main directions: DESIGN and SAFETY. Whether we are talking about new residential projects, the renovation of historical monuments, or constructions with special fire resistance requirements, steel profile systems provide viable, elegant and safe solutions.

Warema brings new SUN SHADING solutions to the architects and beneficiaries’ attention, for both indoor and outdoor as well as digital applications available for their operation and the integration of shading systems in SMART HOME solutions.

You can learn about these technologies and more here: alukoenigstahl-inow.com.

About Alukönigstahl Romania

Alukönigstahl is a successful company, active in Central and South-Eastern Europe, which is owned by the König family in the fourth generation. Teamwork and innovative product development have propelled Alukönigstahl into a market-leading position. For over 60 years there has been an alliance with two international systems manufacturers: Schüco, a world leader in aluminum systems and PVC experts, and Jansen, a specialist in steel profiles.

Alukönigstahl Romania was founded in 1995, with its headquarters and warehouse in Bucharest. Together with over 3.000 partners in the field of real estate investments, architecture and metal constructions, Alukönigstahl Romania has completed over 5.000 representative projects and constructions in the last 26 years, among which: Ana Tower, Globalworth Square, Coresi Business Resort, Sky Tower, Globalworth Tower, UBC Iasi, Cluj and Timisoara.

For more information, please visit the company’s website: www.alukoenigstahl.ro and its FacebookLinkedIn and Instagram pages.

Facilio & Evogy Partner to Improve Efficiency for Real Estate Portfolios

Facilio & Evogy Partner to Improve Efficiency for Real Estate Portfolios 740 535 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB
Facilio, a leading AI-driven property operations platform and Italy-based Evogy, a leading digital energy service provider specializing in the Energy-as-a-Service model, announced a strategic partnership to deliver IoT-led solutions and services to drive sustainability and improve operational efficiency for real estate portfolios.

Commenting on the partnership, Stefano Zanin of Evogy, CTO and Co-Founder, stressed the need for a proactive response to climate-change and adherence to sustainability, in real estate. “There are huge opportunities to realize cost savings through energy efficiency, with the power of technology like IoT & Cloud. Using Facilio’s cloud-based platform, we will enhance our digital energy services via a command and control center, to optimize asset performance at enterprise scale, and fulfill the needs of large portfolio customers,” Stefano added.

“The Facilio+Evogy combo unlocks great value for customers, through complementary solutions that enhance the portfolio performance in real-time”, CEO and Founder of Facilio, Prabhu Ramachandran said.  

As a result of this partnership, Facilio and Evogy will extend their offerings to deliver well-rounded, intelligence-led connected operations and sustainability services, for large commercial portfolios. The enhanced capabilities include:

  • Remote monitoring and control of multiple building assets, equipment, and systems (HVAC, fire safety, access control, etc.) through a “single-pane-of-glass” dashboard
  • Automated operational workflows, along with preventive, condition-based, and predictive maintenance
  • New occupant/tenant services through personalized comfort control apps; App-based tenant service requests and visitor management.
  • Automated, ML-driven algorithms for optimization of HVAC systems for energy efficiency
  • Dynamic optimization of energy assets using Evogy’s ‘Simon’ digital energy specialist, in response to variable load, weather forecasts, electricity tariffs, etc.

Facilio and Evogy’s synergetic operating model will enable clients to unlock the power of building data and make real-time performance changes; to optimize costs, energy usage, and productivity. End users and occupants will benefit from superior experiences and continuous responsive control.

“Facilio has a fast-growing presence in Southern Europe and Romania is a key market in our strategic expansion,” said Prabhu Ramachandran, CEO & Founder of Facilio in a recent Talk with BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB. Read more >>

About Evogy:

Evogy is a leading digital energy service provider specializing in the Energy-as-a-Service model of sustainability services. This includes consulting, project management, and full-stack consumption optimization services for industries, retail, large properties, and more. Thanks to Evogy’s IoT and AI-cloud-based platform called Simon, the “digital energy specialist”, Evogy provides a suite of apps for advanced energy management (monitoring, control, and optimization of performance equipment building systems), demand response, and energy communities. Learn more about Evogy at www.evogy.it

About Facilio:

Facilio’s AI-driven property operations platform allows real estate owners to aggregate building data, optimize performance, and control portfolio operations – all from one place. Customers in the commercial office, healthcare & retail categories use Facilio across 40 million square feet to reduce operations costs, increase net asset value & derisk operational liability. Headquartered in New York City with offices in Padova, Dubai, Chennai & Singapore, Facilio is a global company backed by leading investors including Accel Partners and Tiger Global Management. Learn more about Facilio O&M platform: https://facilio.com

(1.02.2021)

Zara embraces innovation and opens tech pop-up store in London

Zara embraces innovation and opens tech pop-up store in London 1326 568 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

Future of retail fashion: Zara embraces innovation

and opens tech pop-up store in London

The accelerating pace of innovation is changing the real estate industry and the latest move of fashion retailer, Zara, is just the proof. At the end of January, Zara launched a tech-enabled pop-up store in London, designed for click and collect purchases ahead of a new permanent flagship space.

The pop-up store which occupies 200 sq. m in Westfield Stratford City offers a small edit of men’s and women’s clothing that shoppers can purchase online while there in person. This enables delivery same day if placed before 2pm, or the next day if placed in the afternoon. The clients can also access the full catalogue of the collections to choose from online.

Staff is available to assist with mobile devices and an easy payment system operated by Bluetooth is also aiming to facilitate a new experience. Mirrors in the pop-up store have embedded information screens to offer product recommendations – by scanning an item the system suggests other garments and accessories to coordinate and style with the one the client is trying, all by his or her size.

The pop-up will be open until May while the retailer’s flagship in the same location is refurbished.

The new space will occupy alsmot 4,500 sq. m and will have a similat focus on tehchology & innovation.

In the picture – the future Zara flagship store in Westfield Stratford City.

JLL: “Workplace transformation is a game changer”

JLL: “Workplace transformation is a game changer” 1920 864 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

JLL: “Workplace transformation is a game changer”

Unprecedented disruption has created a new world of work driven by technology and an increasingly liquid workforce, JLL report “The future of work” states. The real estate consultancy company thinks that the future will belong to those who can embrace uncertainty, turn disruption into opportunity, and act to transform.

The ideal workspace, as JLL visions it, is articulated around five dimensions driving fundamental changes for corporate organizations:

  • Digital Drive Harness digitization and rich data to enhance people and enterprise performance.
  • Continuous Innovation Combine new thinking, solutions and processes to drive value creation and accelerate transformation.
  • Operational Excellence Optimize enterprise resources and service delivery to increase productivity, mitigate risks and ensure high performance.
  • Financial Performance Manage spending to enable growth and enhance ROI.
  • Human Experience Enhance user experience through engagement, empowerment and fulfillment.

“Today, as a result of unprecedented disruption, real estate is a strategic lever for transformation.
It enables organizations to leverage uncertainty, to prioritize investments, drive return on investment (ROI) and achieve broader business agendas”, Marie Puybaraud, Global Head of Research, JLL Corporate Solutions

5 IMPERATIVE DRIVING WORKPLACE TRANSFORMATION

1. Adopting a flexible working model to meet the needs of an evolving workforce through activity-based working.
2. Understanding the impact of a liquid workforce on the business model.
3. Redesigning workplaces to enhance human experience through engagement, empowerment and fulfillment.
4. Creating new metrics that matter to demonstrate increased performance through people and place.
5. Designing the working environment with a strong appeal towards environmental and social achievements.

Back to top

More about the subject here.

Study-case: Il Centro, Milano

Study-case: Il Centro, Milano 1554 874 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

The new shopping center format: turns conventional retail

into an experience, social center and brand showcase

With a great vision and intuition, the Italian hypermarket giant and mall developer Finiper bought in the 90’s the former site in Milano of Alfa Romeo, one of the Italy’s most admired motorcar brands.

The huge location potential (on the north-west corner of Milan, between Malpensa airport, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Switzerland) has set the scene for what has become one of the most avant-garde pieces of architecture in Europe and a successful retail business with over 15 million visitors annually.

STUDYCASE – IL CENTRO, MILANO

0

sq. m

0

stores

0

food services

0

car parks

Il Centro features a Fashion Court, inspired by London’s Covent Garden, which hosts brands such as Primark (the first in Italy, 7,000 sq. m on two levels), H&M, Zara, Pull & Bear, Berska, Massimo Dutti, Superdry, MAC, Swarovski or Bottega del Regalo.

Iper la Grande has been transformed into an innovative Market Place where fresh products of the hypermarket are brought into the mall in permanent kiosks where guests can experience live cooking shows, consume in situ or carry away freshly made meals. The Market Place climbs with a ramp from the ground floor to a large restaurants’ court on the first floor, resembling the ramp of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, except in this case food and taste are the arts on display.

Tall trees enrich the retail streets both outside and inside, creating a real garden with kiosks and restaurants, bike trails, children’s games and other activities related to sport and health. The green and multi-strata polycarbonate roof structure is made from sustainable materials and supported by 40 meters long timber beams, which represent one of the largest wooden structures ever built in Europe for a shopping mall. The entire construction is designed according to firm criteria of energy saving and sustainability, to achieve the prestigious LEED Gold level certification.

Where today there is the biggest shopping area of Italy, once there was a factory of legendary cars. The old circuit of Alfa Romeo has been converted in a brand-new testing and safe driving track managed by ACI VALLELUNGA: 1,500 sq. m of track where visitors can set free their speed desire, learn the importance of safety with safe driving courses and attend events and exhibitions about motors.

Back to top

Top 10 Mega Deals in Real Estate Tech

Top 10 Mega Deals in Real Estate Tech 852 586 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

Real Estate + Tech = LOVE

10 Mega Deals in Real Estate Tech

As technology is advancing based on continuous innovation, the real estate industry is reshaping. According to a study by RE:Tech, a real estate tech research and marketing agency, a significant number of mega-deals in real estate tech drove the funding boom across the sector in 2017 .

WeWork

The business co-funded by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey in 2010 as a trendy co-work space, announced in Q3 2017 that it had raised $4.4 billion in funding from SoftBank Group and SoftBank Vision Fund. SoftBank invested $3 billion in WeWork itself and added another $1.4 billion into three new WeWork subsidiaries — WeWork China, WeWork Japan and WeWork Pacific. According to Cushman & Wakefield, WeWork is today the central London’s biggest office occupier.

In the picture: WeWork Shanghai

Compass

The New York-based startup with the goal of disrupting the real-estate market, has raised $450 million at a $2.2 billion valuation. The new investment from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank’s $100 billion tech fund, will be used to bring the Compass platform to more cities than the 11 areas where it now operates. While it employs traditional brokers, the main selling points of Compass are the leveraging of data to improve the efficiency of the real estate business along with a sleek mobile app for buyers and renters.

In the picture: the two co-founders of Compass, Ori Allon and Robert Reffkin in front of the company’s HQ in New York.

OfferPad

They secured $230 million in debt from LL Funds LLC in Philadelphia in early 2017 to expand the company’s online home sales software and continue hiring at least three new employees a week, from marketing and accounting, to tech and renovation roles. OfferPad is a direct home buyer, in a mission to make “selling a home” convenient and hassle-free, by allowing sellers to get the best of both worlds – a fair and competitive offer – all at the click of a button.

Investment in real estate tech evolved beyond simple venture capital investments 2017, the study by RE:Tech shows. Corporations, who have continued to invest in real estate tech have also demonstrated increased interest in alliances and partnerships to leverage the potential of future gains. Through alliances and partnerships, real estate tech companies can gain access to customers and customer data they may not be able to access independently. Additionally, corporations gain access to technology that can help provide more attractive and cost-effective solutions.

You can download the report here: http://bit.ly/2CfCiXL

Zara embraces innovation and opens tech pop-up store in London

Zara embraces innovation and opens tech pop-up store in London 1326 568 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

Future of retail fashion: Zara embraces innovation

and opens tech pop-up store in London

The accelerating pace of innovation is changing the real estate industry and the latest move of fashion retailer, Zara, is just the proof. At the end of January, Zara launched a tech-enabled pop-up store in London, designed for click and collect purchases ahead of a new permanent flagship space.

The pop-up store which occupies 200 sq. m in Westfield Stratford City offers a small edit of men’s and women’s clothing that shoppers can purchase online while there in person. This enables delivery same day if placed before 2pm, or the next day if placed in the afternoon. The clients can also access the full catalogue of the collections to choose from online.

Staff is available to assist with mobile devices and an easy payment system operated by Bluetooth is also aiming to facilitate a new experience. Mirrors in the pop-up store have embedded information screens to offer product recommendations – by scanning an item the system suggests other garments and accessories to coordinate and style with the one the client is trying, all by his or her size.

The pop-up will be open until May while the retailer’s flagship in the same location is refurbished.

The new space will occupy alsmot 4,500 sq. m and will have a similat focus on tehchology & innovation.

In the picture – the future Zara flagship store in Westfield Stratford City.

How to raise value of Real Estate through Innovation

How to raise value of Real Estate through Innovation 1400 898 BUCHAREST REAL ESTATE CLUB

How to raise value of Real Estate

through Innovation

Fluctuating market conditions, changes in consumers behaviors and the rapid development of technology and innovation are shaping a new real estate industry. According to the Emerging Trends in Real Estate®: Europe 2018 survey by PwC & Urban Land Institute, over 50% of the respondents agree that technology, big data and the rise of “space as a service” will disrupt the traditional property valuation model.

As the most important event in technology, Consumer and Electronics Show (CES), has ended we have looked at major innovations that are impacting the real estate industry:

SMART ASSET MANAGEMENT

The discussion about innovative ways to manage assets is on everybody’s lips, especially as redevelopment seems to be one of the most attractive instruments to acquire prime assets this year, deploying investors’ strategy based on smart asset management.

Zenplace, an innovative real estate and technology company based in Silicon Valley, wants to reinvented property management, tenant placement and leasing to provide a better owner experience. The business model combines experienced property management professionals with artificial intelligence, machine learning and mobile technologies, providing owners with higher returns, lower costs, and an overall better owner experience. The firm’s latest development is a robot that provides smart guided home showings. Zenplace hopes its new robot tours will move homes off the market faster.

Ecovacs Robotics displayed at CES the Winbot X, the most recent window cleaning robot model, which is cordless and runs on an internal battery. The new model defies gravity to clean windows and eliminates the need for a power source.

INNOVATION RE-SHAPES RETAIL INDUSTRY

As classical retailers face tough competition from online sector (H&M announced in December sales in the September-November period were far below its own expectations, planning to close more H&M stores and opening fewer new ones, according to media reports) the retail industry is sensitive to new developments.

Kino-mo’s Hypervision Wall benefited from a lot of attention in Las Vegas. Made up of multiple propeller-looking modules adorned with programmable LEDs, the Wall creates holographic images up to 3 meters in size. This is a cutting-edge visual solution for creating, managing and displaying unique 3D video content with holographic effect. It uniquely combines a smart Hypervsn management platform and a Hypervsn projection unit, a hi-tech hardware device generating stunning 3D visuals perceived by viewers as hi-resolution holograms floating in the mid-air. It can be used in a shopping mall, increasing footfall for the retailers which implement this solution. Early versions of Hypervsn were successfully used by Red Bull, BMW, McDonald’s, Virgin Media, Dell or Moet Hennesy.

WORKSPACES SIMPLIFIES IN FORMAT & ADOPTS INNOVATION

As people are changing the way they are organizing their personal and professional lives, the workspace concept is also adapting and tends to be a more simplified & cost competitive format. Office developers look closely at the new techniques available and also take into consideration co-working spaces along with classic occupied property.

Virtelo is a touchscreen technology that provides the office visitors with a unique and friendly alternative to the typical front desk receptionist. Office security should be on the minds of business owners. Using Virtelo, companies can lock their doors to protect employees and data, yet still provide a personal touch to visitors and guests. It works based on a monthly subscription.

The Vuzix Blade Smart Sunglasses, officially unveiled at CES 2018, provide a wearable smart display with a see-through viewing experience utilizing Vuzix’s proprietary waveguide optics and Cobra II display engine. It’s like having your computer or smartphone screen information with you wherever you go.

Where we work, how we work and how we get to work is also influencing the workspace format. Smacircle, based in Shenzhen, China, claims it’s built the world’s most compact and lightweight foldable eBike, also presented for the first time at CES 2018. Weighing in at roughly 15 pounds (6.8 kg), the bike can be folded into a small backpack and locked using your phone.

NEW GADGETS MAKE HOMES MORE SECURE & FRIENDLY

Smart homes already represent an old subject on the real estate agenda, but new, improved gadgets launched at CES 2018 showed how technology can make life simpler.

Buddy the robot looks as cute as his name is and can also do some tricks around your home. It can control your smart residence, respond to voice commands, act as a home security device, play music acts as a calendar or alarm clock.

Singlecue tracks your hand in the air, allowing you to control your media and living room devices touch-free. The system controls the entertainment devices, removing the necessity for remotes. Singlecue connects to the existing TV and media devices and works with over 100,000 devices.

Ultraloq is designed to be keyless for maximum flexibility and convenience. It can be used by fingerprint, code or key to unlock. The client has full control of all guests’ access and can simply share a code to let visitors in when he or she are not there. It can work also just by knocking the phone in the pocket.

Back to top