The InterCora development group has been operating in the Czech market since 1991. It is primarily engaged in the construction and rental of commercial real estate for retail.

InterCora already has over 300 shopping centres with a total area of 2 million sq m on their account, these being mainly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. Other projects are in the preparation phase or under construction. In our country, they are, e.g., in Dvůr Králové, Písek and Přeštice, and as well in Slovakia – Košice, Martin, Veľký Meder II., Liptovský Mikuláš and Dubnica nad Váhom.

The shopping centre Zlaťák – more than the 100^th InterCora’s project in the Czech Republic, has recently, on 24^th June, opened in Jeseník. It is located in neighbourhood of supermarkets Billa and Lidl, near the exit road to Poland. There are 75 parking spaces, including four for the disabled and one for parents with prams. The area of the new shopping centre is approximately 2,700 sq m and is shared by seven tenants. “Most of them are proven tenants, which customers also know from our other shopping centres – KiK and Planeo elektro, each of which occupies an area of about 700 sq m. Then there is the chemist’s Teta, homeware Banquet, toys Wiky and pet shop Super Zoo. Each of these units covers an area of about 200–300 sq m,” says Vilma Taborová, Manager of the Expansion and Rental Department, introduces the shopping centre Zlaťák, adding: “Our customers – and not only them – can refresh in Pepe’s Café run by Pepe’s Company from Břeclav. They have their own production of delicious desserts, ice cream and fresh products, such as salads. We have together realized an operation in the Nové Zámky Shopping Centre in Slovakia with them and we are preparing further cooperation.”

Despite the coronavirus epidemic, the construction of the shopping centre Zlaťák proceeded precisely according to schedule – it commenced last autumn after the demolition of the original building – the bakery with the aim of InterCora to commence operations within the deadline set by the future lease agreements.

Ing. Ivan Hlaváček, the Company Director, says: “We bought the land together with the existing bakery building. Following an agreement with the town of Jeseník, we postponed the demolition of the bakery and allowed it to operate during the covid period, half a year after the purchase of the property.” InterCora managed to meet the opening date mainly thanks to their huge commitment and quality work of all those who participated in the shopping centre Zlaťák project.

PR

It’s good to have a helicopter and be able to justify why. It’s good to have a lot of hobbies that are related to work. And it’s good to have a job as a hobby.

This is exactly what Marcel Soural, the founder of Trigema and the Chairman of its Board of Directors, succeeded in doing. The development company Trigema closed the covid year with a larger, we can say even double turnover than in previous years, which were also successful. He simply succeeds in what he touches. Behind – as well as ahead of – Marcel Soural is, in addition to housing projects, for instance, the construction of the tallest Czech skyscraper, a wine bar with Kuka arm, a leisure area and a number of projects for the people he supports. And also rebranding the company. It is not easy to afford one’s own housing at current prices so, the supporting of other projects that people can use, is a good way. Especially when you can occasionally take a flight and see the world from a bird’s eye view.

You graduated from the Czech Technical University and have been running a successful development company for many years. Apart from that, you have many other activities. Would you describe yourself as ambitious?

I would rather call it the consciousness of achieving something exceptional and at the same time functional, pleasant and necessary, something that would be beneficial to others. Not to be subject to routine. Change the status quo while improving the world. And one also has to enjoy doing it.

What are Trigema’s main projects now? Nuselská is 100% sold out and the Braník project is 70% sold. You have commenced apartments in Plzeň – Skvrňany and construction of Smíchov Lihovar (Distillery) will start after the summer…

Exactly. The Braník project is already in the finishing phase. We should go through final building approval this autumn. And more than 70% is sold. Our third Plzeň project called Bydlení Skvrňany (Skvrňany Housing) was commenced in the middle of April. The project comprises a total of 203 housing units in seven apartment buildings. And the sale of apartments is to be launched in the first week of June. We certainly expect great interest. Our so far largest project, Smíchov Distillery, with investment costs of around CZK 3.5 billion, has been divided into four stages. It comprises a total of about 600 apartments and 4,500 sq m of non-residential area. The zero stage was commenced in May this year. It is a reconstruction of the listed Varna (Brewhouse), where we will build an exhibition gallery and a café by the end of the year. It will be such a site opener. And the first stage of the construction will be commenced just before the end of the year, with apartments going on sale in the second half of the holidays. And it is also necessary to mention the Fragment project in Karlín, which is currently in the phase of rough structure build.

Since about 2018, you have been working on the Flat Zone project, which you are building with your son after his return from London. How does this project fit into the concept of Trigema?

We have already been collecting data on the residential market in the Czech Republic for 10 years. Especially information about new residential projects. We did that for the need for knowledge of the market and its subsequent cultivation. Three years ago, our data cube was already so big that we decided to earmark a team of specialists into a separate company, Flat Zone. Today, it is a unique aggregator project for all new residential projects in one place.

But there are already companies that collect data from the market…?

You will not find anything similar in the market. Based on set filters, you can get directly to the pages of the respective project from one place. Free of charge. It’s a huge time saver for people looking for new housing. And as a by-product, we offer banks and developers the data analysis at the place and time that the organization needs it in order to provide a first-class service to its clients. This year, we will launch a similar service in Slovakia and then it will be Poland’s turn.

With David Černý, you are behind the Top Tower project. What does ‘Czech Skyscraper’ mean to you?

After meeting David about six years ago when he supplied us with the 12-metre Trifot sculpture for Korzo in Nové Butovice and subsequently significantly contributed to the creation of the currently constructed premium rental housing project Fragment on the border of Karlín and Invalidovna, we founded the joint architectural studio Black n’Arch. This is currently our incubator for new ideas and a slightly different approach to architecture. And one of these projects is the preparation of the Top Tower project in Nové Butovice. The plot, which is located in the immediate vicinity of an underground exit and, moreover, is not burdened by the protection zone of the Prague monument zone or the ban on high-rise buildings, allowed us to come up, on the edge of the Prague 13 panel housing estate, with a building concept that goes beyond standard solutions.

Can you be more specific?

It must be said that although the design looks very non-standard, all its structural elements fulfil the required function. The slender tower will be a co-living centre with about 400 mini-residential units, the smaller building is intended for administration and the ship outside the static functions and the outdoor exhibition gallery also serves as a structure for two lifts transporting visitors to the top of the ship from where they will be provided with an amazing view of the Prague panorama, including the outlook restaurant.

Another activity is the activity of your wife, who is the owner of the Czech Press Photo competition. Apart from the acclaimed photography competition, it also includes a gallery, also in Butovice. You certainly support these activities. Are all these activities the beginning of a family business?

We are the general partner of the Czech Press Photo competition and at the same time of the Czech Photo Centre, a photo gallery in Nové Butovice. Just as we support the Dejvice Theatre, the Zdeněk Svěrák Paraple Centre or other charitable activities. We enjoy doing things that make sense to people, and they don’t have to necessarily be about business.

Apart from Trigema’s flagship projects, you also have a lot of ‘pleasures’ or ‘toys’ (in the best sense of the word). Apart from the above, for instance, the Monínec complex. Why do you own this complex and why these activities? What role does Monínec play in the overall concept of Trigema?

Monínec fits into our long-term strategy of investing in leisure activities. People will have more and more free time available in the future and we want to enable them to spend it with us. That is why 10 years ago, we entered this Central Bohemian complex, from which we are building a year-round sports and leisure complex intended for families with children in summer and winter and for corporate events in the spring and autumn. The current state of investment in Monínec is just the beginning of our long-term vision of what this area should look like.

And what is your hobby?

Hobby? Well, I can tell you one – I have a pilot’s license for a helicopter. And I own a one four-person one. We built this type of small heliport with hangars in Řeporyje. We call it Reporyje International. During take-off and landing, we report directly to the Ruzyně tower.

And what about the Samota project? You’ve had it in your portfolio for some time. There is a plan to expand the ski area, which will serve winter and summer activities… What’s happening to it?

It’s a suburban area situated right on the edge of Železná Ruda and the Šumava National Park. We have been having this project approved for about eight years. After zoning in the NPŠ was completed, there is now hope that we might finally get a building permit. I would give it another two years and see if we can start construction. To give you an idea, this is a complex with roughly double the capacity of the existing Monínec.

You are also behind the Cyberdog robotic winery project. Would you present this project in a broader context, please?

Well, it’s easy to understand! David Černý and I enjoy inventing and especially implementing, projects that no one has implemented here yet. That’s how Cyberdog came about. A robotic wine bar, where the work of a sommelier is performed by the robotic arm Kuka. The whole project is adapted to the shaped parameters of wine bottles from the Dog in Dock winery. This is surprisingly ours, too. We realize the existing production in rented premises in Boršice, however, in the spring, we will commence the construction of a new wine and education complex in the immediate vicinity of the port of the Baťa Canal in Veselí nad Moravou. That is also one of the reasons to have a helicopter. It is almost at the Slovak border.

Most of your personal projects are located in Nové Butovice, where you live with your family. Why Butovice? Do you like it there so much?

Our company’s headquarters are in the Explora building, directly above the Nové Butovice underground station. I don’t like wasting time in my life. Time has the highest value for me. And driving to and from work – and by car – is a classic example of waste. That is why we live in Jinonice. It is eight minutes on foot (five minutes by car) to work or the underground and two minutes to the forest the other way.

You are planning to rebrand the Trigema brand during these months. Who do you work with and what does the re-branding entail?

We have been preparing a brand rebranding in cooperation with the Henceforth agency, namely Jarmila Fryntová, Lenka Kůsová and Paul Matthews for almost a year. Together, we had to delve deep into the company’s history and re-describe our values, corporate goals, our vision and mission in a simple and understandable way. We now have over 250 full-time employees, so we need to have these attributes of corporate culture easily communicable. And the logical part was then to re-define the intention and meaning of the brand, its architecture, personality, tonality and visual concept. The pilot project is the Fragment project. Everything else was released at the end of May for the company’s 27^th anniversary.

Trigema primarily closed their business year with a turnover of around CZK 1 billion. Last year, despite the difficult situation with the pandemic, you probably did even better thanks to the sale of apartments. What turnover do you expect for 2020?

This is truly remarkable, because 2020 was the most successful year in the company’s history. A turnover of CZK 1.8 billion, EBITDA CZK 338 million and profit before tax CZK 231 million. And we expect 2021 to be even better.

What are your future plans?

We want to continue to grow and therefore to strengthen our independence. We are a company that decides independently, based on its own visions and the motivation of our team. We have a plethora of plans. We will be pleased to keep you informed about them as we go along.

Kristina Vacková

Studio AI – DESIGN (Architecture Interior DESIGN) was founded in 1999 by Eva Jiřičná and Petr Vágner. They offer comprehensive services from the design of new public and private buildings, bridges, reconstructions to complete interior designs, exhibitions, furniture and other unique items.

 

Their realizations include the design hotel Josef in Prague, a New Orangery at Prague Castle, the reconstruction of St. Anne’s Church in Prague, the VIZE 97 Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation, the Sky Barrandov apartment complex, the Zlín Congress Centre and the new Faculty of Humanities of Tomaš Baťa University in Zlín. The studio has
received many awards abroad and in our country for their realizations, including the Grand Prix of the Community of Architects. Architect Petr Vágner talked to us about what they are currently preparing.

What is your opinion regarding high-rise buildings and their implementation in the Czech environment? The situation for skyscrapers is not a bed of roses here.

I think that we will eventually be forced to do so by using the plots just as we are now using the landscape countryside. The buildings are spreading wide, so it will happen here just as it did in other metropolises. I agree that we must be careful not to destroy the panorama of Prague, which is unique, but there are, on the other hand, already defined places where it will have no effect if there are five or more skyscrapers there. What is rather more interesting to see now is that UNESCO enters into the arrangements of Prague quite significantly and comments on high-rise construction, or actually does so in such a way so that there is no high-rise construction at all. Heritage preservation and other institutions are happy to hear this opinion, because they only identify with it and don’t have to deliver it themselves. That doesn’t add much to high-rise buildings.

Your AI DESIGN studio won the skyscraper design competition in Ostrava…

It was a tender rather than a competition. The city chose this form, approached at least 5–10 architectural offices and our task was to present a description of what we would like to do with the new building, and of course,
we had to include references and price. Based on this, we were finally selected to carry out the study.

How did you attract the jury compared to the other candidates? It is actually a reconstruction of the building, which was designed in 1968 as an experimental project by architect Jan Slezák in the Jindřiška housing estate in Ostrava.

I have no idea what proposals the others submitted. We naturally wanted to preserve the building as much as the council did. We described the way our process should proceed because the building comes with some history. There are a lot of legends about it claiming that it moved, that the statics are bad, etc., so we teamed up with local structural engineers who work directly in Ostrava and are concrete specialists, such as Ing. Šeligová, and others. Our concept was based on a comprehensive analysis of the current situation, so that we didn’t show something that perhaps couldn’t be realized, but so that we could try to grasp it realistically if possible. Maybe that was the thing that did it. I don’t know.

What is the condition of the building now and what is your idea of reconstruction?

The reinforced concrete structure should remain, it is sufficient enough to support another floor. That’s why we considered raising the building. Calculations and construction-technical research show that we could add one floor for a lookout café. We will have the construction completely cleaned. According to our design, there should be really comfortable apartments with a nice view and balconies, which should be, according to static analysis, only positioned on the corners of the structure. Measurements have been carried out for three months now and we monitor whether the structure moves and under what conditions. According to the results of the surveys we’ll see if the proposal can be implemented.

What do you expect from the extension of the next floor?

It should definitely be an attraction. There is a beautiful view from there. From the 22^nd floor you can see the whole of Ostrava. However, in the Lower Vítkovice area there is the Bolt Tower, where there already is a café up high, and the town hall with a lookout tower is also nearby. We discussed with the council whether the café is suitable for this place. Eventually we designed the space as multifunctional and theoretically it is possible that there will be no café, but a different operation. There will be access and the possibility of supply, so we’ll see.

The building will then be entered by residents of the apartments and visitors to this place, no matter what’s there. How will the safety of the population be ensured?

There will be an entrance lobby with a reception desk and lifts. Clients will receive a chip to get to their floors – and no one else will be able to go there. Another important thing we addressed was the original communication core in the centre of the building, which does not meet current fire regulations. That is why we added another core from the north side with two lifts and an escape staircase –and that’s what the reception is next to.

What size of apartments does the design account for?

The size of the apartments increases from the lower floors upwards, i.e. downstairs are bedsits and one bedroom apartments with kitchenettes and on the four highest floors, there are 2× four beautiful maisonettes, each of which has a corner balcony and an inner open space over two floors. I think it will be very attractive housing. We would like the building to be green. It is topical now, but we consulted this with Mr. Sendler, a landscape architect, who was recommended to us by the architect Pleskot, so that we could design the most suitable greenery for the individual cardinal points. We want the flower beds built into the balconies to have central irrigation and to be able to be maintained without bothering the tenants yet without letting the plants wither. We still need to solve this in the next stages of the project.

Will the apartments belong to the city and what is the realization schedule?

It is still open. The city is suffering a bit as a result of Covid, so funding is somewhat limited, but they are actively looking for a way as to how to allow for the project to continue. The latest information is that the way to go is by the use of a PPP project, i.e. Public Private Partnership. What is positive for us is that it has not been thrown off the table yet and it should not be stopped. On the contrary, the city is looking for a way as to how to launch the project.

How is it looking with the total price for the project?

After pricing the project, we arrived at an amount of approximately CZK 400 million. Let’s hope no additional costs are to occur. According to preliminary geological surveys, the subsoil should be fine, but we have more probes ahead of us, of course, and we will have to do a survey. The big advantage is that the house is already standing there. I doubt it would be realistic to push through a high-rise building into this zone.

The skyscraper is situated in the very centre of Ostrava then…

It is a residential area, a short way from the municipal authority, a short way from the river, surrounded by parks. Traffic can be a problem because the surrounding streets are busy. At the same time as the building, we have to deal with parking and we will have to build a park house, which will take up space where there is currently a car park. Originally, we wanted to restore the park, which was historically there and realise the car park in the place of a low building, which is adjacent to ours. In the end, we had to work out three options for the city on how best to solve it.

How is communication with the inhabitants from the immediate vicinity?

I must say that we had a very good experience with the city management with regards to the elaboration of the investment plan. They are mostly young, smart people and working with them is great. After the completion of the investment plan, we were faced with covid, so the public hearing took place via live broadcast on Youtube. Attendance was relatively broad. Apart from the public hearing, there was also a hearing for specialists. It was an interesting debate.

What topics were discussed?

The building currently has a certain appearance and our design is changing it. So, the debate was about whether it was appropriate to change the appearance the way we were doing, or whether we should respect the current appearance more.

What other projects are you working on?

In the summer, we should start building Obláček, which is an extension of the University Hospital Plzeň in Lochotín. It’s a project that lay untouched for about 10 or 12 years and has now been set in motion. It will house the Czech National Register of Bone Marrow Donors. In Zlín, we are reconstructing a large auditorium for Tomáš Baťa University, preparations are continuing on Rohanské nábřeží and construction of two apartment buildings and one administrative building for Sekyra Group is to begin. In Pardubice, we completed the renovation of the castle, where we will reconstruct the social wing. On the second floor, there should be a hall for about 220 people; now we should start working on the implementing study.

You work in the studio with the architect Eva Jiřičná, who lives in London. Do you feel the impact of Brexit?

We haven’t felt the effects of Brexit much yet. We were much more affected by covid, because Eva has been locked in London for over a year. But on the other hand, we learnt to work at home office here, we like it and, so far, it’s been working for us. Even working from a distance with Eva works perfectly. We have a debate on individual projects at least once a day, optimally twice a day, and I think that is very beneficial. As Eva used to come here regularly, we were not as connected as we are now. The frequency in communication is greater and is more efficient. From our colleagues in the Netherlands, we’ve mostly learned to use Zoom, the advantage of which is that anyone involved can paint directly on the shared screen. We used to work through Teams and said: “You need to do this and that in the right corner…”, but now we can zoom it in, paint… Such information is very well shared. This is actually a benefit of these times!

Arnošt Wagner / Photo: archive AI Design

 

Box:

Built-up area of the main building: 33,850 cc m

Built-on area of the main building: 583.6 sq m

Total height of the building:           70.25 m

History

The existing building was built between 1965 and 1968 as part of the Jindřiška housing estate; it has shown certain technical and operational problems over the years. The skyscraper has 22 floors and was originally used as an apartment building. Later, the layout was adapted to office space. Furthermore, the perimeter cladding or more precisely unsuitable façade panels, which show considerable damage and at the same time contain asbestos, were replaced. The building hasn’t been used since 2013.

The construction system consists of a combination of a concrete skeleton and a monolithic core around the stairwell with bar elements of girders and columns. At present, we do not have documents for ceiling cavity panels, so it is also necessary to perform a construction technical survey with the required tests. A sufficient load-bearing capacity of the load-bearing structure, which was confirmed by static assessment and calculations within the design elaboration, was found thanks to the preliminary technical assessment from 2012.

Is it worthwhile for companies to invest in a build to suit hall, or is it more economical to move to wherever is vacant at the moment? Why is, among other things, a city architect involved in the upcoming industrial park in the centre of Ostrava? And is it true that industrial parks situated at German borders are doing better?

 

We talked about this with Tomáš Kubín (TK) and Daniel Kubizňák (DK) from the development company P3. Tomáš Kubín manages construction of the company throughout Central Europe; Daniel Kubizňák is in charge of leasing and development of P3’s Czech industrial real estate portfolio.

Many companies have been forced to move their activities to the e-commerce environment. How did this situation affect industrial development?

DK: E-commerce has been growing steadily for over 10 years in Europe and industrial development goes to meet it halfway. However, the current situation is specific for demand spiked in the most desirable locations within or directly in close proximity to larger towns. This is understandable given the enormous interest in online sales and distribution. This also applies more and more to the food segment.

Food storage certainly has specific requirements. How flexible can you be with regards to such demands?

DK: Rohlik.cz, for instance, negotiated possible expansion in Prague with us even before the outbreak of the pandemic, and therefore had a huge advantage in securing premises in the eastern part of Prague in time, which suitably complement the original distribution centre at Liboc in the western part of the metropolis. Thanks to this, they managed to cover the extreme increase in orders during the pandemic. But the decisive factor was the location of the park in Horní Počernice, which is ideal for urban logistics.

TK: However, not every hall is suitable for fast-moving goods and especially for food. These clients have specific requirements for warehouse operations, where supplies are usually provided by lorries, which require several large loading ramps. At the same time, however, such an operation also needs smaller ramps and then designated areas for picking up prepared goods and loading supplies, which afterwards are distributed to customers. Not to mention other necessities, such as suitable lighting, ventilation and heating system, especially in the context of refrigerated and frozen goods. Such an object must then function as a supermarket, but it provides a much wider and more varied offer. However, these ‘optimal’ conditions do not represent a development standard, and although the hall can be retrofitted to such operation, it entails considerable costs. In the long run, it is far more advantageous and sustainable to have the hall built-to-suit so that it fully meets all the requirements of the tenant. The built-to-suit construction is then approved for specific operation which significantly speeds up the administrative side of the entire construction.

Can we anticipate a greater rate of construction of new projects near large towns?

DK: Not only e-commerce demands industrial space near or directly within large towns. Land plots for construction on a green field are practically unavailable in towns, which is why brownfields are increasingly being used for new projects. This is the case of the planned P3 Ostrava Park, although we perceive it more as the construction of a new business district, which will connect smoothly to its surroundings and consist of production and storage halls, shops, showrooms, offices and other facilities typical of urban development.

So how will the Ostrava project differ from other development projects?

TK: We cooperated on the design of the project with local architect David Kotek, who follows the urbanism that the architect Josef Pleskot bestowed during the revitalization of the DOV complex and also consulted it with the Municipal Studio of Spatial Planning and Architecture (MAPPA). We will integrate our project into the industrial area and at the same time want to incorporate various sustainable solutions with a positive impact on the environment and on the efficiency of the operation of the complex and individual buildings. Whether it is about facades overgrown with greenery, rainwater management in the form of underground retention basins, utilization of a local heat source and process water, or an effective combination of natural and artificial lighting, we have the ambition to move the level of industrial buildings higher. In addition to being an exceptional investment value of several billion crowns, it is the first brownfield in the Czech Republic that P3 will use to such an extent. The region has a rich industrial tradition which we naturally want to build on and bring new job opportunities with higher added value to Ostrava.

Ostrava is a historically industrial town – do you think there are enough suitable industrial premises in the Czech Republic in general?

DK: P3 Ostrava is exceptional because we offer over 150,000 sq m of space for urban logistics, retail and e-commerce as well as for light production or R&D right in the wider city centre. The location in the city centre will delight traders or logistics, who provide facilities for them. Future clients will benefit from the excellent availability of a skilled workforce. The same applies to our P3 Lovosice park in the Ústí nad Labem region, where we can offer construction of halls according to a client’s requirements with a total area of almost 30,000 sq m. Lovosice is also interesting for tenants due to its location – 40 minutes from Prague and 60 minutes to Dresden.

Is it true that logistics halls situated by motorways to and from Germany practically rent themselves?

DK: It is not that rosy, but good accessibility to Germany is, of course, a strong argument for clients with orientation towards the German market who are looking for premises that can be provided in a relatively short time.

TK: In Lovosice, we have a total of three buildings with building permits already issued, so we can begin construction almost immediately. We are also trying to achieve this position in another park, which we are preparing at Myslinka near Plzeň. It is located about 15 km from the city centre – and on the other hand it is just a few minutes from the park to the D5 motorway, which is not only a very convenient location for the manufacturing industry.

DK: The Plzeň industrial real estate market is the third most important market in our country after Prague and Ostrava, and there is considerable interest in spaces in a park connected to the motorway and suburban public transport. There we are able to offer units from 3,000 to 30,000 sq m. We are starting to build the first halls this year and it will be possible to move in at the turn of the year.

Do you count on a ‘green’ solution for built-to-suit construction?

TK: We build all new P3 buildings to achieve the internationally recognized BREEAM certification at the Very Good level, which emphasizes the sustainability of the buildings. But we are currently preparing some parks, such as P3 Lovosice, for a higher standard, BREEAM Excellent. We place great emphasis on ensuring that solutions required by the certification are primarily meaningful for the operation of the complex or the tenant himself. In Lovosice, we have installed a number of technical solutions for maintaining water in the given locality, such as retention and infiltration tanks or a specially designed layer under the parking area, which prevents possible seepage of pollution into groundwater. In this respect, Lovosice is a regional showcase of green solutions in the area of water management. We are preparing a similar project, in which we will demonstrate the best of the portfolio of ecological solutions, in the P3 Prague D11 park or in the P3 Olomouc complex. There we will show how modern sustainable development can look like, and we believe that some tenants can be inspired there.

However, it is not always possible to meet these key parameters, such as a large city or proximity to Germany. What options do tenants then have?

DK: The fact is that there is not much land suitable for industrial construction in large towns. In Prague, such plots are practically unavailable. We must therefore look at the whole matter from the point of view of industrial or logistics operations. Traveling 30 km is unimaginable for many of us, but it is a good compromise of acceptable driving distance and availability of employees for logistics companies. It is Prague, as an economic centre, that is particularly suffering from the lack of vacant land for construction. One of the last opportunities for the construction of a built-to-suit hall is the P3 Prague D6 park in Stochov, Central Bohemia, where there are 17,000 sq m available, but the size of the units can be flexibly adapted. The name of the park suggests that it is conveniently accessible from Prague and at the same time is connected to the D6 motorway, so it is also attractive for export companies.

What are your recommendations to the potential or existing tenants of your premises?

TK: The design and construction of a good industrial property built-to-suit is not a sprint, but a steady run. Primarily, the permitting processes need to be planned several years in advance.  It is then ideal to use this time for a detailed design of the operation for a particular client so that it best meets his needs and is flexible enough for the future. The reward for foresight and effort will arrive in the form of a wonderful building, which we and the tenants will be proud of.

DK: Do not be afraid to let the developer look under the imaginary cover of your business when planning the hall. It is very likely that operational or other issues that you may be solving at the moment, have already been dealt with, or even completely solved, for one of the other tenants. In addition to construction and leasing, we have our own expert teams for asset, property and facility management, so we can advise clients not only on planning and construction, but also on building management or setting up operations inside. Ideally, we will all meet around the same table, the client will tell us his requirements and we will then evaluate what can or cannot be built and whether it even makes economic sense at all.

PR