The official opening ceremony of Dominikanski, the largest office complex developed by Skanska in Wroclaw, was held on 17th May 2016. The ceremony, which took place on the project’s patio, dispensed with the usual formalities of cutting a ribbon. Instead the participants planted the symbolical plants which will decorate the Dominikanski courtyard.
Due to its design, the Dominikanski complex had become a well-known Wroclaw landmark even before its official opening. The project is distinguished by its non-linear architecture that resembles a pile of books that slightly overlap each other. An undeniable advantage of Dominikanski is the 18th century Oppersdorfs’ Palace which has been renovated and now meets the commercial demands of the 21st century. Furthermore, the complex also includes numerous innovative solutions, such as interactive staircases which informs employees about various aspects of the complex as well as the history of its location.
The official opening ceremony of Dominikanski complex was attended by Adam Grehl, the Deputy Mayor of Wroclaw, as well as representatives of the fund that has purchased the project – Union Investment – and the project’s architects along with representatives from Skanska. During the ceremony, the invited guests planted symbolic plants that will serve as a decoration on the project’s patio.
– Dominikanski is a project that tells the story of the place where it was developed. While acknowledging the past, the complex looks to the future, creating a new context for this part of Wroclaw based on modern business and architecture. During the project’s development, we wanted our investment to be open to the residents of Wroclaw. Therefore, we not only focused on the building but paid particular attention to the surroundings as well. In co-operation with local communities and artists, we installed floral murals throughout the grounds of the scheme. We want to create an environment where both employees and residents can relax. We earned the trust of the project’s tenants and current owner due to our responsible approach during the early stages of the development – says Arkadiusz Rudzki, Managing Director at Skanska Property Poland.
Thanks to its striking architecture and central location, Dominikanski quickly attracted prestigious tenants and a new owner. In 2014, HP Global Business Center signed a lease agreement for 16 400 sqm of office space in the project and was the biggest lease deal signed outside Warsaw in 2014.
Companies such as Deloitte, Skanska, BrightOne and Work Service have decided to relocate to the scheme as well. In 2015, Dominikanski complex was purchased by Union Investment for one of its open-ended real estate funds.
– Dominikanski is a project which stands out in the market especially in terms of healthy and productive working space. It’s no wonder that the complex found its tenants so quickly, which was particularly important factor for us when making the decision to purchase the building. The transaction of Dominikanski was another stage of cooperation between Skanska and Union Investment. Previously we bought the building in Finland, and recently closed transaction for office building in Boston, USA. Thanks to the close involvement of both companies we have developed a partnership relation that pays off in business – says Volker Noack member of the management board at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH, Hamburg.
Dominikanski commercial success has resulted in numerous commercial real estate industry awards. It was recognized as the Best Office Building in the Central and Eastern Europe region at last year's CEE Investment Awards ceremony. In addition, the jury at the CIJ Awards 2015 and CEE Investment Awards 2015 also recognized the purchase of Dominikanski by Union Investment as the Transaction of the Year.
***
Dominikanski – key facts and numbers:
- The complex consists of two seven-floor office buildings and the baroque Oppersdorfs’ Palace adapted to office functions.
- Total leasable space in Dominikanski totals 40 000 sqm.
- The project’s users have a two-level underground parking lot with 380 parking spaces at their disposal.
- The project will be LEED Gold certified.
- The complex was commissioned for use in August 2015.
- In December 2014, Dominikanski was purchased by Union Investment for one of its real estate funds for 117 million EUR.
- The architectural project of Dominikanski was developed by the medusa group studio.
- Its general contractor was Skanska S.A. while Skanska Property Poland was responsible for the project’s commercialization.