Millennium sees green
Bank Millennium has signed a lease contract for a record 22,400 sqm in the innovative Harmony-Polifonia Office Centre (HOC). Paulina Misiak, an associate from Cushman & Wakefield, who represented Millennium in negotiating the deal, cited the comfortable work environment that the complex provides for employees as one of the key factors in the selection of the site for Millennium's new headquarters.
Located in the Mokotów district and adjacent the Pole Mokotowskie park, the complex will span three six-storey buildings, comprising approximately 5,000 sqm apiece, situated within a complex of green courtyards. The buildings will be glass, aluminum and stone constructions, interconnected on the ground floor and on two underground parking levels.
The office complex's proximity to the city center and the airport should prove advantageous, and the abundance of natural landscaping accessible to the tenants will offer relief from the daily grind. The building's design is the result of collaboration between APA Kuryłowicz architects and Grupa 5 - two firms with a strong background in creating modern architecture that harmonizes with the surrounding environment. Parts of the Eko-Park residential development, also located on the edge of the Pole Mokotowskie park and affiliated with the HOC project, are based on designs by APA Kuryłowicz's architects. The developer says that the two properties both put forth the impression of seclusion from the typical urban environment.
As the project is currently still in development, Millennium will have to wait until January 2008 to move into the first 18,400 sqm that will become available when phase one of the project is completed. The final 4,000 sqm of the space that Millennium has already leased is expected to be delivered in April 2009, along with another 8,000 sqm which the bank may consider leasing as well.
The total cost of the first two phases of the project, jointly developed by Harmony Office Center and Eko-Park, is estimated at E90 (zł.345) million. SPS Construction awarded Qumak-Sekom the zł.15-million contract for electrical and telecommunications installation work, which is expected to be completed in November.
Customized features for all three buildings will include access control and 24-hour surveillance, fire detection and sprinkler systems, air conditioning and heating systems with individualized controls for temperature and humidity, as well as fully-equipped conference areas. The developer says the buildings' large windows will offer a pleasant view of the park and roof terraces.
Julianna Boniuk-Gorzelańczyk, a member of the management board at Bank Millennium, has expressed enthusiasm regarding the lease agreement, stating, "We are highly satisfied with the potential that this project offers, especially with regard to its unique location and completion schedule, which allows for seamless consolidation of our offices at present as well as the possibility for future expansion."
