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sneak peek into the past

Moxy Berlin Ostbahnhof has been awarded LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council.

A standard of LEED Gold, or higher, is being sought for all further Moxy hotel projects.

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. LEED certification provides independent verification of a building’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings. LEED is the triple bottom line in action, benefiting people, planet and profit.

For further information on LEED see http://leed.usgbc.org/

On 29 November 2017, the mood in Mārupe was celebratory as a traditional time capsule for future generations was placed into the cornerstone of the first phase office buildings of Business Garden Rīga. The office park will consist of five buildings providing more than 42,000 m² of modern office space. The first phase comprises two office buildings with more than 14 200 m², which are planned to be completed at the start of 2019. Vastint Latvia SIA, the developer of the project, invited to the celebration all partners who have contributed to the development ofBusiness Garden Rīga office park – starting from the concept and project development, construction expertise and coordination, up to the actual construction process and its supervision. Romāns Astahovs, Managing Director of Vastint Latvia, Uldis Zanders, Chairman of the Board at DEPO Projekts SIA as well as the representatives of Skonto Būve SIA, the general contractor of the first buildings, Dmitrijs Soldatenko, Member of the Board and Rihards Kalniņš, Project Manager, welcomed the assembled public to this momentous occasion in the construction process of Business Garden Rīga. They thanked everyone for the excellent job done, and signed the letter that will be stored for future generations. Also placed into the capsule was a copy of the newspaper DIENA and a 1 Euro coin. The core intention of the Business Garden office park’s concept is to create a working environment where people naturally feel better. A place where everything has been designed to interact with people both efficiently and comfortably. A healthy place with spacious and verdant courtyards. A location that is easily accessible to everyone. A place where sustainability and environmental friendliness are paramount in its creation.

Find out more at Vastint Latvia website

Vastint Lithuania UAB has received a building permit for a hotel in Palanga on the site of the former Jūratė swimming pool. The construction of the intended 173-room Marriott hotel with a SPA Vilnius wellness centre is due to start in the second quarter of 2018.

Vastint Lithuania, the developer of the hotel project, will soon organize a tender to select the general contractor. The selection procedure is due to be completed within five months and will be subject to strict quality and budget requirements.

‘The arrival of the global Marriott hotel chain in Palanga signifies international recognition of Lithuania’s largest resort town. The important thing is that, in addition to accommodation, food, and entertainment, the hotel will be offering spa services. That is one of the strategic directions of Palanga’s development. Another thing that concerns Palanga dwellers is that the facility will create over two hundred new jobs,’ Šarūnas Vaitkus, Mayor of Palanga, said.

Kęstutis Vedeckis, Vastint Lithuania’s Managing Director, said: ‘This is a highly complex project and the coordination and design phase has taken eighteen months to complete; during that entire period, we felt constant support and assistance from Palanga’s municipality. We believe that we have managed to strike a good balance between SPA Vilnius operator’s experience and vision, Marriott’s high quality standards and new contemporary style, the unique landscape of coastal Lithuania and the natural merging of the project with the urban architecture of the town.’

The project is being designed by Uostamiesčio Projektas UAB under architect Algirdas Stripinis and the interior is being designed by the London-based SparcStudio Design Consultants, in collaboration with an international team of Vastint’s architects as well as Marriott specialists.

SPA Vilnius operates three SPA centres in Lithuania; in Druskininkai, Anykščiai and Vilnius. It intends to bring its highest requirements for the quality and range of services as well as the recruitment procedure to Palanga. ‘For us, the bottom line is customer satisfaction and confidence in us, as well as the growth of the clientele. SPA Vilnius already boasts over 3,000 loyal clients from various countries, and with the launch of the SPA in Palanga, in combination with the Marriott brand, we boldly expect the base of our loyal clients to expand further still to include visitors from Lithuania or Eastern Europe and, as we highly expect, new customers from Western countries as well,’ said Valdas Trinkūnas, SPA Vilnius founder and CEO.

Vastint Belgium has leased 2,900 m² of office space in the building Colonies Square to Tribes Inspiring Workplaces. The building, located next to the Central Station in Brussels, will house Tribes’ fourth location in Brussels.

Colonies Square is conveniently located in the city centre of Brussels at Colonies Street 56 in the prestigious neighbourhood of the Belgian royalty. In the close vicinity the beautiful “Parc Royal” and the Cathedral St. Michel can be found. The building represents a perfect combination of modern technical requirements and historical architecture.

Philippe De Vergnies, Managing Director at Vastint Belgium, states, ‘We are very happy and proud to welcome Tribes to our building. Tribes is a perfect match with Colonies Square. Not only because of its good location in the city centre – and excellent connectivity – next to Brussels Central station with all its trains, buses, taxis and metro. But also because of the high quality office space and amenities.‘

Tribes provides workplaces (a workplace, an office, meeting room or a virtual office) throughout a local, national and global network. At Tribes you find a tribe of like-minded professionals, who are going where the business takes them. A community of business nomads. Tribes Brussels Central Station will offer 5-star material finishing, extremely catchy design and high performance IT facilities as well as amenities which simplify your life and make you feel at home away from home.

Moxy London Stratford has opened its doors. This 8 storey hotel comprises 294 bedrooms and a spacious lounge and bar area. Since September 2014 Vastint has delivered 11 Moxy Hotels. One in Norway, in total 5 in Germany, 3 in the UK, 1 in Austria and of course 1 in Italy, which was the first Moxy Hotel worldwide.

The Timpuri Noi Square opening event, hosted by Vastint Romania, took place Thursday, October 26^th and gathered some of the most distinguished city representatives, architects, contractors, consultants and tenants. Fratelli Group, one of the very first tenants of the buildings, assisted in planning and organizing the event. The opening event took place in the 1,800 m² premises leased by Fratelli in Timpuri Noi Square, were the Group will shortly open Biutiful Downtown and Fratellini, and followed by other amazing new concepts that will be revealed later on. It was a special evening full of shows, glam and entertainment. Such as live concerts by Timpuri Noi band and Golan, artistic performance of ballerinas from the Romanian Ballet House, special shows with resident and international performers, dinner and much more. During the official part of the evening, Antoniu Panait, Managing Director of Vastint Romania, said: “The city center is changing rapidly and Timpuri Noi Square is a trend setter. It is a great feeling to contribute and be part of this process. New times are reshaping the city. From the very beginning, this project was designed to support employees and employers alike in their daily activities. It was passion, know-how, resources, thorough planning of details and standard benchmarking that led us to this point. Both the Vastint team and the people joining this journey as it unfolded – such as the Fratelli Group team – who shared the vision regarding this unique project.” Timpuri Noi Square is a mixed-use project, a new landmark with a distinct identity in the Bucharest city center scenery. It is an interactive, dynamic destination providing sustainable working, leisure and living functions. This is shown by the proven quality of the premises, central location and a good access to public transportation. Up to 100,000 m² of office and retail space is planned for Timpuri Noi Square. The first two office buildings, with a total of 32,000 m² lettable area, that are inaugurated now have reached an occupancy rate of 70%, as they are already rented by IT companies, professional services, FMCG and financial services companies, accommodating up to 2,000 employees conducting their activity here. The construction of the third office building with a total surface of 20,000 m² lettable area of modern, class A office and retail area, commenced in July 2017. The office development is designed in a distinctive way, with a particular accent on green and energy efficiency solutions. On the ground floor of the buildings, in the plaza zone and the surrounding area, there are various commercial areas available, including leisure options. Inside, tenants find a welcoming and healthy work environment by means of excellent fresh air supply, 3 meter clear floor height and increased natural light provision. Located along Splaiul Unirii, just across the street from Timpuri Noi subway station, the area benefits from M1 and M3 metro lines, just 30 minutes to connecting the largest residential districts to Timpuri Noi Square. The project area is abundant in amenities such as highly convenient public transportation connections, educational centers, shopping centers, Carol & Tineretului Parks, Vacaresti Nature Park, banks and further administrative hubs.

Find out more at Vastint Romania website

Vastint Latvia is proud to announce that on 21 September 2017, the residential housing project of the first buildings in Magdelēnas kvartāls was named the Best Commercial Object in the category “Most Sustainable Project in Latvia 2017”. This is the fifth year that The Building Design and Construction Council have held the event in Latvia. Their objective is to find and promote building projects that, through the use of quality materials, value and prioritise economical maintenance costs, maximise ventilation, and are friendly to both human health and the environment. The first two residential buildings of Magdelēnas kvartāls – with 116 apartments, including seven unique live-work spaces and three commercial spaces – are currently under construction. In total, the quarter will contain 300 residential apartments, 15000 m²of office space, and 3000 m²of commercial space and creative workshop space. Magdelēnas kvartāls will be an open and harmonious place in which to live, work, and relax. A place for a fulfilled life!

Find out more at Vastint Latvia website

The hotel Courtyard by Marriott Brussels EU has been awarded a LEED Platinum certificate by the U.S. Green Building Council. This is the first building in Belgium and the first hotel in Benelux to achieve LEED Platinum, which is the highest rating in the LEED system.

“We are very happy and proud to have achieved such a high level of certification. It is a recognition and an objective proof of Vastint’s efforts and commitment towards sustainability. Bearing in mind environmentally friendly aspects is a natural part of our long-term approach to property development and management” says Philippe de Vergnies, Managing Director of Vastint Belgium.

“It is an absolute honour and we are proud to be the first hotel to have received such a recognition. We embrace it with humility as we are aware that the path to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable energy, has still a long way to go. Therefore, we appreciate the efforts and commitment of Vastint to care for people and planet. We are delighted to contribute in bringing the hospitality industry into a new era of green thinking.” says Jeroen Borremans, General Manager at Courtyard Brussels EU.

Courtyard by Marriott Brussels EU

The hotel is located in Quartier Léopold, in the heart of the European district of Brussels. It opened on 1 December 2016 and features 150 hotel rooms as well as meeting room areas and restaurant and bar facilities. Vastint owns the hotel building and it is leased to and operated by Belvar under a franchise agreement with Marriott.

LEED

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. LEED certification provides independent verification of a building’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings. LEED is the triple bottom line in action, benefiting people, planet and profit. For further information on LEED see http://leed.usgbc.org/

Vastint Romania has leased 1,300 m² of office space to Tremend Software Consulting, the fastest growing technology company in Romania, in the mixed-use development project at Timpuri Noi Square in Bucharest. Tremend has decided to relocate to Timpuri Noi Square after several years of significant growth. Between 2012 and 2016, Tremend posted a 399% increase in turnover. The company ranked 37th in the Deloitte CEE Technology Fast 50 in 2016 and first among Romanian companies on the list of the fastest growing businesses in the region. During this timeframe, Tremend has consolidated its team of software engineers and now has over 150 employees in Bucharest. Timpuri Noi Square will become the official headquarter of the company in October and will facilitate the continuation of the current pace of development. Antoniu Panait, Managing Director at Vastint Romania, notes, “Tremend offers services which are essential for the majority of companies in the era of technology. The IT & C sector is the key to quickly reaching a wider range of customers and offers new growth possibilities. We are proud that they choose to join the rapidly growing Timpuri Noi Square community.” “We offer our customers both agility and technological innovation. This is also reflected in the space chosen for the company’s development centre in Bucharest,” says Ioan Cocan, Managing Partner Tremend. “We looked for headquarters that would reflect our specific agility, a place where software engineers work with pleasure. We aimed for a location that combines the proximity to the subway and to the Bucharest downtown with easy access from the city’s universities. Timpuri Noi Square provides the needed space, versatility and all the facilities of modern offices. A key factor in our decision-making was the opinion of our engineers, who wanted an accessible location, other than the crowded North of the city. At the new headquarters we will scale the team, will continue to organize Tech Talks and training sessions, we will open an experimental lab for the latest technologies and will build tech platforms with global reach. We are also glad to be in the proximity of the Impact Hub, an aggregator of ideas and communities,” adds Ioan Cocan. “The IT & C segment is an important factor in the dynamics of the office market, this being proven by Tremend, for which we have provided consulting services to identify the best location to serve as a future headquarter. Taking into account the intensification of the company’s activity, the move is a natural step in the direction of Tremend’s organic growth. With its unique location in Bucharest, very close to the centre and facilities such as education centres, public transport or recreation areas, and by the superior quality of its execution, Vastint’s project responds to the company’s expansion and innovation needs”, said George Didoiu, Associate Director, Office Agency în cadrul Colliers International. With over 11 years of experience in developing complex software solutions and advanced technologies, Tremend has delivered more than 300 projects for customers in 15 countries and for over 60 million end-users. The company’s clients span across several industries, from banking and telecom to automotive, professional services or healthcare. Timpuri Noi Square has a planned leasable area of 100,000 m² of office and retail, plus 50,000 m² of residential space. It is the largest mixed-use project in Romania today.

Find out more at Vastint Romania website

Vastint Poland has signed a lease agreement for 15,000 m² of office space with Credit Agricole in Business Garden Wrocław. The company will occupy two buildings that are being constructed within the second stage of the investment. The new location will be the head office of the Credit Agricole Bank and the European Leasing Fund as well as CA Insurance.

Roger Andersson, Managing Director Vastint Poland commented: “Credit Agricole is one of the biggest tenants of Business Garden Warsaw. Therefore we are delighted that such a prestigious client trusted us again and has chosen Business Garden Wroclaw for its head office. We ensure that our tenant is provided with optimum conditions for their further business development. The functional and sustainable office buildings will be delivered to the client in the second half of 2019.”

Paweł Boczar, Associate Director, Advisory & Transaction Services, Office, CBRE: „Credit Agricole’s consolidation of space is one of the most strategic decisions for the development of the organization, and also crucial for the development of the office market in Wrocław. Under this advisory process, we have sought the most optimal solutions for our client. Merging six locations into one central location and creating a workplace for nearly 3,000 employees requires a precise work place strategy, an examination of the staff’s needs, and development of a new organizational culture. The carried out consultation process will guarantee the Credit Agricole Group both cost optimization and great benefits for the entire business”.

Business Garden Wroclaw is located on Legnicka Street, in the vicinity of the shopping and entertainment center Magnolia and the Mikolajów railway station, and in close proximity to the city centre. Ultimately, the complex will consist of nine multifunctional buildings with a total leasable area of 117,000 m². Office space has been designed to accommodate individual needs of tenants with optimal exposure to sunlight and easy space adaptation options. The office building are surrounded by an extensive garden with relaxation and work zones, where tenants may rest or practice outdoor sports. In addition to the restaurant’s pavilion located in the garden, the complex will provide a number of additional amenities for tenants, e.g. a medical centre and a kindergarten. Business Garden was awarded LEED Platinum certificates. The tenant portfolio includes leading international and Polish brands such as Becton Dickinson, Capgemini, Dolby Laboratories and Ceneo.

Vastint Romania is closer to reach the planned 100,000 m² lettable area in the city center. Bog’Art was appointed as the general contractor for the third building with a total surface of 20,000 m² lettable area of modern, class A office and retail area. Located in the city center, along Splaiul Unirii, just across the street from Timpuri Noi subway station, the project inhabits an area abundant in amenities such as highly convenient public transport connections, educational centers, shopping centers, Carol & Tineretului Parks, Vacaresti Nature Park, banks and further administrative hubs. M1 and M3 subway metro lines are making just 30 minutes commuting a reality by directly connecting the largest sleeping districts to Timpuri Noi Square. On the ground floor of the buildings, in the plaza area and in the surrounding area, there will be various commercial areas available, including leisure options. Inside tenants will find a welcoming and healthy work environment by means of excellent fresh air supply, 3 meter clear floor height and increased natural light provision. The third building investment is a continuation and enhancement of the largest mixed use project located in the city center of Bucharest. The first and second office buildings comprise a total of 32,000 m² lettable area and are now fully functional. The first tenant is dcs plus who started the activity on 1^st of July. Tenants as Fratelli, Impact Hub, Kruk will start the activity in the next period. The construction works of the third building are planned to be completed in H2 year 2018. Antoniu Panait, Managing Director of Vastint Romania, says, “It is a pleasure to start our first collaboration with the experienced Bog’Art team. I am confident that they will be able to deliver the project successfully and meet our expectations in regard of quality, cost and schedule. The leasing process of the first and second building has been successful. We are thrilled to add another 20,000 m² and be closer to reach the planed 100,000 m² total lettable area at Timpuri Noi Square. The city center is changing rapidly and Timpuri Noi Square is a trend setter. For the benefit of our tenants we implement the highest EU standards from safety and quality point of view.” Sorin Greu, Managing Director of Bog’Art, says, “We are honored by the trust our partner Vastint Romania showed in granting us the third building of the mixed use project Timpuri Noi Square. The technical and engineering challenges of the project will find in Bog’Art the best General Contractor that can meet the terms and the quality requirements. For Bog’Art, this project represents a promise to our clients and to ourselves, and its completion will be yet another proof of the professionalism and performance of our organization. We are prepared to demonstrate how Excellence in Construction is achieved.” Bog’Art, winner of the title “Best of the Best Constructor in Central Eastern/Southern Europe 2017” and awarded “The Best Constructor in Romania” for the last four consecutive years by the prestigious real estate publication Construction & Investment Journal, sets the pace of the construction market in Romania since 1991. General Contractor and Developer in the area of civil and industrial construction, Bog’Art has successfully delivered to his customers for the past years, 3 million square meters of construction spaces, with a contracted value of 1.6 billion Euros. Having a unique and privileged portfolio, Bog’Art ensures construction performance, safety in exploitation and sustainability.

Find out more at Vastint Romania website

Vastint Latvia SIA has signed a contract with one of the leading construction firms in Latvia, SKONTO BŪVE, for the construction of two office buildings which will be part of the large-scale office park development Business Garden Rīga. This phase will also include the construction of a green zone and a car park. The target date for completion is the beginning of 2019. Business Garden Rīga will be a contemporary office park providing more than 70,000 m² of modern and efficiently functional office space. The first phase of construction will create two office buildings with a total rental area of 14,230 m². The office park boasts a prime location on K. Ulmaņa Avenue, not far from the Lielirbes Street intersection, thereby assuring quick and convenient access to both the city centre and the airport as well as great visibility from both highways. Well-planned building configuration and window placement will allow tenants to freely plan their office layouts up to a range of 1,500 m² on one floor, thereby creating work spaces with maximum efficacy and comfort. The buildings are planned to be certified by the internationally recognized LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which will attest to the project’s compliance with today’s most rigorous standards for sustainability and comfort. The office buildings will be surrounded by a large green garden with centuries-old oak and linden trees, as well as areas designated for recreation and sports activities. To ensure a quality work environment, the inner courtyards will be accessible only to pedestrians; guest parking will be set up around the perimeter of the office park, while employees will have access to either the underground garage or the adjacent car park. Of the two buildings in phase one of construction, one will have a designated space for a restaurant, and the other will have a child-care centre. “We are very happy to finally start construction of buildings on the site”, says Romāns Astahovs, Managing Director of Vastint Latvia. “We waited a long time for this – the first parcel of land was acquired back in 2005. Up to now, most of the work mostly dealt with the “invisible” aspects of the project – land reconciliation, masterplan, design, procurement, and setting up necessary infrastructure. Even though there are just as many challenging tasks ahead of us, the start of construction of the first buildings is a special moment. It will be a visible confirmation of the true scale of the planned development, and will indicate the direction in which the area will transform in view of our intentions of building a sizable residential building complex, the Lindenholma project, next to the office buildings. We are truly happy about starting cooperation with Skonto Būve. This will be our first project together, but we’ve heard so many good things about them that we are certain that the realisation of Business Garden Rīga will be of the highest quality.’ “I can say that the developer of this project, by thinking in perspective, has approached the design process of the buildings with responsibility and care towards the environment and the people who live here. From the very start they’ve taken into account suggestions from the Mārupe Municipal Building Board and other specialists in terms of the area’s further development. Thanks in part to the investment of businesses, Mārupe Municipality is constantly growing and developing, which is why we highly value successful cooperation and sustainable initiatives from the business community,” says Mārtiņš Bojārs, Chairman of the Mārupe City Council. The design authors are architectural office of DEPO projekts SIA. At the end of 2015, the external networks and internal roads were completed. In spring 2016, a local traffic lane on K. Ulmaņa Avenue, from Kalnciema Street to the newly created Malduguņu Street, was opened in order to connect Lielā Street in Mārupe with K. Ulmaņa Avenue. Skonto Būve SIA will begin the first phase of construction in July of this year, with a planned completion date for the office buildings set as January 2019.

Find out more at Vastint Latvia website

news archive

sneak peek into the past

Moxy Berlin Ostbahnhof achieves LEED Gold

Vastint Latvia lays the foundations of the first office buildings of Business Garden Rīga

Vastint Lithuania has received building permit for a hotel in Palanga

Vastint leases 2,900 m² at Colonies Square in Brussels to Tribes

Vastint’s 11th Moxy Hotel opened!

Vastint Romania celebrated the opening of Timpuri Noi Square

The first buildings of Magdelēnas kvartāls – the Most Sustainable Project in Latvia 2017

Courtyard Brussels EU achieves LEED Platinum

Vastint leases 1,300 m² at Timpuri Noi Square to Tremend Software Consulting

Credit Agricole chooses Business Garden as its headquarters

Timpuri Noi Square – construction of the third office building commenced

Construction started at the office park Business Garden Rīga