Mixed-use buildings and their functions
Multifunctional projects combine several buildings in one. We can find here residential, hotel, office, entertainment functions, as well as cultural or transport. Such a coexistence of different spaces gives its users great comfort because it makes their everyday life easier and significantly saves time. People who choose these types of facilities can live, work and rest without frequent need to leave this comfortable “zone”.
The report ‘Multifunctional. Characteristics of mixed-use projects in Poland and in the world’, which was developed by specialists from ThinkCo, an advisory institution examining changes taking place on the real estate market, points out that trade is the dominant function in this type of facility (93%), offices (84%) and apartments (80%). (1) By far the most common element, however, are food courts (95%). In over 61% of the sites there is also a cultural function, which is even surpassing hotels and education. It is surprising that small, independent stores are much more important for creating prestige than large-scale commercial facilities.
The most important aspect in these types of facilities is adequate diversification of products as well as tenants and end users. Very often such projects are managed by one entity that cares about the right ‘balance’. Such spaces are beneficial not only from the point of view of
an investor, who can expect higher pricing, or even users who use different functions previously unavailable in a given area. This is also a benefit for local governments that get a chance to create a new local center or revitalize an unattractive part city.
Mixed-use projects in Poland
The mixed-use market has recorded marked increases in recent years. At the end of 2021, 37 such projects were available in Poland, which is over twice as much compared to 2016 – you can find them in Krakow, Warsaw, Poznań, Wrocław and the Tri-City.
Many companies that are aware of that
this type of location of the enterprise is a significant added value for their employees, decide to take advantage of such multifunctional facilities. Among them there is, for example, Fujitsu company, which has taken up decision to consolidate their Łódź-based companies and transfer them to Fuzja a completed project by Echo Inwestment. This developer saw a trend around mixed-use buildings, making it one of the main pillars of its strategy. To their city-forming projects, the so-called “destinations”; belong also Browary Warszawskie, where we also cooperated.
Here, the historical layer of the investment was also a very important value, which allowed for the creation of a unique identity of this place.
A multifunctional facility, built on the site of the former Haberbusha and Schei brewery, makes an excellent use of the historic potential in turn becoming a natural landmark. The space is created by the revitalized buildings, three office buildings and five residential buildings, which in a way creates a new part of Warsaw.
(1)Raport – https://thinkco.pl/wielofunkcyjne-raport-mixed-use/