Santander Bank Polska has become an anchor tenant of The Bridge, which is being built in the business centre of Warsaw. The bank has signed a lease agreement with the developer and investor of the building – Ghelamco – for an area of c. 24,500m2. This is the largest transaction on the Polish office market since 2022.
The Bridge is a modern office complex being built at Plac Europejski in Warsaw's Wola district. The building combines the historic building of the former Bellona Publishing House with a 40-storey skyscraper, providing a total of 52,000m2 of office space. The project will include the latest technological and pro-ecological solutions, such as energy-neutral operations, a Building Energy Management System, and anti-pandemic measures. Additionally, it will offer amenities like an underground car park with electric car charging points, bicycle spaces, and changing rooms with showers.
“This is a breakthrough moment for our project, but also significant for the Polish office market. Santander Bank Polska has become an anchor tenant of The Bridge by selecting to lease half of the 40-storey skyscraper. We haven't had such a large office space lease transaction in Poland since 2022! This is proof that modern organizations, constantly striving for development and caring for the standard of the working environment, do not give up on top-class offices. ESG aspects were key for our client, which are a priority for us at The Bridge and are reflected at every stage of the project - from the construction process and materials used to solutions at the level of the building's operation once it is put into use. We would like to thank Santander for their trust and warmly welcome them to the group of Ghelamco tenants,” said Jarosław Zagorski, Managing Director of Ghelamco Poland.
“Moving to a modern office building located in the capital's business hub is part of our strategy, one of its elements is to ensure the best possible experience for our customers and employees. We also place great emphasis on implementing the Total Responsibility strategy. Therefore, when looking for a place for the new headquarters of Santander Bank Polska, we paid attention to long-term ESG solutions and modern technologies that not only help improve energy efficiency but also support building positive employee experiences. The fact that The Bridge has a number of ecological and technological certificates, and is perfectly located, convinced us to choose this project for our main office in Poland,” said Pawel Dziedzina, Director of the Department of Work Environment Management at Santander Bank Polska.
Experts from Colliers advised the tenant in the transaction.
“The area around Rondo Daszyńskiego has been a popular location for banks for several years now, which is why we can talk about a hub created by companies from this sector. Santander Bank Polska will soon join it and will be located in one of the most modern and ecological buildings in the area. The choice of The Bridge as our client's headquarters was preceded by very detailed analyses of available properties and reliable recommendations taking into account the bank's guidelines. We are glad that we could support Santander in making such a key decision and participate in the largest transaction on the office market since Q1 2022,” said Paweł Skalba, Senior Partner, Director of the Office Space Department at Colliers.
The Bridge was designed by UNStudio in cooperation with Polsko Belgijska Pracownia Architektury PROJEKT. The planned completion date of the construction is Q1 2025.
Written by Leon Goldwater for Europe Real Estate.
Image provided by Colliers.
Europe Real Estate — an overview of real estate developments in European countries.
