i NEWS VAL-DE-MARNE SETS OUT ITS STALL THE VAL-de-Marne district of greater Paris has a lot going for it. At MIPIM, Val-de-Marne outlined its assets. Chief among these was the fact that it has the most attractive prices in the entire Greater Paris conurbation. Figures show Val-de-Marne’s average rent for new offices is €318 per sq m per year, which is less than the Ile-de-France average. The commercial real estate market totals 3.8 million sq m, with office space that meets the latest environmental standards. Given these attractions, it is not surprising the creation rate for new businesses has tripled since 2005. Val-de-Marne lies at the heart of Europe’s leading economic region, its delegates said at MIPIM. And the figures back up that claim. Its road, rail and river hubs provide access to a vast market of 495 million domestic and European consumers. Meanwhile, the Paris region as a whole has 30% more international headquarters than London — and Rungis is the world’s largest agribusiness platform, with a sales figure of €8.2bn. The area’s other attractions include the Gustave Roussy Institute, which is the leading cancer research centre in Europe.
HafenCity becomes greener, younger and more creative
HafenCity has nine projects under way in 2014
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AFENCITY, the complete redevelopment of the German city of Hamburg’s port area, continues to gather pace. Its presentation at MIPIM focused on sustainable growth, with nine projects under way in 2014 on 180,000 sq m of gross floor area (GFA). This accounts for an investment volume of around €650m. At the same time, HafenCity’s development trends are becoming clearer, its promoters said — it is growing more diverse, younger and more creative. In central HafenCity, a new developer and jointventure partner is expected to be engaged for the southern Uberseequartier. Construction should start on the mixed-use showpiece project, which will have an investment volume of at least €800m, in the second half of 2016. HafenCity is also emerging as a knowledge quarter. It features several private universities, including Kunhne Logistics University and Medical School Hamburg, both of which have been located at Grosser Grasbrook since 2013, along with the public HafenCity University
Hamburg (HCU), specialising in architecture and metropolitan development, which opened in April 2014. Networks and synergies are developing among these centres of higher education, as well as between them and the businesses located in HafenCity. The Elbphilharmonie concert hall, whose exterior is largely complete, is already dominating the HafenCity district. Its interior construction is now under way. The building provides two concert auditoriums, a five-star hotel, a large publicly accessible plaza with a height of 35 metres and 45 apartments. The completion target is 2016, with the inaugural concert scheduled for 2017. HafenCity is developing visible urban, creative and green credentials. There are now over 2,000 people living in the area in a wide variety of housing, ranging from up-market, privately owned apartments to residential association housing, co-operative developments and the first publicly subsidised housing. More than 2,500 further apartments are currently being planned or built.
Opportunity abounds in Tuscany
The new Societe Generale campus in Val-deFontenay, Val-de-Marne
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I review magazine I May 2014 I mipim.com
SOME €100m in potential investments in real estate — that’s what the central Italian province of Tuscany’s Invest In Tuscany development board brought to this year’s MIPIM. A series of talks and presentations on the Tuscany stand highlighted the actual and potential investment opportunities to be found in the region — especially in PIUSS (Integrated
Plans for Urban Sustainable Development) projects. These include the recovery of several industrial structures in the district of Follonica in Colle Val d’Elsa, involving high-profile architect Jean Nouvel, which are now under way. Meanwhile, the cities of Arezzo and Florence promoted investment projects in historical buildings.