Panattoni has completed construction of 246,000 sqm for Amazon - new time record, historic transaction in Poland and CEE

Panattoni Europe, Poland's leader in the industrial property market, has completed the construction of 246,000 sqm for Amazon in Poland and together with the online retail giant officially opened two modern distribution centres in Bielany Wrocławskie and in Sady near Poznań. The opening ceremonies took place on 28 and 29 October respectively.

On 28 and 29 October 2014, Panattoni Europe together with Amazon - the online retail giant, officially opened two modern distribution centres in Bielany Wrocławskie and in Sady near Poznań totalling 246,000 sqm. Both ceremonies were attended by representatives of national authorities: Lower Silesia and Greater Poland Voivodes - Tomasz Smolarz and Piotr Florek, Voivodeship Marshals - Cezary Przybylski and Marek Woźniak; Mayor of Wrocław Rafał Dutkiewicz; Mayor of Tarnowo Podgórne Tadeusz Czajka, as well as representatives of the businesses involved in the investment.

Panattoni Europe investments for Amazon constitute the biggest lease contract in Central and Eastern Europe. Apart from the finalised 246,000 sqm in Poland, the developer is now building more than 120,000 sqm in a distribution centre for Amazon in the Czech Republic. Robert Dobrzycki, Managing Partner Panattoni Europe, comments: "We are proud of the fact that Panattoni Europe has had an opportunity to develop two out of three new distribution centres for Amazon in Poland, as well as the facility in the Czech Republic. All these projects share certain characteristics, first of all the strategic locations from the point of view of Amazon, us as the developer, and also their local logistics markets. That is why we are extremely pleased with the results of our cooperation, giving us unique experience, as well as a chance to contribute to the development of the warehousing and logistics market not just in Poland, but on a European scale."

Each of the Panattoni Europe facilities for Amazon totals in excess of 100,000 sqm of space, with the warehousing section of approx. 90,000 sqm in each one, and two-storey office space taking up more than 8,000 sqm per centre. Every day, there were on average 500 people representing 50 different industries working on each of the investments, striving to meet the stringent deadlines for both investments - on average 10 months. Moreover, with the Poznań project Panattoni Europe was responsible for changes to the road infrastructure - the construction of a dumbbell interchange on the DK92 with two roundabouts. The interchange additionally features cross streets with entry and exit ramps, service roads, access roads and a local road along the overbridge.

The Amazon facilities are undergoing the final stage of assessment for a BREEAM Interim rating of 'Very Good'. They have been equipped with an intelligent building management system (BMS) which integrates all installations in the facility. The environment-friendly solutions employed include the enhanced insulation of walls and roofs, as well as building airtightness. On top of that, cutting-edge installations allow for recuperation, i.e. heat recovery using rotating heat exchangers. The facilities are equipped with LED lighting and motion detectors in high traffic areas (pick towers), motion detectors in sanitary facilities, whereas light pollution outside the site has been limited. Also, water consumption is kept to the minimum, and the building is heated predominantly by gas. Investors also saw to appropriate waste management during the construction, and later provided a wide range of local plant species in order to integrate the distribution centres with the natural environment, as well as birdhouses.

At present, Panattoni Europe is developing 162,600 sqm of new warehouse space in Poland, comprised of such projects as Panattoni Park Sosnowiec, Panattoni Park Ożarów II and Panattoni Park Poznań III and IV, as well as a new facility at Panattoni Park Łódź East. From the beginning of the year, the company has completed 400,000 sqm, including the above-mentioned facilities for Amazon. The developer also tops the podium in terms of performance for H1 2014 - Panattoni delivered 108,000 sqm (incl. 50,000 sqm for Castorama Polska and 33,600 sqm for Polaris), that is more than twice as much as the runner-up.