Real estate developer Speedwell started the construction works of Record Park, the first mixed use development and urban regenerating project in Cluj – Napoca. The development process will attract an investment of around €42 million, the completion date of the entire project being due for the second quarter of 2020.
Record Park represents a unique mix in the Romanian market, comprising office, retail and residential components anchored by a historic building that will be preserved and transformed into a space for arts, technology and co-working spaces.
The developer will also dive into an extraordinary mission to create more than 7,000 sqm green spaces, creating a promenade and two bridges along Canalul Morii, with urban furniture and greenery, as well as designing a plaza in the center of the project, that will attract visitors and inhabitants alike. Furthermore, Speedwell aims at creating a fully pedestrian community, as all car access shall be directed strictly in the underground levels of the project, endowed with more than 400 parking places. All the spaces will be vibrant and alive, meant to form a civic area that will be living also after working hours.
The project is being developed on a plot of 17,300 sqm, only 15 minutes away walk from the Old Town, and will have a total build (aboveground) area of 36,000 sqm, as well as vast green areas, amounting to almost half of the total land surface.
”Record Park is a unique project and will be developed with great care for all the details. For example, we will keep the old Imperial Stables that will be restored in order to transform them into a prototype for the office of the future, with co-working spaces, an innovation centre and leisure areas. The project will include a state of the art office building, retail spaces, an important residential area as well as pedestrian and vast green areas. Cluj – Napoca proves to have a solid level of demand on all the real estate segments, boosting investors’ confidence, especially for well thought, complex real estate projects, serving sophisticated functions of the occupiers,” said Didier Balcaen, general manager of Speedwell.
“It is our vision becoming reality – creating a small city within a city. A place to gather people, we believe that increasing the quality of life creates communities and communities create a better quality of life. And to do so we have to combine different functions in the near vicinity, like convenience shopping, work, leisure a kindergarten and many open air activities. People are really tired of spending hours and hours per day in traffic and by making mixed projects close to the city centre with all services nearby people can spend more time with each other and for themselves. We invested in Record Park not only our imagination and resources, but also vast know-how and expertise tested in other projects from our track record. To name only two of the multiple surprises, World Class will be endowed with the first open air pool functional all-year round, thanks to a special retractable roof system. Parking in the office area will be coordinated through a smart app optimizing usage and accessibility,” explained Jan Demeyere, partner in Speedwell.
Record Park is located in the Marasti neighbourhood, only 15 minutes away walk from the Old Town. The project will have a wide variety of pedestrian areas, such as a waterside promenade on the Morii Channel, which will be crossable with the help of several footbridges which will link the Record Park with The Office.
The office component of Record Park (12,000 sqm) will be represented by an A class office building with seven floors and a leasable area of approximately 1,700 sqm per floor. The building will be built in accordance with the sustainability development criteria and will be BREEAM certified. The office building will have retracted façade insuring thus a minimum heat transfer, a clear floor ceiling height of three meters as well as raised floors for cabling shafts and floor boxes.
”Record Park is a unicorn project for Romania, and will mark the entrance in a new era: that were the developer is designing and thinking from the shoes of the final user. This is why we started the lease process with selecting the most exquisite facilities for our future tenants and residents, such as World Class, that will operate a flagship gym in Record, or the shopping concept and the kindergarten with a < kiss & ride > area,” commented Andreea Paun, managing partner of the real estate consultant Griffes, who is responsible for the commercial strategy of Record Park, including office leasing and marketing, on an end-to-end basis.
C6, the former Imperial Stables of the Austro – Hungarian Empire and afterwards an outlet of the local textile factory, will be restored in a prototype for the office of the future. The space will be versatile, combining co-working spaces, a technology and innovation component with an art centre, leisure and restaurant areas.
The residential area of Record Park will be formed out of two buildings, each with seven floors, comprising 236 studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments, with surfaces starting from 45 sqm and prices starting from 76,000 euro. Record Park will also include a kids’ centre, with a kindergarten and a dedicated courtyard. At the same time, the residential and office buildings will host more than 1,000 sq.m. of retail spaces at the ground floor, which will include groceries, convenience stores, cleaning and other services.
Real Estate consultant Imoteca will represent the residential agency of the project. “We believe Cluj-Napoca was long-awaiting for a project of this quality, with technical specifications and destinations that are matching the most active residents, yet able to offer a secluded oasis for relaxation and true work-life balance,” said Rafaela Nebreda, Founder of Imoteca.
