Urbania to Open a Hall of Residence for Students in Pamplona

18 February 2019 – Expansión

Urbania is increasing its commitment to halls of residence for students. The real estate firm, through its subsidiary Syllabus, is planning to open a new accommodation block for university students in Pamplona, with 300 rooms and an investment of €17 million. This hall of residence in Pamplona will be added to the group’s other projects in Madrid, Málaga and Valencia. Moreover, the group is analysing new opportunities.

The hall of residence in Pamplona will occupy a plot with a surface area of 8,837 m2. Construction will commence in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2021. This accommodation is going to be constructed in the area near to the El Sadar stadium, a stone’s throw from the Universidad Pública de Navarra and its sports facilities, the Uned campus and less than 2km away from the Universidad de Navarra campus.

The new hall of residence will comprise six storeys and will have an extensive green area inside. As well as the 300 rooms, it will have several shared kitchens, spaces for study, a gym, a cinema area, a coworking space, leisure areas and a laundry (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Barcelona Gets Ready for the Residential Equivalent of Coworking: ‘Coliving’

29 January 2019 – Idealista

Whilst last year, coworking was one of the most repeated words, this year, it seems that the residential equivalent is on everyone’s lips, specifically, the new formulae for housing, ‘coliving’. So much so that Barcelona is already preparing to receive the first operators: the Consortium of the Zona Franca, a public entity tasked with the economic revitalisation of the city of Barcelona and its metropolitan area, is already managing licences to open the first coliving centres in the La Marina neighbourhood.

Although the names of the firms that are going to make their debuts in Spain under this model are unknown for the time being, sources in the sector say that they have already started to process the first permits for projects that are in an initial phase. “Just like coworking has become a successful phenomenon for the office market in Spain over the last 2 years, so professionalised coliving wants to follow in its footsteps and try its luck in the residential market”, explain sources at the real estate consultancy firm Forcadell.

“The large international investment funds, in their search for alternative assets that offer higher returns, are studying the Spanish market to implement this model, which has already proved successful in other countries such as the USA, Germany, the UK and Japan (Tokyo)”, say the sources at Forcadell.

With their arrival, these operators will professionalise a common practice in Spain of house sharing, by adding sophisticated aspects more typical of student halls. The coliving projects that have been developed to date comprise complexes with bedrooms and individual bathrooms on the one side and large common areas with movie theatres and games rooms (with ping pong, pool. etc.), libraries, gyms, restaurants and swimming pools, amongst others, on the other side.

According to Toni López, Partner at Forcadell and Director of the company’s real estate area, “the millenials have changed the way of consuming and have championed a change of thinking around property ownership, experience and use; it is logical and inevitable that this trend will expand to the real estate sector”. They are a generation that values experiences and seeks to optimise resources to the max, paying only for the use and experience of an asset, without incurring the cost and hassle involved with its ownership.

Medici and Corestate, the first brave players

Medici and Corestate have become the first groups to look closely at Spain for their new homes under the coliving formula (…). The German company Medici has joined forces with the German fund Corestate to invest more than €1 million in the development of business across all of Europe. In the Spanish market, the company will operate under the Quarters brand and it is already negotiating its first coliving project in Barcelona (…).

Medici already has three coliving buildings in Berlin, with capacity for 45 residents and nine apartments; and two more in the USA, in cities such as New York and Chicago, where the monthly rents range between USD 1,100 (€967) and USD 1,500 (€1,320) (…).

Original story: Idealista (by Custodio Pareja)

Translation: Carmel Drake

URJC to Build 2 Halls of Residence in Fuenlabrada and Móstoles

28 January 2019 – La Vanguardia

The Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) announced today the construction of two new lecture halls, on its campuses in Aranjuez and Fuenlabrada, as well as the construction of two new halls of residence for students during the course of 2019, which will be located in the towns of Fuenlabrada and Móstoles.

The news was announced this morning by the rector of the university, Javier Ramos, during a speech (…) in which he highlighted that the new facilities “will benefit the more than 46,000 students at this public university in Madrid”.

Ramos explained that building work has already started on the new lecture hall on the Aranjuez campus – and that it will be followed soon by another new lecture hall on the Fuenlabrada campus. He added that, during the course of this year, work will also start on the construction of two halls of residence, one in Fuenlabrada and one in Móstoles.

Moreover, the rector revealed that work is also being performed on projects to construct new buildings on the Móstoles and Alcorcón campuses, as well as to renovate the property that the university recently acquired on Calle de Buen Suceso in Madrid (…).

Ramos reiterated that the URJC is positioned “at the forefront of research”, citing data from the Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE), which “places the URJC as the third university in Spain, due to the impact of its publications, based on citations from its scientific articles, with a score of 68.5 out of 100)” (…).

Original story: La Vanguardia 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Temprano Capital Partners Acquires Plot in Sevilla for Student Halls

5 December 2018 – Press Release

During November 2018, Temprano Capital Partners, in a joint venture with CPA®:18 – Global and Helena Rivero, acquired a prime, city centre site in Sevilla to undertake the development of a premium student residence, to form part of the TSL programme in Iberia.

TSL is currently developing 5 projects in Spain and 3 in Portugal, together with the residence in Marques de Pombal, Lisbon, which was inaugurated in January this year. The TSL programme now amounts to 3,500 beds in Iberia.

The City of Sevilla is renowned, internationally, for its unique university atmosphere, with over 80,000 full-time students, approximately 4% of whom are from outside of Spain, a percentage that is increasing annually, given the popularity of interchange programmes, such as Erasmus and European funding initiatives.

Sevilla houses multiple further education facilities, with faculties spread throughout the city centre, including the University of Sevilla, University Pablo Olavide, the International University of Andalucía UNIA Cartuja, University Loyola Andalucía and CEU San Pablo Andalucía Bormujos, in addition to multiple language academies and institutes, such as the Spanish American Institute. Sevilla has a prestigious international status, offering a wide range of courses, and qualifications in all fields of study.

Sevilla also offers students a unique, historic environment with rich culture and multiple leisure and sports options. The site acquired is located on Calle Genaro Parlade to the south of the city centre in the “El Porvenir” neighbourhood. This area of the city is exceptionally well located for students with respect to the city centre and main university campuses – by foot, by bicycle or by public transport. The site was previously used by the Antares Sports and Social Club, which recently relocated to modern facilities in central Seville. The proposed project will result in a significant urban regeneration for both the local neighborhood and the City of Sevilla.

The project, which is currently in the design phase, will provide 505 premium studios in a building measuring 15,200 sqm. The studios will be delivered with high-quality designs and finishes, with fully fitted in-room kitchens; individual, ensuite bathrooms; high speed WI-FI connections and televisions. Furthermore, the Project will offer multiple services and on-site amenities such as a fully equipped gymnasium, swimming pool, lounge, party rooms, cinema, laundry, library and study rooms. Extensive exterior areas for the students along with 24/7 concierge service are also envisaged and all included in the rent (…).

Temprano Capital Partners (Temprano) is a private European real estate investor and developer created in 2013. It is led by Neil Jones and James Preston and its current tactical focus is the Iberian market (Spain & Portugal) (…).

Original story: Press Release

Edited by: Carmel Drake

Urbania to Open 2 Coworking Offices in Barcelona in September

16 July 2018 – Eje Prime 

Urbania is diversifying within the real estate market by investing in more sectors on the rise. After launching Syllabus, its brand specialising in halls of residences for students, just a few months ago, the group is now promoting coworking offices and shared working spaces across the country, according to a statement issued by the company.

Monday is the name that the group has chosen for this new venture, which will inaugurate its first two office centres in Barcelona in September. Both will have a surface area of 2,000 m2, with capacity for 200 people and they will be located in La Barceloneta and on Avenida Tibidabo in the Catalan capital.

In addition, Urbania has explained that it is considering opening two new premises in Barcelona before the end of the year. This first phase will be the kick off to an “ambitious” national expansion plan, although the company declined to share further details in this regard.

The coworking in La Barceloneta will be located opposite the sea and beach of the same name, whilst the office on Avenida Tibidabo, at the opposite end of the city, in the foothills of the mountains, will have a gym, squash courts and a swimming pool. Monday has already started to market its first two spaces and expects to have 50% of the two centres reserved within the next few weeks.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

DHL Express Invests €6M in New HQ in Barajas

5 July 2018 – Eje Prime

DHL Express is moving to Barajas. The logistics company is going to abandon its current offices at the airport, located in the Eisenhower Business Centre, to move to the general services building at Aena’s air cargo centre. The investment for this move will amount to €6 million, according to reports from the group.

At its new home in Barajas, DHL is going to occupy a surface area of approximately 5,000 m2. The space is going to be renovated, at a cost of €3 million, so that it can be occupied for the next five years by the German multi-national, which will pay another €3 million to Aena by way of rent.

The logistics company plans to complete its move by September. The new location will be home to the group’s central departments, as well as its customer services platform, which comprises 400 people.

The Barajas operation strengthens DHL’s investment in Spain. The company inaugurated its new facilities at Sevilla airport in February; it spent €4.1 million on that project.

Original story: Eje Prime

Translation: Carmel Drake

Starwood & Carlyle Bid for San Fernando Business Park (Madrid)

11 May 2018 – Expansión

One of the major real estate operations of the year in the office segment is entering the home stretch.

The US fund Oaktree, which engaged the real estate consultancy CBRE to coordinate the sale of San Fernando Business Park, has been receiving binding offers for this office complex, located in San Fernando de Henares, in the east of the Community of Madrid.

The international investors that have expressed their interest in the asset include the investment fund Starwood Capital and the private equity firm Carlyle, both of which have submitted binding offers and so entered the final round of bidding for the business park.

Oaktree acquired the San Fernando Business Park three years ago, when the US fund purchased a portfolio of unpaid debt worth €750 million from the German bad bank FMS Wertmanagement (FMS WM), which included, in addition to the office complex: luxury hotels, such as the Arts Hotel in Barcelona and another establishment in Cascais (Portugal); five shopping centres, including two in Madrid (Plaza Éboli and Heron City Las Rozas); several storeroom buildings; and other residential and industrial assets.

San Fernando Business Park comprises 13 buildings and spans a total surface area of 86,000 m2, as well as 2,500 parking spaces.

Moreover, the business complex boasts 40,000 m2 of green space and recreational areas. San Fernando Business park is accessible directly from the A2, M45 and M50 motorways and its onsite facilities include a gym, banks, a children’s nursery, meeting rooms and an auditorium.

Office market

As we wait to see how the sale of Hispania’s office portfolio pans out, which is worth almost €600 million but which is up in the air due to the takeover bid (OPA) that the US fund Blackstone launched for the Socimi, the purchase of San Fernando Business Park looks set to be one of the most important operations of the year in the office segment.

Investment

Last year, investment in the office segment amounted to €2.3 billion, less than half the previous year, due to less activity by the Socimis, a shortage of supply in good locations and the challenge for investors to find the desired returns.

So far this year, investment in the office segment has accounted for 42% of the total transacted volume, reaching €1.72 billion, given that the figure includes Colonial’s takeover of Axiare, which was successfully closed in February and which has caused the investment figure to soar.

More than 600,000 m2 of office space was leased in Madrid last year, which represents the best figure in the last decade, whilst in Barcelona, 345,000 m2 of office space was leased during the same period.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

French Fund Corum AM Acquires Hotel Cartagonova in Cartagena

6 December 2017 – La Verdad

One of the flagship hotels in the Murcian city of Cartagena is changing hands. The French investment fund Corum AM has acquired the 4-star Hotel Cartagonova, located on Calle Marcos Redondo. The property is going to be operated by B&B Hotels on a lease basis for at least fifteen years, according to a statement issued yesterday by the international chain.

The amount paid for the economic operation has not been disclosed. The establishment is going to be renamed B&B Hotel Cartagena and will see 100 rooms of varying sizes go on the market, ranging from individual rooms to suites and family rooms – all of them have been redesigned and modernised in recent years. Moreover, the hotel has a lobby, a meeting room, 31 underground parking spaces and several free services for its guests. According to the buyers, the condition of the facilities is very good, and so they only plan to carry out minimal changes to bring the property in line with the standards of B&B Hotels. The company defines itself as a specialist in “comfortably designed accommodation, offering select high-quality services, at an attractive price”.

The interest from the hotel company in establishing a presence in the tourist city, which is “growing fast” and benefits from a strategic location, has been key to the success of the operation. Its executives have not failed to notice that the port of Cartagena is the country’s fourth busiest in terms of goods traffic. Moreover, the hotel is positioned in a very central location, both for those travelling for pleasure and for business.

“The new B&B Hotel Cartagena has excellent facilities and an unbeatable premium location. It has been designed carefully and will allow us to continue offering our guests high-quality accommodation at an unbeatable price across Europe”, said the chain’s Director of Expansion in Spain, Teresa Pérez.

The company that operates the property formerly known as Hotel Cartagonova owns twenty establishments all over Spain. It closed the first half of this year with a turnover of €13 million. In recent months, it has opened hotels in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and in the city of Vigo.

Original story: La Verdad (by Gregorio Mármol)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Danish Logistics Giant DSV Inaugurates Facilities In Cabanillas del Campo (Guadalajara)

22 November 2017 – Cadena Ser

Today (Wednesday), the logistics company DSV cut the opening ribbon at its new facilities in Cabanillas del Campo (Guadalajara). The Danish logistics operator has a presence in 80 countries with 400 facilities, spanning a combined surface area of 5 million m2. In Spain, it has 227,000 m2 of space and 1,200 employees across 25 different locations.

In the case of Cabanillas, a logistics centre measuring 50,000 m2 was inaugurated today on the new SI-20 industrial estate; it is expected to create around 200 jobs. This platform, the ninth that the firm manages in Spain, has storage capacity for 65,000 pallets.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Director of DSV Solutions Spain, Xavier Juncosa; the Danish ambassador to Spain, John Nielsen; and the first Vice-President of the Government of Castilla la Mancha, José Luis Martínez Guijarro, amongst others. The latter reminded the audience about the support given by the autonomous regional governments for new investments in the region and the creation of employment.

DSV already had a presence in the province with other logistics spaces and is now expanding its facilities in Cabanillas del Campo.

Original story: Cadena Ser (by Jesús Blanco Orozco)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Taylor Wimpey & La Cala To Build Largest Golf Complex In Southern Europe

31 July 2017 – Inmodiario

The Spanish subsidiary of the British property developer Taylor Wimpey Plc and the Irish hotel chain FBD Hotels and Resorts have signed a strategic alliance for the development of more than 600 homes over the next ten years, with a planned investment of more than €125,000,000.

The collaboration between Taylor Wimpey España and the hotel chain FBD Hotel and Resorts, which manages La Cala Resort, took its first steps back in 2014. As a result of that joint venture, Taylor Wimpey completed the first batch of residential properties (60 contemporary apartments called Miraval) in 2016. Now, it is promoting the project Horizon Golf comprising 48 apartments and 55 terraced houses, some of which will be completed this year and the rest of which will be handed over to their owners in 2018.

Through this alliance, La Cala Resort is consolidating its position as a unique destination for golf and relaxation in Spain, with three 18-hole golf courses, an exclusive 107-room 4-star hotel and a 1,300 m2 spa, tennis, padel and squash courts, and a football field. It also leads the ranking in terms of international residential tourism, with one of the best and most varied supplies of residential housing in low-density complexes, with panoramic views over golf courses, sea and mountains and all just 30 minutes from Málaga airport.

The complex brings together the best facilities demanded by the European public, not only for lovers of golf, but also for those who want to live in an environment that respects the environment, with perfectly kept roads and gardens and a 24/7 security service, just 5km from the town centre and beaches of Mijas Costa (…).

Project Horizon Golf offers two housing formats from potential buyers to choose from. On the one hand, it has terraced houses measuring more than 300m2, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus 90 m2 of terraces and solarium spread over four floors. Owners have the option of installing a private lift for easy access from the underground private car park to the panoramic solarium.

On the other hand, the complex has large apartments and penthouses with two and three bedrooms, and simple lounges leading onto spacious terraces measuring more than 30 m2. The penthouses are duplex spaces with solariums measuring more than 65 m2 (…).

The terraced houses currently have asking prices starting at €399,000 and the apartments are going for €280,000 (…).

Original story: Inmodiario (by Carmen Durán)

Translation: Carmel Drake