Tag: floors

Infinorsa Renovates Torre Europa To Attract New Tenants

8 August 2016 – Expansión

Torre Europa is completing the final details (of its renovation process) ahead of the debut of its new image from September. The iconic building – one of the first multiple ownership office buildings in Madrid, constructed in 1985 – will boast a new external façade, as well as a refurbished entrance lobby, floors and common areas, in order to appeal to new tenants.

Infinorsa, the majority owner of the property, has launched an ambitious transformation project, in which it is investing €20 million, with the aim of updating and improving the inside and outside of Torre Europa, equipping it with more light and technological innovations, and whereby allowing it to charge 20% higher average rents. Until now, the rent for Torre Europa has fallen in the middle band for buildings in Azca. With the changes, the rental charge could exceed €27.5/sqm/month.

Tenants

The building, designed by the architect Miguel Oriol e Ybarra, is located in Madrid’s financial district of Azca, just a stone’s throw away from the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the Palacio de Congreso. The property has 32 floors and is 121 metres tall.

Following the departure of the building’s main tenant, KPMG, a few months ago, Torre Europa, with a leasable surface area of 43,000 sqm, currently has around 20,000 sqm of space available for rent. “High quality spaces are currently in demand. We must respond to the new paradigm, with brighter and technologically prepared spaces. This transformation seeks to adapt the property to the needs of the day, whilst at the same time retaining its essence and enhancing its unique qualities”, explained Fernando Ferrero, Director of Operations at Infinorsa.

The renovation process has been complicated by the fact that it has been performed at the same time as the current tenants are occupying approximately half of the building. For this reason, the construction work has been carried out during the night: “This has made the process more expensive, but, in return, we have caused less disruption to the tenants”.

Inside and outside

The work inside the building has involved the renovation of the entrance hall, the common areas and the floors, which is expected to be completed in September. The transformation of the hall will give rise to a much airier entrance, with higher ceilings and a brighter space overall. In terms of the floors, the glass of the windows will go down to the floors, in order to benefit from the natural light and the height of 260 cm per floor.

In terms of the changes outside, the plan involves covering the pillars with steel to preserve the structure, at the same time as updating the image. Similarly, an integrated glass canopy will be added to the external structure. This work is expected to be finalised during the first quarter of 2017.

In terms of technology and other new features, the building will have LED lighting and sensor systems to control both the light and ambient temperature. In addition, Torre Europa will have the technological tools to benefit from big data and geolocation services. Sources at Infinorsa explain that the project fits with the push that the Administrations are giving the capital’s financial district.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Villar Mir Sells Torre Espacio To Grupo Emperador For €558M

30 November 2015 – Expansión

Villar Mir has found a buyer for its Madrilenian skyscraper Torre Espacio. The group led by Juan Miguel Villar Mir has signed an agreement with the Philippine group Emperador for the sale of its 236m-tall office building, located in the Cuatro Torres Business Area in Madrid.

Emperador, the largest spirits company in the Philippines (it holds agreements with the Andalucían group González Byass) will pay €558 million for the property (around €9,200/m2), somewhat below the €600 million sales price that the seller was hoping to secure.

Inaugurated in 2007, Torre Espacio contains 60,000 m2 of office space, spread over 57 floors. It houses the offices of British American Tobacco and Red Bull, as well as the embassies of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Its occupancy rate is 85%.

The building’s main tenant is the Villar Mir group itself and its subsidiaries, which occupy 55.1% of the property. According to the President, Juan Miguel Villar Mir, the construction company and the other subsidiaries, such as Fertiberia and Ferroatlántica, will continue to have their headquarters in the Madrilenian skyscraper.

In fact, to make the purchase more attractive, the owner of OHL offered to remain as a tenant in order to guarantee rental income of €34/m2/month, according to real estate sources.

Emperador has succeeded in taking ownership of Torre Espacio despite being a very late joiner to the process, which was launched in June, when Villar Mir engaged the consultancy firm Aguirre Newman. In recent few weeks, the best positioned candidate has been the real estate fund Invesco. The real estate company Colonial had also initiated a due diligence process for the building, according to sources close to the operation. Other investors studying the purchase of Torre Espacio included Corporación Financiera Alba – owned by the March family – , the German fund Deka and Pontegadea – the real estate company owned by Amancio Ortega.

The Philippine group Emperador forms part of the Alliance Global business conglomerate led by Andrew L. Tan, who also owns real estate businesses through his company Megaworld. With this purchase, Emperador joins the huge list of investors that have purchased real estate assets in Spain in 2015.

Funding for OHL

With the transfer of Torre Espacio, Villar Mir will generate significant income, having reduced its stake in the listed companies Abertis and Colonial to cover its part of the €1,000 million capital increase in its construction company OHL. Villar Mir invested €400 million in the construction of the building, including the purchase of the land.

However, the businessman is not abandoning his real estate investments at the Cuatro Torres complex; he has been working on the construction of a fifth tower on an adjacent site for several months. (…).

The Villar Mir group is also working on the Canalejas complex, in the centre of Madrid, where it plans to invest €500 million.

Original story: Expansión (by R. Ruiz and C. Morán)

Translation: Carmel Drake