Office buildings with community spaces see three times lower vacancy

Business Forum
Choosing an office location today involves more than square metres and costs - it's about atmosphere and employee experience. According to a Colliers analysis, buildings featuring community spaces like cafés, relaxation areas, green spaces and informal meeting spots, combined with direct metro access, lease faster and attract tenants more easily.

These modern buildings register an average vacancy rate of just 7%, compared with 26% for traditional buildings without such amenities. "For companies competing in a tight labour market, the office has become a strategic tool. Employees are looking for spaces that provide comfort, energy and opportunities for social interaction, not just places to work," explains Daniela Popescu, Director of Tenant Services & Workplace Advisory at Colliers.

Cafés, green areas and informal working zones help employees feel part of a community, transforming buildings from simple addresses into environments that foster collaboration and belonging. This factor increasingly influences decisions of international companies opening service centres in Bucharest.

The Colliers analysis reveals major differences between project types. Buildings combining community spaces with direct metro access achieve the best results at 7% vacancy. Those offering community areas but without metro connectivity see rates rise to 21%. Buildings without such facilities record 14% vacancy if located near metro, and up to 26% when lacking both advantages.

Bucharest projects focusing on community spaces demonstrate that these amenities make a real difference in attractiveness and tenant retention, turning buildings from workplaces into destinations for employees.

RECOMMENDED
Offices are back in Romanias transaction market during H1 2025
Real estate

Offices are back in Romania's transaction market during H1 2025

Romania's commercial real estate market recorded investment deals worth €391 million during H1 2025, down 6.5% compared to H1 2024, with offices gaining a bigger share of the total volumes. This was the second best-performing first half in the last 12 years, surpassing the average for the period by 30%, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. 

CEE-based incentives boosting appeal of offices
Real estate

CEE-based incentives boosting appeal of offices

Investment incentives across CEE are proving to be a major draw for Research and Development (R&D) and Business Services Sector (BSS) projects, with support reaching up to 70% of qualified costs, according to Colliers' report.

Romanias land market totals €450 million in 2024
Real estate

Romania's land market totals €450 million in 2024

Romania's land market demonstrated robustness in 2024, registering a transaction volume similar to 2023, of around €450 million, despite economic and political uncertainties, according to a Colliers report.

Bucharest office leasing down 20% in 2024
Real estate

Bucharest office leasing down 20% in 2024

Bucharest recorded a 20% decline in office leasing, to 339,000 sqm, in 2024, compared to the previous year, although it remained above the five-year average, according to a Colliers report.

RECOMMENDED FROM THE HOME PAGE
Finance

DRUID AI secures funding, names new CEO

DRUID AI, the developer of an enterprise AI platform, has secured a $31 million Series C financing round to propel the global expansion of its agentic platform.

READ MORE
Business Forum  |  17 September, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Business Forum  |  17 September, 2025 at 8:48 AM