Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs, was guest of honour at the foundation stone laying ceremony held on 15 November at the site of the Magyar Telekom headquarters building, which is being built in a proprietary investment by WING Zrt. The event was also attended by Noah Steinberg, chairman and CEO of the developer WING Zrt, and Christopher Mattheisen, CEO of Magyar Telekom Nyrt. With its excellent location, energy-saving technologies and its people-friendly interior spaces this building, which is Hungary’s largest single-block office development to date, is deservedly referred to as “the workplace of the future”.

At the ceremonial foundation stone laying Noah Steinberg, chairman and CEO of the developer WING Zrt, said “Wing is the leading participant in the Hungarian real estate market, creating genuine value in architectural, functional and economic terms. And the fact that Magyar Telekom chose Wing as its partner in this development, which represents a major milestone for both companies, is a testament to this. The new headquarters building represents lasting value not only architecturally, but also as a modern workplace and a prominent landmark; its dimensions and appearance will make it an iconic and eye-catching feature of the cityscape, situated at the gateway to the city centre, for those arriving from Ferenc Liszt International Airport.Creating this kind of building is a huge challenge, and meeting it requires considerable market expertise and experience, as well as a strong financial background. WING can deliver these. We’re confident that this fantastic, world-class building will be a worthy new head office for Magyar Telekom.”

Christopher Mattheisen, the CEO of Magyar Telekom Nyrt, said: “The headquarters building will be the workplace for some 4500 people. We’re going to create an inspiring environment, one in which creative ideas, innovative solutions and precision exist side-by-side with each other.We’re also taking into account the most important HR trends of today, for example the maxtrix-like, silo-free structure of our operation will be reflected in the flexible use of space. We’d like to create the workplace of the future, which is being built not only for us veterans of the world of info-communications, but also for our future employees. I believe that Magyar Telekom’s headquarters building will stand the tests of time, and of the generations to come.”
About the building

Thanks to its easily accessible location, energy efficient equipment and solutions to provide a healthy working environment, the 58,000 square metre Magyar Telekom headquarters building, which will be a defining feature of the Budapest cityscape and is currently under construction on the Könyves Kálmán ring road, will be one of the country’s most innovative office buildings, and is being built with sustainability in mind.

The exterior, which exudes a 21st-century ambience, dynamism and strength, is paired with an interior design that caters to the latest HR and information technology trends. Working closely with the developer, the designers have created interior spaces that are conducive to efficient operation, but at the same time make for a stylish, flexible and creative working environment. In this spirit, the building will have a fitness and wellness centre on the top floor, with a 200-metre outdoor running track, as well as an internal park. The building will also house an underground car park with 1,350 spaces and secure storage for over 300 bicycles, as well as a conference hall with capacity for 300 persons. Apart from the areas leased by Telekom, an additional 4000 square metres will be available for letting on the open market. The project, which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2018, will create jobs for some 1000 people.

The headquarters building will be completed in the second half of 2018, and the lease agreement with Magyar Telekom has a term of 15 years. The consortium of banks financing the project consists of UniCredit Bank Hungary and K&H Bank. The architectural designs for the headquarters building were made by TIBA Architectural Studio, and the construction work is being carried out by Market Építő.

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About Wing

WING is the leading Hungarian-owned business in the domestic property market, with a considerable project portfolio, an investment division and subsidiaries that specialise in the provision of property-related services. The company develops offices, industrial properties, commercial facilities, hotels and special properties, and is Hungary’s largest office developer. The company’s ongoing developments, apart from the Telekom headquarters building, include the Ericsson headquarters building being built on a site overlooking the Danube, and Hungary’s first hotel with a direct connection to the airport, the Ibis Styles Budapest Airport Hotel. Since its establishment, Wing has developed over 450,000 square metres of property, and the portfolio of properties under its ownership consists of more than 350,000 square metres. The company’s developments include, among others, the V17 Office Building, which was completed in October of this year, the E.ON headquarters building, the new Corvinus University building and connected Studium Office Building, Átrium Park, the new headquarters and production centre of Hungarian State Television, the Allianz headquarters, the company’s own headquarters Máriássy Ház, and the three office buildings in Millenáris Park. Added to these are industrial parks, such as the East Gate Business Park and South Pest Business Park, as well as commercial developments like the Agria Park shopping centre in Eger, or Hungary’s first environmentally friendly mall, the Hegyvidék Shopping Centre in Buda. The company has an ownership stake in the MOM Park Shopping Centre and MOM Park Offices, as well as in the Westend Business Centre Office Building located at the beginning of Váci út.
About Magyar Telekom

Magyar Telekom is Hungary’s largest telecommunications service provider, offering the full spectrum of info-communication and telecommunication (ICT) services, including fixed-line and mobile telephony, data transfer and non-voice-based, as well as information technology and system integration services. Magyar Telekom has a majority share in Makedonski Telekom, Macedonia’s largest fixed-line and mobile service provider, and in Crnogorski Telekom, Montenegro’s largest telecommunications service provider. Magyar Telekom’s majority owner (59.21%) is Deutsche Telekom Europe B.V., which is solely owned by Deutsche Telekom AG. For more information please visit the www.telekom.hu website.
About TIBA Architectural Studio

TIBA Architectural Studio is one of Hungary’s leading architectural studios, and also a standard-setter internationally. The Budapest-based studio, which was established in 2005 and also has also managed numerous projects abroad, offers its clients sophisticated engineering and design services. Its creative team of designers, all of whom are passionate about design, mainly work on medium-sized and large projects for professional clients from the most diverse sectors. In the works that are created, equal importance is ascribed to design management, the business efficiency of the projects, and sustainability considerations. The studio leads the way in the researching and applying new, innovative technological solutions. TIBA Studio has won numerous Hungarian and international awards in the course of its operation to date.