Despite the extraordinary circumstances last year, work on the Gizella Loft office building proceeded according to schedule, with construction and reconstruction works bringing the project to completion. As a result of WING’s development, the former manufacturing building – which for many years had been vacant – was given a new function, and today offers almost 8500 sq m of office space, located in a green micro-environment. The high-quality, cost-effective office spaces are ready for tenants to move into immediately. Due to its previous function as a manufacturing facility, the office building features exceptionally high ceilings of approx. 4 m, with a large load-bearing capacity. The windows running the entire length of the facade make the Loft experience complete.  TÜV Rheinland InterCert Kft. signed a long-term lease agreement for nearly 6000 sq m of space in 2019, and was able to take occupancy of its new, central office in September of last year, upon completion of the construction works tailored to the needs of the company.

“We are very pleased to be moving into the Gizella Loft. We are excited not only because the building is located at a busy transportation hub and is surrounded by beautiful green space, but also because we have been able to furnish spacious, world-class test laboratories with plenty of natural light. TÜV Rheinland has offices and facilities in 55 countries, and we are proud to say this is one of the most appealing of all. We are more than a simple tenant, since many of our tests require special infrastructure. During the construction and reconstruction, WING gave us all the assistance we needed. We are pleased that TÜV Rheinland InterCert Kft. has found its home for the long term in this beautiful space,” says Miklós Novák, managing director of TÜV Rheinland InterCert Kft.

As requested, TÜV Rheinland’s spaces include spacious offices as well as telephone meeting rooms and conference rooms, which employees may book using a central system. The office also includes a comfortable main dining area with a kitchenette, which also serves as a collaborative workspace to be used by employees working on different floors. Thanks to its technical design, the building – in addition to housing TÜV Rheinland’s main offices – is also home to TÜV Rheinland’s central testing laboratory, a highly complex technical facility equipped with some of the most cutting-edge testing equipment. The full spectrum of laboratory activities will include thermal, light technology, electromagnetic, high voltage, IP protection, household, and medical technology tests.

The office building is located in an office park comprising several buildings. Following its transformation and complete renovation, building no. 9, erected in the 1970s, has been renamed Gizella Loft. While the complete structure of the building was preserved during the reconstruction, tenants will take occupancy of office spaces boasting brand-new interiors. With no need for major demolition or construction works during the project, WING’s activity did not place undue burdens on the environment.

András Dobos, leader of the design team LAB5, describes their experiences transforming the office building: “The building boasts features which are almost unparalleled in Budapest. The floor plan, the high ceilings and the impressive panorama with expansive glass surfaces were one-of-a-kind features to begin with. During the renovation, the outdated building technology and electrical systems had to be renewed completely. From an architectural point of view, we managed to retain the advantages mentioned, and align them with the changing demands of the present. It is always a benefit when several elements of a building can be preserved, which decreases the load we would place on the environment with an entirely new project. TÜV’s laboratory technology was an exciting task filled with complex challenges and planning the office spaces themselves also resulted in some future-oriented designs. One particularly inspiring element was the creation of the loft atmosphere, to the delight of occupants and developers alike.”

The project saw the revival of an existing, vacant building which was previously used for manufacturing activities. Given an entirely new function, the building was renovated in accordance with environmental protection standards. The facility was modernised using energy-efficient LED lighting, heat pump technical systems and innovative, automated energy efficient systems which make the building’s energy consumption highly competitive even compared to many newly built office buildings.

One of the greatest advantages of the Gizella Loft office building is its location. Situated in a quiet, green setting in close proximity to a priority transportation hub, the facility is easily accessible from almost any point in the city and its surroundings, using tram no. 1, suburban rail or any number of busses and trolley buses linking the area to downtown. Additionally, there are bicycle paths leading to the office park, and the Zugló railway station is just an arm’s reach away. Thanks to the urban environment, everything is close-by and easy to access, including grocery stores, banks, ATMs, pharmacies and restaurants. City Park, currently undergoing renewal, is also in close proximity, offering office workers an opportunity to recharge their mind and body.

Gizella Loft is one of the tallest buildings on Hungária körút: at a height of some 20-30 metres, its top storeys offer unmatched views of both the Pest and Buda parts of the city as well as the surrounding Buda hills. The interior layout of the building is designed to accommodate the workplace expectations of generation X and Y employees.

WING was quick to recognise the outstanding characteristics of the Gizella Loft building. According to deputy CEO for office developments Norbert Schőmer, there remains untapped development potential not only near the Zugló transportation hub, but elsewhere along the Hungária körút as well. As an office developer, he places special emphasis on meeting needs which call for office work and technological activities to be performed at the same location: “We believe that there is a new Budapest office corridor emerging along the Hungária körút and its key intersections, including where the Gizella Loft is situated. The recently completed office building is appealing for a number of important reasons: it is easily accessible, is located in an urban area, yet is surrounded by greenery, and as a workplace it is environmentally conscious, flexible and cost-efficient. Another important aspect is that companies engaged in R&D and technological activities have not been able to establish a presence in Budapest’s office areas to date, or have been forced to separate their office and technological activities. The Gizella Loft building meets both of these demands at the same time, and we are delighted that – together with TÜV Rheinland – we have been able to show the solutions WING can offer to similar specialised needs,” says Norbert Schőmer.