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More and more devices are becoming part of the ‘smart home’ concept. No longer limited to TVs or tablets, they now also include laundry machines, vacuum cleaners and even refrigerators. New ways to communicate with household appliances connected to the Internet are currently being brought to us by voice assistants. Now all that it takes to turn on the TV or switch between channels is a single voice command. A group of secondary-school students from Poland have decided to try and merge the ‘smart home’ concept with voice controllability. ‘DAREK’, the project they’re working on, is addressed to disabled users to help them move around the house. Using voice control, not only will they be able to open the door or roll the blinds down but even stock up the fridge.

When compared to the European market, the Polish market for fairs and exhibitions is rather small but well-developed, and it has been steadily growing for several years. More and more events organised in Poland are congresses and fairs with a global reach, attracting foreign exhibitors and guests. This drives business tourism and commercial real property market. Additionally, the fairs and conferences contribute to the development of companies and the entire economic sectors, which become popular thanks to such events. The base of trade fair and conference centres, however, requires extension and modernisation with a view to ensuring the further growth of this market.

“The activity of foreign investors on the Polish real property market is still growing. In their view, Polish cities stand for stability and guaranteed profit, especially when compared with Western Europe. On the Polish investment market, and more specifically in the commercial property sector, Q1 2018 ended with a record-breaking volume of transactions, reaching EUR 2 bn. The demand is, however, much greater than the supply of good-quality structures, which causes a price hike. When coupled with the increasing construction costs and the shortage of qualified staff, this can slow down investors’ activity,” said Beata Latoszek from Deutsche Hypo.

Modular construction is no longer associated with temporary buildings. This method can be used to build homes as well as hotels, public housing, and educational establishments. And, what is important, it is much cheaper and faster than traditional construction technologies. This growth in the popularity of modular construction in Poland can be driven by the recent increase in the prices of building materials and labour shortages, both of which have translated into generally higher prices in the construction industry.

The value of transactions on the investment land market has crossed the threshold of PLN 5 bn, making this the best result since 2006. Purchases with the highest value involved the housing segment. Investors were particularly interested in land in need of revitalisation, located on the outskirts of large cities and close to the city centres. In 2017 and during the first quarter of this year, we have also observed an increased demand in the hospitality segment. Despite concerns surrounding the new legislation, the current year may be even better than the last one, as assessed by Colliers International experts.

A considerable 48 percent of Warsaw’s office space is at least 10 years old. Still, older office buildings can retain their appeal to tenants – Agnieszka Krzekotowska, Property Manager, Colliers International, argues. One of their assets is that they are usually well-located, with convenient access to public transport. However, without investing in upgrades the owners of these buildings will have a hard time competing with the latest projects. No wonder, then, that almost half of Warsaw’s older office facilities have already been upgraded or are undergoing upgrades.