Santander Bank Polska, one of the largest financial groups and the largest bank with private capital in Poland, has become a strategic tenant of The Bridge skyscraper currently being built in the business center of Warsaw, in what developer Ghelamco is calling “the largest transaction on the Polish office market since 2022.”
Santander has signed a lease agreement with Ghelamco for an approximately 24,500 square-meter space (which includes nearly 21 thousand square meters of usable area).
The Bridge is being built in Warsaw’s Wola district, at Plac Europejski and at the junction of Towarowa and Grzybowska streets, in the business heart of the Polish capital. The bank will occupy the top 19 office floors with a total area of 24,500 square meters gross, and will also have exclusive use of a sky terrace on the 40th floor of the building. In addition, a modern Santander Bank Polska branch will be located on the ground floor of the neighboring Bellona building – part of The Bridge office complex.
“This is a breakthrough moment for our investment, but also significant for the Polish office market. Santander Bank Polska has become a strategic tenant of The Bridge, deciding on half of the 40-story skyscraper,” said Ghelamco Poland Managing Director Jaroslaw Zagorski. “We haven’t had such a large office space lease transaction in Poland since 2022! This is proof that modern organizations, constantly striving for development and caring for the standard of the working environment, do not give up on top-class offices. ESG aspects were key for our client, which are a priority for us at The Bridge and are reflected at every stage of the project – from the construction process and materials used to solutions at the level of the building’s operation once it is put into use. We would like to thank Santander for their trust and warmly welcome you to the group of Ghelamco tenants.”
“Moving to a modern office building located in the capital’s business hub is part of our strategy, one of the elements of which is to ensure the best possible experience for our customers and employees,” said Pawel Dziedzina, Director of the Work Environment Management Department at Santander Bank Polska. “We also place great emphasis on implementing the Total Responsibility strategy. Therefore, when looking for a place for the new headquarters of Santander Bank Polska, we paid attention to long-term ESG solutions and modern technologies that not only help improve energy efficiency, but also support the development of positive employee experiences. The fact that The Bridge has a number of ecological and technological certificates, and is perfectly located, convinced us to choose this project as our main office in Poland.”
“The area around Rondo Daszynskiego has been a popular location for banks for several years now, which is why we can talk about a hub created by companies from this sector,” said Pawel Skalba, Senior Partner and Director of the Office Space department at Colliers, which advised Santander Bank Polska on the deal. “Santander Bank Polska will soon join it, and will be located in one of the most modern and ecological buildings in the area. The choice of The Bridge as our client’s headquarters was preceded by very detailed analyses of available properties and reliable recommendations taking into account the bank’s guidelines. We are glad that we could support Santander in making such a key decision and participate in the largest transaction on the office market since Q1 2022.”
Santander Bank Polska is the second institution to recently choose The Bridge as its headquarters, following the French Institute, which in August of this year committed to leasing 1,300 square meters in the Bellona building that is part of the complex (as reported by CEE Real Estate Matters on September 12, 2024).
