Real Estate: Office space returns to business strategy – companies secure their presence through longer-term contracts

  Office space is returning to companies’ strategies as a long-term consideration, following a period in which organisations recalibrated their working policies and the amount of space they occupied. The trend is reflected in contracts signed for longer periods and in a clearer set of requirements regarding flexibility, the speed at which a space can become operational, building management and the building’s ability to support the organisation’s development.   At Cluj  Business Campus (CBC), an urban real estate and workplace experience project developed in Cluj-Napoca, new contracts and renewals signed recently, together with the additional space leased by companies already present on the campus, total more than 7,200 square metres. Bitdefender, Frequentis România and Wavestone Consulting are among the companies that have renewed their contracts, while Computacenter and Evalueserve have signed new contracts.   These developments complement the relationships CBC has built with some of the largest companies present on the campus. SAP and AROBS Transilvania Software have operated here for approximately ten years, since the beginning of the project, and the continuity of such partnerships shows that decisions regarding office locations are once again being approached from a longer-term business perspective. Most contracts are signed for five years, although CBC also has tenants that choose periods of seven to ten years. At the same time, flexibility remains one of the central requirements in negotiations. Companies want to be able to adapt their space during the contract period, depending on the development of their teams, new projects or changes in working arrangements.   The change can also be seen in the way companies approach taking over a new office. The time required for fit-out and relocation is becoming an important criterion, while demand is increasingly shifting towards turnkey solutions and design-ready spaces that can become operational within no more than two months.   Accessibility, technical infrastructure, facilities and ESG performance remain important criteria when selecting a building. The adaptability of the space, the quality of building management and the services that support the daily activities of companies and employees are also carrying increasing weight in negotiations.   “A contract signed for five, seven or ten years is a business decision with long-term effects on the company. The office influences the way you organise your teams, your ability to grow in a particular market and the working experience you create for employees. At the same time, few organisations can predict exactly what they will look like in five years, what projects they will have or what skills they will need. For this reason, we are seeing a very clear combination of the need for stability and the need for adaptability. Companies want to know that they can remain in a project over the long term and that, when changes occur, the space, infrastructure and services can evolve alongside them. For office owners, this relationship requires constant investment and management capable of responding quickly to tenants’ needs throughout the entire contract period”, says Vlad Buzoianu, CEO Cluj Business Campus.   This capacity to adapt also becomes relevant when companies grow. CBC has companies that are increasing the office space they occupy as their teams develop and they attract new projects or clients. Some of these projects come from the IT and BPO sectors and are serviced from Cluj-Napoca, which also supports the city’s role as a regional centre for value-added services and operations.   As contract periods increase, companies also assess how the building will evolve throughout the contractual relationship. Planned investments, technical infrastructure, operational efficiency and the quality of management become relevant to renewal decisions and to potential subsequent expansions.   Between 2025 and 2027, CBC is carrying out a €2.5 million investment programme aimed at modernising the three buildings and the technical infrastructure, improving efficiency and sustainability, and developing the spaces and services used by the campus community. CBC considers its approximately ten-year relationships with SAP and AROBS Transilvania Software a relevant indicator of the project’s ability to evolve alongside companies’ needs.   By the end of 2026, Cluj Business Campus expects to reach 100% occupancy, after attracting three new companies and renewing contracts with two anchor tenants. In the next stage, CBC also aims to diversify its tenant portfolio by attracting more companies from BPO, medical services and other industries outside the IT sector.