Kiev’s business centers have new classification

New office classification was presented in the UREC press conference, which took place on October 9^th in the Interfax Ukraine press center. According to consultants, new classification will come into effect from the moment of its presentation. However it may be corrected according to real estate players’ feedback to increase efficiency of the classification and its system of criteria.

The complete version of the classification and contacts for feedback are on the following site: www.officeclass.com.ua.

Among the speakers of the event were Anna Skripkina, Chairman of the URE Club office committee, Director of Property Management Department at IDP, Denis Tuchkov, Senior Account Manager, office department at DTZ, Dmitriy Sennichenko, Head of JLL in Ukraine, Radomir Tsurkan, Managing Partner at CBRE in Ukraine and Sergei Kekukh, Senior Real Estate Service Manager at EY.

Specialists, who worked on the classification underline that the new office building classification is aimed to improve the quality of the working environment in modern offices and the establishment of objective rules for cooperation in the segment of commercial real estate in the local market.

According to Anna Skripkina, Chairman of the URE Club office committee, «Classification has become an instrument able to structure our office real estate market and improve its quality in the future. Developers can use such a classification as a technical specification for designers, and landlords can make more sophisticated analysis while looking for building».

In the course of the press conference they mentioned that all classification criteria are divided into five major functional sub-criteria: location, architectural features of the building, parking, engineering systems and building management. Updated classification includes 40 criteria. Classification includes two variants of criteria achievement — obligatory and recommended.

The object of class A may be located outside the CBD, but in the locations that meet the requirements of location criterion.

For A class office building an updated classification defines 30 obligatory and 10 recommended criteria.

For B class office building 18 obligatory and 22 recommended criteria are identified.

Location criteria and the availability of transport accessibility are required for existing office buildings. In the later section of the classification one or two mandatory criteria may be omitted. Exceptions to the mandatory criteria are not provided for objects that will be launched in the coming years.

This classification should be reviewed in three years after the date of adoption.

Absolutely new criterion for office buildings has become a compliance with the one of green certification standards of environmental sustainability. Meanwhile, this requirement is a recommendation for both classes.

Besides, only two classes of the office buildings are specified in the classification: A class, and B class. The professionals decided to opt out of considering class C.

Your feedback will be helpful for us: info@ureclub.com.

It’s worth noting that the Forum of Ukrainian real estate operators elaborated previous office classification as early as 2004. It was approved by ACC. As experts believe, many its criteria are not up-to-date anymore.

In May 2013 the Ukrainian real estate players (developers, designers, consultants and lawyers) decided to create working group on the basis of URE Club specialized office committee which started to elaborate new office classification. Among the participants of the committee were local and international consulting companies such as JLL, DTZ, CBRE, EY, NAI Pickard, as well UTG and others.

We also appreciate support and assistance of MEP Engineering, KONE and INKOM in elaborating technical part of the classification.

Detailed information is published on the official site of the classification www.officeclass.com.ua.

Organizing committee of Ukrainian Real Estate Club would be happy to provide you with any follow-up information.