This year, IULIUS celebrates 25 years since the inauguration of the first modern real estate project and marks a defining moment in the evolution of urban development in Iași, Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca, underlining the major impact of its portfolio of office buildings on the local economy. Under the United Business Center (UBC) brand, IULIUS has transformed the centers of these cities into true business hubs, by developing 240.000 sqm of premium office spaces, integrated into mixed projects. The UBC community has reached 145 headquarters of companies, multinational and national, from value-added fields, where 29.000 employees work. IULIUS also inaugurated in Iași, in 2023, Palas Campus, the largest office building in Romania (60.000 sqm).
Since the first building inaugurated in Iași, the United Business Center brand has developed in two other major cities in the country – Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara – becoming a national network of premium office spaces, which enjoys notoriety and confirms the IULIUS group as one of the most dynamic developers and operators, including on the office market. Currently, in Iași, an important business hub has emerged in the city center, which brings together 8 class A buildings, including the largest office building in the country (an area of over 60.000 sqm rentable) – Palas Campus.
These office buildings, integrated into mixed-use projects, offer employees the advantage of having immediate access to shops and services, themed restaurants and cafes, food courts, public institution offices, kindergarten and primary school, fitness center, medical services, a garden where they can " move " their office at any time and multiple leisure opportunities. IULIUS also has a policy of encouraging alternative transportation, so showers and locker rooms have been arranged in the office buildings, cycling paths and dedicated bicycle parking spaces.
The evolution was organic, in agreement with the development plans of large companies or with the desire of others to enter the Romanian market . Thus, names such as: Amazon, Microsoft, AMD, Endava, Cognizant Softvision, Cegeka, Unicredit SpA, Bitdefender, Accenture, Centric, Infineon, Createq, etc. joined the creative community in UBC. " We have believed from the beginning that cities can evolve and become better places to live if the workspace is designed as a natural extension of the community. Integrating office buildings into projects with multiple functions, which include retail, park, food and entertainment areas, offers a sustainable and attractive urban lifestyle for local talents and investors from around the world. The UBC story in Iași began with one building in 2010, two companies and 65 employees. Today, we are a community 215 times larger, creating technologies and identifying solutions that make life easier worldwide," said Ionuț Pavel, Office Buildings Manager Palas Iași.
Thus, a strong business community has formed in Iași, including international and national companies in the fields of IT, Outsourcing, automotive, insurance and services, some with their only center in Romania. They form the largest pool of young talents in the region, because, within the 60 companies it hosts, 14.000 employees work.
Offices with urban garden and focus on socializing
In Timisoara, within Iulius Town, the total leasable area of the 4 United Business Center buildings is 80.000 sqm, with over 70 multinational companies and 11.000 employees. Partners include Acces, Eviden, Magna, Amazon, Ness Digital Engineering, Visma, Porsche Engineering Romania, etc.
"United Business Center in Iulius Town Timișoara is the most important business hub in western Romania - an integrated urban ecosystem, which has grown organically with the needs of the market and created more than just an office center: it has built a community. Here, top companies benefit from a modern, technologically advanced and connected working environment that encourages performance, innovation and collaboration. Part of a unique mixed-use project in the region, UBC offers immediate access to facilities that support the balance between professional and personal life - restaurants, green spaces, fitness centers, services and fast connections. It is the place where ideas take shape, where young people find opportunities and where the economic future of the region is shaped", said Laurențiu Manea, Office Buildings Manager Iulius Town Timișoara.
A national brand
In Cluj-Napoca, the business center developed by IULIUS in the vicinity of Iulius Mall Cluj consists of 3 office buildings, with over 30.000 sqm of rentable space, hosting 14 companies and approximately 4.500 employees. Garmin, Endava, Analog Devices, Copeland, Marelli, Regus, Tenaris, Genpact are some of the companies that have their headquarters in the offices developed by IULIUS in Cluj-Napoca, one of the attractive destinations for employees and entrepreneurs due to the integrated vision on how the working environment connects with the city. "Cluj is a strong IT hub in Romania, which delivers technological solutions worldwide, and part of it is at United Business Center. We can say that it is a matter of pride that in our buildings there are also unique headquarters in Romania of some big international names in the field", added Silviu Băbțan, Office Buildings Manager United Business Center Cluj.
Within the UBC network, through the Partner Card program, employees benefit from offers and discounts at shops and restaurants in the mixed-use centers where the buildings are located, but they also enjoy various events and recreational activities organized in the parks near the buildings or in the conference rooms: concerts, sports competitions, special events.
LEED and EDGE certifications
All 15 buildings were built taking into account the principles of sustainability and minimal environmental impact, so they were green certified: LEED, from the US Green Building Council, or/and EDGE, from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). In addition, IULIUS has in its portfolio two office buildings with double green certification – Palas Campus Iaşi and United Business Center 0 in Iulius Town Timişoara – LEED Platinum, the maximum certification level, and EDGE.
Palas Campus also obtained the first green loan of 2021 million euros granted in Romania by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, during the construction period, in 72. Energy performance, low carbon emissions, water saving, materials used and connectivity are among the parameters that had a significant impact in confirming the high level of performance of the office buildings in the IULIUS portfolio.
About JULIUS
IULIUS is a real estate developer and operator specializing in mixed-use urban regeneration projects in Romania, with over 25 years of experience in real estate and a presence in four major cities in the country – Iași, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca and Suceava. The company's portfolio is valued at 1,8 billion euros, and its development plans include two large-scale mixed-use urban regeneration projects in Cluj-Napoca (RIVUS) and Constanța , totaling investments of over 1,3 billion euros.
The current portfolio includes over 320.000 sq m of retail space, in two mixed-use urban regeneration projects (Palas Iași and Iulius Town Timișoara), the national network of regional shopping malls (Iulius Mall – Iași, Cluj-Napoca and Suceava) and the Family Market projects in Iași (Miroslava and Bucium). The projects are market leaders at regional level and register 73 million visits annually.
IULIUS has established itself as one of the most active developers and operators of class A office spaces, building, under the national brand United Business Center, regional business poles and multinational creative communities in three important university centers of Romania - Iași, Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca. In total, 15 green buildings, with a total area of over 240.000 sq m, in which 145 company headquarters are present and where over 29.000 employees work.
IULIUS projects are sustainable concepts that integrate large gardens, bringing nature into the middle of cities, among people – 14 hectares of urban gardens in Iași, Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca, with 80.000 trees and shrubs and investments of 20 million euros. Through their concepts, the company's investments contribute not only to urban and economic development, but also from a cultural and social perspective, becoming destinations that offer varied experiences , for all ages, all year round – over 1.000 events annually, including as partnerships with the local artistic and cultural environment.
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