Global architectural acoustics company Walters-Storyk Design Group announced on 9 September that they are using Barcelona commercial property to establish an office in Spain. This is is yet another example of the high reputation that the city has amongst design firms that work with an international client base.
Lucas Fox has commercial properties for sale that come with interested tenants able to immediately generate a 5% yield
Walters-Storyk already operates from 4 locations around the globe, offering a range of acoustic design and consultancy services to individual, business and government clients. “We are extremely enthusiastic about the potential of the European market and are confident our new German and Spanish offices will enable us to better serve the international corporate, institutional, recording and broadcast communities,” said WSDG co-principal John Storyk at the time of the announcement.
That they are looking to expand their European focus by setting up in Barcelona commercial property makes good business sense for the company. Barcelona has actively pursued international credentials to become one of the top cities of the world with a world-leading design industry based here.
Events over the next few months further entrench the city’s global design leadership:
- In October, Barcelona Design Week holds its annual festival and conference activities, this year with a series of urban planning sessions looking at sustainability and recycling.
- It is immediately followed by a weekend in which many of the city’s iconic buildings will be open to the public as part of the global Open House series of architectural events.
- And then in December, Barcelona again hosts the World Architecture Festival for the second year running.
Barcelona Design Week is ideal for investors looking for new design businesses in Barcelona
Barcelona City Council’s economic development team is seeking to capitalize on the calendar of events by offering a design-themed study tour for international companies and institutions. The Council schedules these international visitor programmes throughout the year, hosting 10 global leaders for 3 days worth of activities aimed at fostering economic bonds and encouraging strategic investment opportunities in key Barcelona business sectors. We imagine visitors will use the chance to assess the
Barcelona commercial property market while they are here.
In October, Barcelona Council plans to orient its’ international visitors programme – branded Leading to Barcelona – with a design themed series of activities. Targeting business and design experts in New York, London and from across Europe, the Council hopes to showcase the city’s entrepreneurial energy and business innovation experience with an agenda that will includes a focus on the city’s food technologies sector, share business and governmental urban planning and mobility expertise and promote the city’s emerging creative media sectors.
Creativity in carpets, by Nani Marquina and Erwan Bouroullec will be held on 17 October as part of Barcelona Design Week
It is one of several initiatives aimed at sparking greater investment in the city’s thriving design industries. At Barcelona Design Week from 17-21 October, the city has funded a Pop Up Design Store and Design Ideas Market to ensure there is a platform for local creators and entrepreneurs to meet with potential investors during the annual industry event.
The influx of global design companies wanting to set up operations in the city helps create value for equity and foreign investors interested in the Barcelona commercial property market. The demand for contemporary commercial spaces is strong and even recent developments like the grade A space in the city’s new business and periphery areas are in short supply. This creates an economic environment for steady rental growth for commercial property owners. Lucas Fox market predictions on the stability of the Barcelona commercial property market have recently been supported by other analysts. For example, in a Barcelona commercial property report released earlier this year, Jones Lasang Lasalle forecasted that a landlord-led market will emerge in Barcelona from 2012, a stance Lucas Fox has previously taken.
We wish the Walters-Storyck Design Group every success in their office establishment – a high probability given the leadership team of Robert Alfageme and Marc Viadiu – and look forward to more international design companies scouting the city for their own piece of Barcelona commercial property.
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