A comprehensive analysis of Poles' expectations of good housing. The report focuses on the timeless elements of a high-quality home and building environment.

1. good living
What Poles expect from their home?

2. 3
2
Tomasz Bojęć
Przemysław Chimczak-Bratkowski
Dominik Różewicz
Karolina Bondar
Blanka Chmielewska
Joanna Fabiszewska-Solares
Piotr Kaczyński
Patryk Kocewiak
Graphic design:
Karol Koszniec
Translated by:
Wojciech Góralczyk
Warsaw 2022
strategic partners: research partner:
www.thinkco.pl
good living
What Poles expect from their home?

3. the ABC of housing
the history of modern housing
housing in Europe
housing in Poland
in and around the home
what makes a home?
an extension of home
benchmarks
contents
the characteristic of an apartment
what should an apartment be like?
living space in a post-covid world
trends in housing
approach to ecology
housing technologies
future scenarios
strategic partners
notes
about us
62
60
44
26
14
12
114
116
124
130
82
138
140
144
102
94
92
70

4. 7
6
Our needs and lifestyle are constantly
evolving, and our apartments bear silent
witness to these changes. The issue of
housing is becoming more pronounced in
public discourse. In the media, in political
debates, but also in everyday conversa-
tions, we increasingly often hear about
the availability and quality of the spaces
in which we live.
It’s easy to get the impression that most
studies on the subject of the preferences
and needs of Poles are based on ana-
lyzing the number of mortgage loans
and apartments sold on the primary
market. In this publication, we have tak-
en a broader approach, because we see
purchase decisions not as expressions
of aspirations and needs, but rather as a
product of purchasing power and availa-
bility. That is why we focus on the time-
less elements of good housing, instead of
on changing prices.
The debate on how we want to and how
we should live ought not to revolve solely
around square meters. An apartment’s
surface area is but one of its defining ele-
ments. The functionality and adaptability
of rooms, access to sunlight, furnishings,
and quite simply whether the space fits
us at this point in our life are equally
important factors, and to them we have
devoted this publication.
This report is a wide overview of quality
housing – from analyzing data on the
Polish market as compared to the rest
of Europe, through a study of housing
across the ages, to current technological
trends and ecology. We also take a look
at the idea of a home from a sociological
and psychological perspective. After all,
it is the most important place on earth.
Tomasz Bojęć
Przemysław Chimczak-Bratkowski
Managing Partners
ThinkCo
introduction
good living | introduction
source:
Derek
Swalwell,
Maitreya
Chandorka

5. 9
8
key findings
DATA ON HOUSING
•
The housing stock in Poland amounts to ca. 15.3 million units, of which 235 thousand
arrived on the market in 2021. It is the highest yearly result since 1979. Poland is char-
acterized by very dynamic housing growth, as compared to the rest of Europe – in 2020,
around 5.8 apartments were completed per 1000 persons, which was the highest result
in Europe.
•
Voivodeship capitals and the surrounding areas account for 36% of Poland’s population,
but also for 57% of newly built apartments, and 72% of housing in multi-family build-
ings. The Warsaw, Cracow, Wrocław, Poznań and Tricity metropolitan areas account for
38% of all new housing and 50% of housing in multi-family buildings.
•
Although officially the average surface area of a housing unit in Poland in 2020 was
75 square meters, in cities it was 10 meters smaller. The number is inflated by large
semi-detached houses, because the average usable area of new apartments in mul-
ti-family buildings has been shrinking for decades. In 2021, it was 52.6 square meters,
with an average of 2.6 rooms per apartment.
•
70% of European Union citizens own their housing, which is a far smaller percentage
than in Poland, with its over 80%. Ownership is much more preferred in post-communist
countries and those in the south of the continent. Rental is the most popular in Switzer-
land, Germany and Austria, where over 40% of the population lives in rented housing.
•
The average number of rooms per person in Poland is 1.2 and is the second lowest in the
European Union. 36.9% of Poles live in overcrowded apartments, which is far above the
EU average (17.5%).
FRIENDLY CITY AND FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD
•
Over 57% of Poles have indicated that they feel happy in their city. What affects the
subjective sense of happiness in cities? 29% of respondents have pointed to access to
shops. We also appreciate eco-friendly cities (21.7%), well-communicated ones (23.9%),
cities that offer multiple options for entertainment and relaxation (21.1%) and ones that
are safe (21.7%)
•
And what do we find bothersome? Above all – the cost of living. As many as 36% of re-
spondents named finances as the biggest obstacle on the way to happiness, followed by
the state of the environment (23.9%), and access to health care (22.2%). We also com-
plain about public transport, and access to entertainment and cultural attractions.
•
For 61% of Poles, a large grocery store close to home is the most important piece of in-
frastructure, while 41% see a small local grocery store as indispensable. The equally high
placement of package lockers can be seen as a sign of the times. For over 30% respond-
ents, the proximity of a pharmacy or a health clinic is very important. There are large dif-
ferences of opinion depending on the size of the respondent’s city. Big city dwellers more
frequently complain about insufficient parking spaces, while those from smaller towns
wish they had better access to services and entertainment.
•
53% of Poles agreed with the statement that they appreciate green areas in their neigh-
borhood more than they did before the pandemic. The same percentage of those who
have switched apartments during the pandemic named more contact with nature as an
important factor in making the decision to move. Access to nature in the vicinity is par-
ticularly important to people over 55. Studies also attest to the importance of balconies
and terraces as substitutes for private yards.
FEELING AT HOME
•
As many as 79% of Poles like their homes. The things we appreciate about them the
most are location, spaciousness, and coziness. Peace and quiet also play an important
role. A little over 90% of respondents say that it’s a place where they can fully relax. But
that doesn’t mean that our homes are perfect. Only 6% of respondents wouldn’t change
anything about their home, which is half as many as in Western countries.
•
When furnishing their homes, Poles prefer practical solutions and functional interiors
– it is the route taken by as many as 87% of those surveyed. That is followed by aesthet-
ics and finish (58%), quality of materials and furnishings (57%), and only then by price
(40%). The flexibility of a space is growing in importance – during the pandemic, 60% of
respondents reorganized their space to reconcile work with leisure.
•
Our homes are one of the most popular ways of expressing ourselves – this sentiment
is shared by 67% of respondents. The most popular elements used to personalize our
spaces are plants (76%), photographs (59%) and books and albums (53%) The room in
which the individuality of the owner shines through the most is the living room, which is
also described as the heart of the house.
9
8

6. 11
10
•
In terms of multi-family housing, the average surface area of a new apartment has
dropped by 16.2 square meters between 2008 and 2019. Given the limited amount of
space, clever arrangement, proper lighting and functionally designed furniture have be-
come very important.
POST-COVID LIVING
•
As many as 75% of Poles declare that the pandemic has forced them to reorganize their
home in order to be able to work from it. For 50%, it became more important to have a
balcony, terrace or yard, and 41% started paying more attention to whether they can
leave their apartment
•
However, our homes don’t meet the new requirements imposed by remote work, and
only 35% of respondents state that their home allows for comfortable work or studying.
•
During the pandemic, 58% of respondents saw a separate room for work as more im-
portant than before. However, few of us had the luxury of an additional room, in lieu of
which a workspace was created in the living room or the bedroom.
•
Only 58% of Poles think that their home meets their needs in terms of improving their
mood. Almost 40% saw the opportunity of spending some time alone as one of the key
factors in maintaining their mental health. Spending time with a partner, food, and cook-
ing were also seen as beneficial.
GREEN SOLUTIONS
•
What aspects of eco-friendly living are important to Poles? The most important one is
lower costs of heating (93%), good air quality (92%), the presence of greenery near the
house (91%), reduced water use (89%) and using non-toxic finishing materials (88%).
•
One in three respondents is ready to pay more to ensure that eco-friendly materials are
used in constructing their home. 56% would pay extra for green solutions. The discrep-
ancy here results from the fact that unlike reducing one’s carbon footprint, the latter are
seen as offering potential savings down the line. The group most willing to suffer the
cost of eco-friendly solutions are inhabitants of the biggest cities.
TECHNOLOGIES AT HOME AND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
•
Between 2019 and 2021, profits in the smart home sector rose by 54% (USD 36.8
billion), and are projected to continue rising. Both now and in the near future, the lion’s
share is going to be generated by modern home appliances, followed by devices that
provide communication and control, security, home entertainment, and managing tem-
perature, lighting and power use.
•
The most popular smart home solution in Poland are vacuuming robots. 300 thousand
households are already using them, and further 2.5 million are interested in buying one.
Other popular solutions are heating programmers and light management systems.
•
Electric car chargers are becoming more popular in residential estates, as a result of
the EU directive that obligates real estate developers to provide sufficient charging in-
frastructure. The presence of chargers is crucial to the owners of electric cars, of which
there were over 41 thousand at the end of January 2022.
illustration:
pch.vector,
Freepik
11
10

7. 12
the ABC of housing

8. 15
14
the history
of modern housing
1Until the industrial revolution, most cit-
ies around the world were rather small,
and their population was growing slowly
enough for them to be able to maintain
their boundaries for centuries. The rev-
olution changed everything – enormous
factories required many workers, and
improving transport paved the way for
unprecedented urban sprawl. Providing
decent housing on a mass scale turned
out to pose a whole slew of challenges
and problems, the solutions to which we
are refining to this day.
health and social
issues
Industrialization has revolutionized cit-
ies. Until recently dominated by crafts-
men and merchants, they had to now
absorb thousands of factory workers
and their families. Generally, they did
not rise to the challenge, and housing
conditions for the less affluent segment
of society were criminally bad. Insuffi-
cient green areas, no basic sanitation in
buildings, and little in the way of venti-
lation and access to daylight created the
perfect breeding grounds for disease.
We should also remember the air pollu-
tion resulting from intense coal burning
required for heating and industry. These
are the conditions in which people ex-
hausted after hours of hard work – and
their children – had to rest.
Garbage and sewage disposal, access
to clean water – the most basic issues
quickly spun out of control in the wake
of the rapid growth of urban popula-
tions. Cities were also so dense that
it led to various social problems – the
abundance of dark alleys and the ano-
nymity of large urban centers gave rise
to crime, and low quality of life resulted
in addictions, particularly alcoholism.
The dynamic growth of cities did not re-
sult in utter spatial chaos, new buildings
were often constructed on plots desig-
nated by the authorities, along straight,
pre-planned streets. The resulting quar-
ters were tightly packed with tenement
houses. The ground, street-facing floors
housed various services, while upper
floors offered apartments for rent. The
ones on top floors were the smallest
and cheapest, because they required
going up numerous flights of steep
stairs. Apartments in the side and back
annexes only had windows facing the
courtyard, which was often so narrow
that the bottom floors never saw the
light of day1
.
workers’ districts
Until the end of the 18th century, one of
the most popular ways of satisfying the
demand for housing were prefabricated
workers’ estates owned by industrialists.
They were located in the vicinity of fac-
tories, some distance away from the city
center. They took on various forms, de-
pending on the ingenuity and generosity
of the factory owner. In Great Britain,
they were usually the province of the
so-called back-to-back houses, in which
multiple households shared sanitary
facilities. In Poland, we find the biggest
workers’ districts in Upper Silesia and in
cities such as Łódź and Żyrardów. They
mostly consist of brick buildings divid-
ed into small apartments, with shared
courtyards and sanitary facilities.
The districts were characterized by their
functional layout, simple architecture
and monofunctionality.
source: Belinda Fewings, Unsplash
Cross
section
of
a
19
th
century
tenement
house
in
Paris,
source:
Bibliotheque
Nationale
de
France
source:
A.
Gawryszewski,
2009,
Population
of
Warsaw
in
the
20th
Century,
IGPZ
PAN;
data
from
Statistics
Poland
WARSAW'S POPULATION DENSITY OVER THE YEARS,
PEOPLE/SQUARE METER
0
1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
5 000
10 000
15 000
20 000
25 000 inhabitants/km²

9. 17
16
the thinning out of quarter
development
At the beginning of the 20th
century, big
cities also started focusing on providing
more green areas at the expense of de-
velopment density. The charge was led
by the Dutch, as seen in districts such as
Amsterdam-Zuid. A more friendly space
was created there, in keeping with the
principles of traditional urban planning.
Greenery was introduced to the main
streets and courtyards of thinned out
quarters. Constructing residential build-
ings only along the outer edges of quar-
ters, allowed all of them to now contain
apartments with access to sunlight from
two sides, while the streets maintained
their frontage nature.
The thinning out of quarter develop-
ment is seen as one of the symptoms
of burgeoning modernism which aimed
to improve hygiene and sanitary con-
ditions in cities decimated by industry.
The smaller density of development
was partly required by the authorities,
and partly dictated by the new way
garden cities
The so-called garden cities, based on
a concept published by Ebenezer How-
ard in 1898, were a radical attempt at
countering the problem of dense devel-
opment. This solution involved creating
satellite cities separated from the existing
central hub by green areas. The 400 ha
area was to house around 35 thousand
people, split into six settlements with
their adjoining arable areas, which would
make them self-sufficient in terms of
basic foodstuffs2
. The concept also made
allowances for factories and warehouses,
which separated the satellite towns from
the central hub and each other, meaning
that most residents would not have to
commute to work.
Even though no city that fully embodied
Howard’s idea was ever created, the turn
of the 20th century saw the delineation
of many suburban areas that shared
some characteristics with it. The most
prominent examples in Poland are Pod-
kowa Leśna and the Giszowiec workers’
district in Katowice. In practice, instead
of becoming self-sufficient settlements,
garden cities turned out to be collections
of purely residential buildings surrounded
by trees. The idea would become warped
even further in the wake of the intense
suburbanization of post-war America.
in which housing needs were being
met – i.e. through housing coopera-
tives and associations. Their members
co-financed the construction of the
apartments in which they would then
live, which set them apart from both
profit-based tenement houses and
cost-cutting workers’ districts3
.
Plan of a garden city,
source: Ebenezer Howard,
Public domain, via
Wikimedia Commons
Typical set of
back-to-back houses,
source: Clem Rutter,
Rochester, Kent.
(www.clemrutter.net).,
CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia
Commons.
Plan Voisin,
Road to infinity,
source: Wikimedia
Commons
good living | the history of modern housing

10. 19
18
post-war housing boom
Although functional residential estates
with cheap apartments had begun ap-
pearing several decades before, the re-
construction of European cities after the
Second World War two offered a great
opportunity to bring modernist principles
to life on a grand scale. All throughout
Europe, demand for housing was high not
only because of the ravages of war, but
also due to explosive population growth.
There was enormous pressure to create
new housing. Until the late 1970s, vari-
ous types of social housing were devel-
oping dynamically in almost every corner
of the continent. Among them were the
Swedish Miljonprogrammet, the French
HLM (habitation à loyer modéré), and the
British council housing. They differed in
terms of the financial involvement of the
tenants, the path to ownership, and the
extent of offered legal protections, but all
of them were kept in a simple, modernist
architectural style. In Central and Eastern
Europe, social housing programs were
carried out until the end of the 1980s,
implemented on a much larger scale, and
characterized by the mass use of Platten-
bau technology10
.
modernism in Austria and
Germany
Of particular interest is early modernist
housing in Germany, where between
1919 and 1928 as many as 1.65 mil-
lion apartments were built in residen-
tial estates consisting of freestanding
buildings with good access to natural
light4
. The German state, which had
been suffering from a crippling economic
crisis following the First World War, was
a ripe testing ground for new, cheap
and functional solutions. The nature and
appearance of housing in Germany was
heavily influenced by Bauhaus – a move-
ment started in 1919 by the architect
Walter Gropius. Buildings constructed
according to its principles contained
many elements that later became char-
acteristic of modernist architecture –
among them steel frames, glass curtain
walls, and above all minimalist aesthet-
ics5
.
For the capital of the neighboring Aus-
tria, the 1920s were the so-called Red
Vienna period. The city was dominated
by socialists and undertook an ambi-
tious attempt at improving the living
conditions of tenants of overcrowded
tenement houses6
. Their priority was
providing running water, central heating,
and green courtyards, all with an eye
towards standardization which would
reduce costs. Among the most well-
known examples of buildings from that
era are the Karl-Marx-Hof residential
building constructed between 1927 and
1930, and containing 1382 apartments7
in addition to laundry rooms, a school,
a health clinic, a library, and numerous
shops.
Le Corbusier’s units
The French architect is considered to
be one of the most influential figures
in modernism. His designs were based
on a revolutionary approach to the city
and his desire to program a comforta-
ble life for its residents. As early as in
the 1920s, he proposed the concept of
Ville Radieuse, a city composed of tall
residential buildings equipped with all
basic services and located in a large
green area. The city was to be divided
into functional sectors, and car traffic
was to be separated from pedestrians8
.
The key elements of this project were
implemented in the 1940s and 1950s in
the so-called Marseilles Unit. Suspended
above ground on pilotis, the building
houses meticulously designed apart-
ments and a wealth of shared facilities,
including a sports hall, a commercial
area, and a beautiful rooftop terrace9
.
problems of modernist
housing
In the 1980s, Western countries started
moving away from social policies de-
veloped after the war and towards sup-
porting real estate ownership. A number
of economic and social factors contrib-
uted to this shift, including problems
with maintaining such a large number
L'unite d’habitation, Marseille,
France, source: Yana Marudova,
Unsplash
Demolition of the Pruitt-
Igoe housing estate,
source: Wikimedia
Commons
source:
DCLG,
Live
tables
on
house
building
(table
244),
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-
-tables-on-house-building
(accessed
on:
10
May
2022)
50 000
0
1946
1949
1952
1958
1981
1964
1967
1970
1973
1976
1979
1982
1985
1988
1991
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
2018
2021
100 000
150 000
200 000
250 000
300 000
350 000
400 000 numbers of dwelings
private enterprise housing associations local authorities
NEW HOUSING IN ENGLAND DIVIDED BY TYPE OF OWNERSHIP
good living | the history of modern housing

11. 21
20
of public resources. In Great Britain, the
turning point in thinking about housing
came with the partial collapse of the
Ronan Point residential tower in London
in 1968. The next years saw not only
restrictions being introduced regarding
the construction of residential towers,
but also the demolishing of many exist-
ing ones11
.
The Pruitt-Igoe estate in St. Louis be-
came a symbol of the failure of great
housing projects in the United States.
Constructed in the 1950s, it was seen
as a breakthrough in improving the lives
of low income families in the city. During
the first few years, 80% of its residents
claimed that Pruitt-Igoe met their needs
better than their previous residence12
.
However, due to the city’s irresponsible
social policies, the area quickly became
characterized by poverty and, which is
particularly important in the American
context at the time, were inhabited al-
most exclusively by African Americans13
.
The ghettoization of the projects, their
neglect, and problems with finding
tenants willing to live in them made
Pruitt-Igoe into an infamous symbol.
The local authorities blamed all of these
problems on architecture and eventu-
ally decided to tear down the estate.
In 1972, the first condemned buildings
were demolished on air.
The image of large scale housing es-
tates was further tarnished by class-
and ethnicity-based tensions on the
outskirts of Paris, the great failure of
the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam, and
the intensification of social patholo-
gies in the housing estates of West
Berlin popularized in the book “Zoo
Station”. However, it’s not true that all
big residential estates are problematic
by nature. Everything depends on the
local context, specific functional solu-
tions, the estate’s integration with the
city, and above all – on its residents. In
some Western countries, these estates
were mostly located on the outskirts of
cities, were fully state-owned, and their
residents were low income families ad-
ditionally disenfranchised based on their
ethnic background. In post-communist
counties, including Poland, these estates
were from the start inhabited by people
with varied income and social status.
That is why it’s difficult to find examples
of estates plagued by comparable prob-
lems in this part of Europe. The excep-
tions, such as Lunik IX in Košice, seem
to have fully copied the mistakes made
in the West14
.
new urbanism
and onwards
Subsequent trends in architecture didn’t
introduce as many significant changes
to the lives of city-dwellers. Postmod-
ernism has liberated buildings from
modernist rigor design-wise, and gave
architects more freedom, but didn’t
change much in terms of the apart-
ments themselves. Modernism’s endur-
ing legacy in housing development are
the standards regarding their functional
layout, access to natural light, sanitary
facilities, and green areas. However, the
current appearance of cities was sig-
nificantly influenced by new urbanism,
which began with journalist and sociolo-
gist Jane Jacobs in the 1960s and flour-
ished in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It calls for a return to the traditional
composition of cities – frontage-based
quarter development, mixing functions,
and curtailing car traffic in favor of pe-
destrians.
Subsequent market shifts combined
with the fact that housing development
became the province of private investors
resulted in a hybrid approach combining
elements of modernism, postmodernism
and new urbanism. Today’s residential
estates are smaller, but frequently have
street-facing frontages, with the back
reserved for intimate green areas and
shared courtyards.
Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany,
photo: Sven Fluck,
Unsplash
XXXX
We like to think that housing has always been impor-
tant to society. In reality, the significance of housing
as a social resource was negligible almost until the
end of the 19th century. Today, after over 100 years
of housing experiments, we’ve learned some things
by trial and error. Over these couple of generations
we have found that we need not only a place to sleep,
a kitchen and a bathroom, but also access to greene-
ry, light, and hygiene. Sometime later, we noticed
that we also want privacy and security where we live.
Finally, over the past dozen or so years, we have re-
alized the importance of locality and the proximity of
services in our immediate area.
When advising our clients during the creation and
development of housing products, we try to draw on
the whole spectrum of social experiences. We take
care to not only avoid making the same mistakes as
before, but also remember good practices from histo-
ry. Quality housing doesn’t have to be innovative and
constantly reinvented just for the sake of it. Drawing
on tried and true solutions sometimes yields the best
results, while avoiding generating needless costs and
investment risk.
Tomasz Bojęć
partner at ThinkCo
good living | the history of modern housing

12. 23
22
BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Cities were much smaller and more
crowded than today, and often surround-
ed by defense walls. Small buildings were
densely packed into plots. Public areas
were limited to streets and marketplaces
– which is where city life took place.
THINNED OUT QUARTERS
The first response to the shortcomings
of too densely packed cities was the
thinning out of development within indi-
vidual quarters. Getting rid of numerous
deep and narrow courtyards provided all
apartments with better access to sun-
light, and the freed up space could be
used for meetings with neighbors, leisure,
and even house chores. The boundaries
were still densely developed, and the
street-facing ground floors housed vari-
ous services.
19TH
CENTURY CITIES
Rapidly growing cities were often ex-
panding in accordance with plans de-
vised by the authorities, which is why
new districts were based on symmetrical
grids. Quarters were packed with dense,
multi-story tenement houses, in which
only the tenants whose apartments
faced the street could hope for sunlight
and ventilation. The size and density of
cities gave rise to the need for parks and
introducing greenery to some streets, but
given the massive demand, these meas-
ures were woefully insufficient.
DISPERSED DEVELOPMENT
Mature modernism gave us a multitude of
forms of residential estates that differed
from each other in terms of layout, size
and scale. Their common denominator
was the abundance of greenery between
detached buildings, the distinct separa-
tion of fast car traffic, and the presence of
comprehensive infrastructure necessary
for everyday life – schools, health clinics,
grocery stores. Other services and the
majority of places of work were located in
different areas of the city.
CURRENT
The multi-family residential estates that have
been built over the last few decades seem to
strive – though not always successfully – to
strike a balance between dense development
and a friendly city. Placing services on the
ground floors of residential buildings is becom-
ing the norm, as is providing green areas in the
shape of small yards accessible to only some
of the residents. For the first time in history,
residential estates are trying to provide a large
number of parking spaces. Insufficient supply
of land in cities combined with high demand
have created pressure to create housing with
as many apartments per property as possible.
COMB LAYOUT
In the first half of the 20th century, build-
ings located in city centers still served
various functions, but the concentration
of services in market halls and shopping
centers, along with the deliberate plan-
ning of industrial areas allowed for the
development of purely residential estates
and districts. Buildings did not have to
face the streets and could be arranged
in a way that gave them access to green
courtyards on two sides.
THE EVOLUTION OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN CITIES
- FROM TENEMENT HOUSE TO TOWER BLOCK15

13. 25
24
We are a real estate developer who
helps clients make optimal housing and
business choices. We are convinced that
apartments and housing estates should
be built in a sustainable way – respecting
the local context, natural environment, and
social circumstances. When designing our
properties, we put special emphasis on
two issues – the layout of apartments, and
the quality of common spaces and green
areas.
We make it a priority to make green areas
in our estates more attractive – they are
enriched with specially selected plants and
functional street furniture. We pay special
attention to biodiversity, water retention,
and preserving native soil. Greenery serves
many purposes – it facilitates relaxation,
eases stress, purifies the air and serves
as an acoustic barrier. An excellent ex-
ample of sustainable design is the Nowy
Grabiszyn estate in Wrocław. It combines
functional architecture with an impressive
park that covers the area of three football
fields. We are also aware of the fact how
important the organization of the estate
itself is – space between individual build-
ings, orderly organization of inner areas,
proper management of car traffic, outdoor
parking spaces, and non-overwhelming
architecture give the property a relaxed
feel. Add to this some green areas for re-
laxation and neighborly meetings, and you
get the perfect estate. Which is what we
can confidently call Wiślany Mokotów in
Warsaw, where we have just begun the 7th
stage of construction.
– We understand that every residential
estate is part of the fabric of the city
and should be woven into it harmoni-
ously. That is why we work together
with local authorities, nongovernmental
organizations, architects and activ-
ists. We build cohesive estates that
contain greenery, recreational areas
and playgrounds as well as various
services. We realize the importance of
general access, shared areas in which
neighbors can interact. As a result, our
estates become micro-cities that meet
all of their residents’ needs – says Da-
mian Kapitan, Chairman of the Board at
Spravia.
Spravia housing estates aren’t just
about timeless architecture and biodi-
versity. Above all, they offer functional
apartments in which every square
meter is adapted to take advantage of
the available space. We offer zoning,
hallways with storage space, bright
kitchens or fully functional annexes,
bathrooms with room for a bathtub. As
a result, our apartments can serve their
residents for years to come. They are
also easily rearranged, for example if
the family grows. We offer apartments
that stand out in terms of layout, meet-
ing the expectations of our customers
while offering uncompromising quality.
It has been our trademark for years,
and we intend to keep it that way.
– When thinking about a new estate,
we try to envision the people who are
going to live there – maybe for a couple
of years, maybe for decades - explains
Agnieszka Szefer, Director of Prod-
ucts at Spravia. We want to anticipate
all their future needs in order to meet
them. Our biggest passion and simulta-
neously biggest challenge is delivering
the best possible layouts. We have
been doing it consistently for years,
regardless of whether the property is
located in a cheap or expensive district.
source:
Spravia
source:
Spravia
a holistic approach
to constructing Spravia estates
CASE
STUDIES
25

14. 27
26
housing in Europe
2
According to data from Eurostat, in
2020 nearly half (46%) of the citizens
of the European Union were living in
multiple-family housing. Multiple-family
housing is definitely more popular in
cities, where it is picked by nearly 72%
of EU citizens16
. Although Poland places
very close to the EU average, there are
vast differences in terms of preferences
across various EU countries. Detached
houses are the most popular in Ireland,
where they account for 90% of all res-
idences. On the other side of the spec-
trum is Spain, where less than 34% of
the population lives in detached houses.
In many respects, the housing situation
in the EU isn’t optimal. Studies show
that the total annual cost of insufficient
help for people who live in adverse con-
dition to the EU economies amounts to
nearly EUR 194 billion, and that the cost
of improving these conditions would be
returned within 18 months thanks to
potential savings in terms of health care
and social benefits17
Poland as compared
to Europe
The analysis of statistical data on hous-
ing shows that in many respects Poland
is faring worse than neighboring EU
countries. Despite the improving tech-
nical state and quality of apartments,
we’re still one of the countries with the
lowest index of meeting housing needs.
The average number of rooms per per-
son in Poland is 1.2, while the average
for the entire EU is 1.618
. At the same
time, Poland is second to last when it
comes to the average number of people
per household. At 2.8 persons, we’re
ahead of only Slovakia (2.9).
From this perspective, the overcrowding
of Polish apartments becomes very no-
ticeable. According to EU guidelines, a
household should have at least one day
room, as well as separate bedrooms for:
adult singles, adult couples, and at most
two children under 12 or two teenagers
of the same sex. Teenaged brother and
sister should have separate rooms. If
those conditions aren’t met, the apart-
ment is considered to be overcrowded19
.
As a result, the percentage of people
living in overcrowded apartments in
Poland is much higher than in the rest of
Europe – 36.9% compared to 17.5%.
In Poland, the main problem in regard
to housing is a housing deficit, i.e. the
difference between the number of
households and the number of occupied
apartments. In terms of the number of
apartments per 1000 citizens, Poland
lags behind the rest of Europe. In 2019,
our index of meeting housing needs
was 386, which is far below prosper-
ous countries (ex. France, Germany, or
Austria)20
. Despite one of the highest
number of completed dwellings in
Europe (221.4 thousand in 202021
),
direct budget expenditures on housing
amounted to a mere 0.08% of GDP (1.2
billion in 2019). Meanwhile, the EU av-
erage was about 0.5% of GDP, and in
countries such as Great Britain, Germa-
ny or France the number was closer to
1% of GDP22
.
problems to be solved
Poland does quite well in terms of the
basic standard of apartments. In 2020,
only 1.4% of the population was living
in apartments without a dedicated toilet
connected to a water supply system,
which was slightly below the EU aver-
age. The issue is most pronounced in
Romania, with over 20% of the popu-
lation affected. On the other hand, in
some countries this problem was erad-
icated almost completely – ex. in Slove-
nia (0.01%)23
.
Around 4% of Poles think that their
apartment is too dark, which is once
again slightly below the EU average.
In other EU countries, the percentage
varies from 3% in Italy to 10% in Mal-
ta24
. Meanwhile, one in ten Poles has
problems with a leaking roof, moldy
walls and warping window frames. In
this regard, the divergences between
EU countries are very significant. The
abovementioned issues are least pro-
nounced in Finland (4.1%) and most
prevalent in Cyprus (31%). The average
for the entire EU is 13%25
.
photo: Thomas Konings, Unsplash
photo:
Oliver
Cole,
Unsplash
Poland is a
European leader in
the construction of
new apartments.
Despite this, the
housing deficit
remains a problem
for the country

15. 29
PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE LIVING IN OVERCROWDED APARTMENTS, 2020
source:
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person
by
tenure
status
and
dwelling
type
from
2003
onwards
-
EU-SILC
survey,
https://bit.ly/3ydENui
(accessed
on:
6
May,
2022).
source:
Statista,
2022,
Total
number
of
construction
starts
of
dwellings
in
Europe
in
2020,
by
country.
source:
Deloitte,
2021,
Property
Index
Overview
of
European
Residential
Markets.
EUROPEAN
UNION
0
10
20
30
40
50
NETHERLANDS
ROMANIA
LUXEMBURG
PORTUGAL
ITALY
LITHUANIA
CROATIA
HUNGARY
FRANCE
SLOVAKIA
SWEDEN
GERMANY
LATVIA
IRELAND
AUSTRIA
CYPRUS
DENMARK
POLAND
MALTA
ESTONIA
BELGIUM
SLOVENIA
FINLAND
BULGARIA
CZECHIA
GREECE
SPAIN
NETHERLANDS 69.3
IRELAND 20.7
BELGIUM 62.7
PORTUGAL 17.3
LITHUANIA 3.1
HUNGARY 28.2
FRANCE 381.6
SLOVAKIA 21.5
GERMANY 306.4
BOSNIA AND
HERZEGOVINA
2.4
DENMARK 23.1
ISRAEL 47.9
POLAND 221.4
UK 148.6
BULGARIA 15.4
NORWAY 29.2
CZECHIA 34.4
SPAIN
3.97
4.19
5.45
1.68
1.63
2.89
5.66
3.94
3.61
0.74
3.95
5.15
5.79
2.18
2.23
5.41
3.22
1.63 77.5
NUMBER OF DWELLINGS PER 1000
CITIZENS TOTAL, 2020
NUMBER OF COMPLETED DWELLINGS IN 2020 PER 1000 CITIZENS
PORTUGAL 581.91
BULGARIA 575.32
FRANCE 548,75
SPAIN 545.02
GERMANY 514.91
BELGIUM 484.66
NORWAY 484.11
CZECHIA 468.19
DENMARK 463.32
HUNGARY 458.01
NETHERLANDS 455.88
UK 435.86
IRELAND 422.02
POLAND 392.9
SLOVAKIA 381.52
total number of completed dwellings (ths.)
number of completed dwellings per 1,000 citizens
XXXX
The housing market has found itself under mounting
pressure – interest rates are going up, the creditworthi-
ness of Poles is shrinking, and individual investors are
no longer eagerly buying further apartments for rental.
This has resulted in a drop in apartment sales and in
real estate developers becoming hesitant to embark
on new projects. Furthermore, most market analyses
suggest that the situation on the housing market will
further deteriorate over the next six months.
In response to these challenges, ThinkCo has teamed
up with service design experts Very Human Services.
The result of this collaboration is a qualitative study
based on over 90 in-depth interviews with apartment
buyers and lessees, which allow us to better under-
stand the needs of customers in the housing market.
This has led us to develop Housing Personas – a one
of a kind primer for real estate agents and developers
on how to effectively reach buyers and lessees. Perso-
nas are based on structured knowledge about various
types of customers and can be used to easily set priori-
ties in the sales and marketing of real estate projects.
Przemysław
Chimczak-Bratkowski
partner at ThinkCo

16. 31
30
HOUSING
IN EUROPE
source:
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person
by
tenure
status
and
dwelling
type
from
2003
onwards
-
EU-SILC
survey,
https://bit.ly/3ydENui
(accessed
on:
6
May,
2022).
source:
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
household
size
-
EU-SILC
survey,
https://bit.ly/3yl94HK
(accessed
on:
6
May,
2022).
GERMANY
POLAND
HUNGARY
SLOVAKIA
CZECHIA
BULGARIA
FRANCE
MALTA
SLOVENIA
ITALY
CROATIA
LUXEMBOURG
ROMANIA
GREECE
CYPRUS
LITHUANIA
AUSTRIA
LATVIA
ESTONIA
IRELAND
SWEDEN
FINLAND
2
2.3
2.9
2.3
2.4
1.3
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.3
2.7
2.2
2.6
2.8
2.6
2.6
2.2
2.2
2.3
2.1
2.6
2.3
1.6
2
2
BELGIUM
NETHERLANDS
DENMARK
SPAIN
PORTUGAL
EUROPEAN
UNION
2.3
2.1
2.5
2.5
average number of people per household, 2020
1.1
1.2
1.6
1.5
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.6
1.6
1.2
1.5
1.2
1.2
1.7
1.7
average number of rooms per person, 2020
1.3
2
2
2
2.1
2.1
2.3
1.4
PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION BY TYPE OF HOUSING, 2020
EUROPEAN UNION
NETHERLANDS
ROMANIA
LUXEMBOURG
PORTUGAL
ITALY
LITHUANIA
CROATIA
HUNGARY
FRANCE
SLOVAKIA
SWEDEN
GERMANY
LATVIA
IRELAND
CYPRUS
DENMARK
POLAND
AUSTRIA
MALTA
ESTONIA
BELGIUM
SLOVENIA
FINLAND
BULGARIA
CZECHIA
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
GREECE
SPAIN
source:
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
degree
of
urbanisation,
dwelling
type
and
income
group
-
EU-
SILC
survey,
https://bit.ly/3yl1pci
(accessed
on:
6
May,
2022).
detached house
flat in a building with ten dwellings or more
semi-detached house
flat in a building with less than ten dwellings
other

17. 33
32
Germany
Germany is one of a handful of EU coun-
tries in which most citizens live in mul-
ti-family housing. As opposed to for ex-
ample Poles, Germans live mainly in small
buildings containing less than ten units.
However, what sets Germany most apart
from the rest of Europe is the almost equal
number of owners and lessees.
Similarly to the rest of Europe, after the
Second World War Germans chose rental.
However, they have also stuck with this
model to this day, which might be due to
the early opening state-owned resources
to the influx of private capital, as well as
balanced regulation. As a result, com-
mercial rental has remained fairly stable
and secure, and housing estates were not
subjected to ghettoization, which was
the case, for example, in the neighboring
France. The structure of the rental mar-
ket is varied, and consists of professional
rental (34%), individual rental (43%) and
housing cooperatives (23%). Additionally,
professional rental is divided into private
and public26
.
The last 30 years were a time of erasing
differences in terms of the quality of the
housing stock between the former East
and West Germany. Just before unifica-
tion, the average housing surface area
per person was 42 square meters in West
Germany, which was 12 meters more than
in the east. By 2018, that difference had
shrunk to 4 square meters, both thanks to
the construction of new apartments and
the expansion and reconstruction of exist-
ing ones. At the same time, the percent-
age of homeowners in the former DDR
rose from 25 to 40%, while in some of
the Western regions it is as high as 60%.
Interestingly, citizens of both parts of the
country are equally satisfied with their
housing situation – on a 0-10 scale, they
gave it on average a little bit over 727
.
sources:
OECD/Statista,
2022,
Total
number
of
dwellings
in
Europe
in
2020,
by
country;
Eurostat,
2020,
When
are
they
ready
to
leave
the
nest?;
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person,
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
household
size;
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
dwelling
type,
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
tenure
status.
75%
0% 50%
25% 100%
0% 50%
25% 75% 100%
31% 19% 43% 6%
detached house
owner, with mortgage
building with 10 dwellings or more
tenant, rent at reduced price or free
semi-detached house
owner, no mortage
building with up to 9 dwellings
tenant, rent at market price
other
27.4% 13.6% 40% 16.2% 2,80%
number of apartments
per 1000 people
514.9
1.8
2
10.3%
23.6 years
12%
average number of rooms
per person
average number of people per
household
percentage of people living
in overcrowded apartments
average age when moving out
of family home
percentage of people aged 25-34 living
in their family home
photo: Gerald Schombs, Unsplash
TENURE STATUS
TYPE OF HOUSING

18. 35
34
455.9
2
2.1
4.8%
23.3 years
10.2%
photo: Ethan Hu, Unsplash
sources:
OECD/Statista,
2022,
Total
number
of
dwellings
in
Europe
in
2020,
by
country;
Eurostat,
2020,
When
are
they
ready
to
leave
the
nest?;
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person,
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
household
size;
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
dwelling
type,
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
tenure
status.
The Netherlands
The citizens of one of the most densely
populated countries in the world have
some of the biggest apartments. Aver-
aging two rooms per person, they are
very much above the EU average of
1.6. This is in large part due to the pop-
ularity of detached houses, picked by
75% of Dutch citizens. they are usually
two- or three-story tall units in terraced
houses with small yards. This popularity
of houses in the third most urbanized
country in the EU is possibly the result
of the fact that local governments have
highly developed urban planning tools
at their disposal, and have been keeping
Dutch cities compact and very efficient
for decades.
Most Dutch people (61%) take out a
mortgage to buy a house, which is the
highest percentage in all of Europe. The
reasons for this include: significant tax
breaks, liberal credit regulations, ex.
the option of taking out loans for 100%
of the value of the house, as well as
a wealth of various mechanisms that
limit the risk for both the bank and the
loan-taker28
.
Nearly one in three Dutch people rents
their apartment. The rental market can
be divided into two categories: social and
private. The first one is bigger – social
housing accounts for 29% of the Dutch
housing stock29
, though it’s not social
housing in the Polish understanding of
the term. It is being managed by woning-
corporaties, housing associations which
are obligated to maintain rents at a level
determined on a yearly basis. Although
based on Eurostat data, woningcorpo-
raties offer market-level rents, the system
is so complex that it is difficult to clearly
separate their commercial activities from
their governmentally mandated social
obligations.
75%
0% 50%
25% 100%
0% 50%
25% 75% 100%
61% 8% 30% 6%
detached house
owner, with mortgage
building with 10 dwellings or more
tenant, rent at reduced price or free
semi-detached house
owner, no mortage
building with up to 9 dwellings
tenant, rent at market price
other
17% 58% 6% 15% 4%
number of apartments
per 1000 people
average number of rooms
per person
average number of people per
household
percentage of people living
in overcrowded apartments
average age when moving out
of family home
percentage of people aged 25-34 living
in their family home
TENURE STATUS
TYPE OF HOUSING

19. 37
36
548.7
1.8
2.3
9.8%
23.6 years
15.7%
photo: Shelby Smith, Unsplash
75%
0% 50%
25% 100%
0% 50%
25% 75% 100%
31% 34% 15% 21%
detached house
owner, with mortgage
building with 10 dwellings or more
tenant, rent at reduced price or free
semi-detached house
owner, no mortage
building with up to 9 dwellings
tenant, rent at market price
other
46% 19% 9% 25% 1%
sources:
OECD/Statista,
2022,
Total
number
of
dwellings
in
Europe
in
2020,
by
country;
Eurostat,
2020,
When
are
they
ready
to
leave
the
nest?;
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person,
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
household
size;
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
dwelling
type,
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
tenure
status.
France
France is very diverse, also in terms
of housing. Tenure status is relatively
evenly divided in comparison with the
rest of Europe – over 60% of households
own their homes, with around half of
them paying off a mortgage. In terms of
rental – social housing is slightly more
prevalent than private rental. One in four
Frenchmen lives in a multi-family house
containing at least 10 apartments.
Seeing housing as a human right and
being able to seek the protection of this
right by the government definitely sets
France apart from the rest of the conti-
nent. Certain categories of people who
find themselves in a difficult situation
can petition local governments to grant
them temporary housing. If they are not
granted said housing despite having met
the legal criteria, they can take their case
to the courts. In practice, this only ap-
plies to cities and communes with a big
enough stock of social housing. In other
cases, the aggrieved party is usually
awarded a small compensation30
.
The rental market in France is tradition-
ally highly regulated. Similarly to other
European countries, after the Second
World War, the state assumed responsi-
bility for not only controlling commercial
rents and supervising urban planning,
but also for developing its own social
housing programs, the biggest of which
is known as the HLM. It provides apart-
ments to people with low and average
income – in theory, as many as 60% of
French people are eligible for this af-
fordable housing31
.
number of apartments
per 1000 people
average number of rooms
per person
average number of people per
household
percentage of people living
in overcrowded apartments
average age when moving out
of family home
percentage of people aged 25-34 living
in their family home
TENURE STATUS
TYPE OF HOUSING

20. 39
38
75%
0% 50%
25% 100%
0% 50%
25% 75% 100%
45% 14% 41%
detached house
owner, with mortgage
building with 10 dwellings or more
semi-detached house
owner, no mortage
building with up to 9 dwellings
tenant, rent at market price
53% 13% 8% 27%
sources:
OECD/Statista,
2022,
Total
number
of
dwellings
in
Europe
in
2020,
by
country;
Eurostat,
2020,
When
are
they
ready
to
leave
the
nest?;
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person,
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
household
size;
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
dwelling
type,
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
tenure
status.
Denmark
In many respects, Denmark is a typical ex-
ample of the Northern European housing
system. Around 40% of the population
rents their apartments, which is a rela-
tively high result compared to the rest of
the EU. At the same time, 21% of Danish
housing is concentrated in the social sec-
tor. Being aware of this fact, the Danish
government came to an agreement with
providers of social housing, devoting EUR
2.5 billion for renovations in this sector. In
effect, four times as many buildings were
renovated in 2020 as in the previous year.
In terms of homeowners, just as in neigh-
boring countries, a clear majority are
paying off their mortgage. Only 14% of
Danish people own housing that is un-
encumbered by loans. Denmark also has
a separate, unique category of tenure
status – there are almost 550 thousand
apartments that are part of housing co-
operatives. In Copenhagen alone, they
constitute almost one third of the housing
stock3233
A housing cooperative is a property
owned by an association that operates
as a cooperative. By joining it, you be-
come a shareholder in the association’s
property, which gives you the right to an
apartment and to a vote in matters con-
cerning the whole cooperative. Joining a
cooperative requires a one-time payment
of a rather steep entry fee, followed by a
monthly rent34
.
463.3
1.9
2
9.5%
21.2 years
3.1%
photo: Dascal Debrunner, Unsplash
number of apartments
per 1000 people
average number of rooms
per person
average number of people per
household
percentage of people living
in overcrowded apartments
average age when moving out
of family home
percentage of people aged 25-34 living
in their family home
TENURE STATUS
TYPE OF HOUSING

21. 41
40
75%
0% 50%
25% 100%
0% 50%
25% 75% 100%
63.8% 10.2% 19.5% 6.4%
detached house
owner
building with 10 dwellings or more
rental, public
semi-detached house
housing association
building with up to 9 dwellings
rental, private
other
24% 60,1% 8,5% 6,3% 1%
sources:
OECD/Statista,
2022,
Total
number
of
dwellings
in
Europe
in
2020,
by
country;
Eurostat,
2020,
When
are
they
ready
to
leave
the
nest?;
Eurostat,
2022,
Average
number
of
rooms
per
person,
Office
for
National
Statistics,
2021,
Families
and
households
in
the
UK:
2020.;
Gov.uk,
2020,
Live
tables
on
dwelling
stock;
Eurostat,
2022,
Distribution
of
population
by
dwelling
type.
The
Eurostat
data
is
from
2018/2019
Great Britain
Great Britain is one of a handful of coun-
tries in which the percentage of home-
owners has decreased over the past few
decades. In England alone, ownership was
the most popular option in 2003, with
nearly 70% of Englishmen choosing this
model. Today that number has dropped to
about 63%35
. This decrease is even more
distinct when the sample is broken down
according to age groups. In 2003, 59% of
people aged 25-34 lived in apartments
they owned, as well as 74% of those aged
35-44. In 2020, the numbers were 41%
and 56% respectively. The main reason for
this shift is the shrinking financial availa-
bility of real estate36
.
The phenomenon of a large number of
young people being unable to afford an
apartment is known as generation rent.
The key aspect of being part of this gen-
eration is the necessity of using the com-
mercial rental market – in 2020 one in five
UK citizens was renting their apartment.
That’s twice as many as at the start of
the century, and indeed going back to the
early 1970s37
. This is caused by, among
other things, cuts in financing for social
housing. With insufficient social housing
options, private rental remains the only
viable alternative.
Private rental is the most popular option
among the youngest generations – as
many as 45% of lessees are under 35.
Compared to 2007, there has also been
an uptick in the number of families with
children, as well as older lessees. Many
lessees pick the option of living in built-
to-rent houses. Currently, there are
around 70 thousand apartments avail-
able as part of institutionalized rental
schemes, with another 140 thousand in
development38
.
435.9
2
2.4
4.8%
24.6 years
16.2%
photo: Benjamin Davies, Unsplash
number of apartments
per 1000 people
average number of rooms
per person
average number of people per
household
percentage of people living
in overcrowded apartments
average age when moving out
of family home
percentage of people aged 25-34 living
in their family home
TENURE STATUS
TYPE OF HOUSING

22. 43
42
BPI Real Estate Poland operates as
“Urban Shapers”, which means that the
company prioritizes the active shaping
of modern urban spaces that respect
local communities, architecture, and the
environment. The developer’s properties
are characterized by attractive loca-
tions and innovativeness, particularly in
terms of sustainable development. The
company’s trademark is real estate de-
veloped in excellent, though sometimes
less than obvious locations, that meets
the demands of the market and the ex-
pectations of potential clients - always
using state of the art technology and
designed so that it can serve generation
after generation. It is known for its un-
orthodox approach, with each property
being unique. BPI Real Estate Poland
has been operating in Poland since
2009. Since then, the company has de-
veloped seven properties in the biggest
Polish cities: Poznań, Warsaw, Wrocław,
and Tricity, collectively selling over 2000
apartments.
The BPI Real Estate portfolio includes,
among others, the mixed-use Bulwary
Książęce in Wrocław, which have revi-
talized and turned the run-down Kępa
Mieszczańska into a true European
boulevard worthy of today’s Wrocław.
It is an exceptional project which was
developed with respect for the city and
its culture, its facades blending with
the local architecture, and made using
unique materials. The development
has taken full advantage of its location
at the junction of two branches of the
Odra, adjacent to the representative
Old Town. It is a residential estate that
offers comfortable apartments with
terraces with stunning views and a
commercial arcade located underneath.
Several archeological finds were made
during construction, some of which are
now exhibited on site. It is the first pri-
vate exhibition of its kind in Poland. The
other finds were sent to the Wrocław
Municipal Museum.
Another one of BPI Real Estate Poland’s
properties is the eco-friendly Vilda Park
residential estate located on the Warta
in Poznań. The development stands out
thanks to its proximity to nature and
use of various eco-friendly solutions,
such as the planting of over a hundred
trees and bushes, herb and vegetable
gardens for the residents, and nest box-
es for swifts. The estate is characterized
by open architecture that encourages
social interaction, rich honey-yielding
greenery in the patio, as well as yards
and balconies that make it easy to relax
in nature.
The company’s strategy for the com-
ing years includes continuing to grow
its development portfolio and imple-
menting the principles of sustainable
development. Currently, BPI Real Estate
Poland is preparing for the launch of
seven new developments in Poland,
including in Poznań, Tricity, Wrocław
and Warsaw. In total, they are going
to yield 2200 apartments with a total
surface area of 131 614 square meters.
The company’s plans include both res-
idential and mixed-use properties, as
well as entering the PRS sector.
source:
BPI
Real
Estate
Poland
creating vibrant urban
fabric in unique locations
43
CASE
STUDIES

23. 45
44
housing in Poland
3
Towards the end of 2021, there were
15.3 million housing units in Poland,
which means that the number of apart-
ments exceeds the number of households
by about 600 thousand39
. However,
the overall housing stock also includes
apartments that are not permanently
inhabited, including those rented out to
tourists, purchased as investments (not
necessarily with rental in mind), as well
as those that are in such a poor technical
condition as to make them uninhabitable.
It is estimated that around 7.9% of Poles
live in substandard conditions40
. Howev-
er, when it comes to factors such as av-
erage surface area, number of rooms, or
persons per apartment, Poland is gaining
up on Western Europe.
development of housing
stock
Over half of Poles live in detached
houses41
, giving a total of over 5 million
such buildings. Apartments located in
tenement houses, blocks, apartment
towers and their like account for over
10 million units located in over 500
thousand buildings. Over 7 million of
them, i.e. more than half, are apartments
and houses built in communist times.
Although various construction systems
were utilized during the several decades
of centrally planned economy, the most
noticeable legacy of that era is the Plat-
tenbau. It is estimated that around 60
thousand buildings exist in Poland that
use this technology, containing around
4 million apartments – i.e. 25% of the
country’s entire housing stock42
.
Its popularity is above all the result of
the mass influx of baby boomers into
cities at the turn of the 1980s. Facto-
ries located in cities attracted masses
of people from the country, perma-
nently changing Poland’s demographic
structure. Plattenbau offered a perfect
solution – it was cheap and fast, thanks
to standardization and prefabrication.
What’s more, this phenomenon did not
develop separately from Western archi-
tectural and urban planning trends, but
rather was their continuation, although
on a scale unseen in Great Britain or
West Germany.
The results of this policy were impres-
sive. Only towards the end of the last
decade did Poland manage to achieve a
number of apartments delivered annu-
ally to the market that was comparable
to the mid-1970s. Still, media reports
that we are currently building the most
apartments in history aren’t entirely ac-
curate. The more important metric is the
fact that in 1974, there were 26.6 new
apartments per 1000 citizens43
, while in
2020 there were only 15.344
. Therefore,
the number of new apartments per cap-
ita nearly 50 years ago was more than
71% higher than it is currently. It should
also be remembered that in 2021, nearly
37% of new housing was built by pri-
vate persons rather than by real estate
developers or local governments45
. Thus,
in order for any comparison with the
past to make sense we need to put it in
proper context.
size of apartments
In communist times, the need to address
the housing shortage as quickly and
cheaply as possible resulted in a drive to
maximize the use of space in buildings.
This was to be achieved with the use of
so-called housing norms, which were
specific guidelines regarding the size of
apartments and individual rooms. The
first one of these norms was adopted in
1954, with subsequent ones following
photo: Piotr Kowalski, Unsplash
source:
IKEA
APARTMENTS DELIVERED
source:
Statistics
Poland
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
0
50 000
100 000
150 000
200 000
250 000
300 000
1 696 600 1 804 602 1 298 635 1 674 700
2 429 400 893 250

24. 47
46
source:
Statistics
Poland
HOUSING IN POLAND OVER THE YEARS
COMMUNIST POLAND HOUSING NORMS
THE AVERAGE SURFACE AREA OF NEW APARTMENTS
IN THE CITY AND IN THE COUNTRY
source:
Kaltenberg-Kwiatkowska
E.,
1994,
Housing
in
Poland
-
“Interregnum”
between
Poor
Socialism
and…?,
in:
Transitional
Housing
Systems
(ed.
T.
Tanninen),
CIB,
Dessau.
source:
Statistics
Poland
Local
Data
Bank,
2022.
country city
number of people
standard size of new apartments in sq m
1959 1972 1974
M1 - one 17-20 up to 23,5 25-28
M2 - two 24-30 up to 33,5 30-35
M3- three 33-38 up to 45,5 44-48
M4 - four 42-48 up to 54,0 56-61
M5 - five 51-57 up to 59,5 65-70
M6 - six 57-65 up to 65,5 75-80
M7 - seven 67-71 up to 74,5 75-80
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
199
1991
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
73.4
70.6
70.7
71.6
73.6
74.6
78.4
79.4
82.8
82.2
87.2
86.4
81.8
86.9
88.9
85.8
90.2
92.7
102.3
87.1
76.5
80.8
78.4
83.9
84.4
82.4
80.5
79,.6
72.8
68.7
68.4
69,.6
62.6
58.4
51.4
47,3
43,.4
127.7
126.6
127.0
128.4
130.5
132.3
134.1
137.2
138.5
137.0
138.4
140.2
140.3
137.7
138.0
137.7
137.5
137.6
134.1
131.9
127.5
124.8
122.9
124.0
120.2
118.1
112.9
109.1
107.6
100.3
99.2
98.4
89.1
85.5
77.3
73.3
67.6
1960
0
10 000 000
20 000 000
30 000 000
40 000 000
50 000 000
60 000 000
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
number of apartments
number of rooms number of households
population
number of apartments
per 1000 citizens 237.0 248,0 279.7 289.5 309.6 349.6 392.4
average number
of apartments per
household
0.85 0,86 0.90 0.92 0.98 1.01 1.02
average number of
rooms per household 2.1 2.5 2.9 3.1 3.4 4.2 3.9

25. 49
48
in 1959 and 1974. For example, in 1959
the minimal surface area of an apart-
ment, as well as its furnishings, were
defined in categories ranging from M-1
(for a single person household) to M-7
(for a seven person family). The practice
resulted in the construction of a signifi-
cant number of small apartments.
After the fall of communism, the aver-
age surface area of apartments started
growing quickly, but contrary to ap-
pearances this growth wasn’t linear or
uninterrupted. The undeniable increase
of the average size of apartments was
the result of combining data about apart-
ments in multi-family buildings as well as
in detached houses, with the latter group
growing much faster after the introduc-
tion of market economy. That is why
even though the official average size of a
housing unit (including both apartments
and houses) in 2020 was 75 square
meters46
, in cities that average was 10
square meters smaller, even though it
still included detached houses located
within city limits47
.
The average size of a detached house
in Poland is over 140 square meters of
usable space, which significantly inflates
the overall average, thus muddling the
image in cities where 77% of people live
in apartments located in multi-family
buildings48
. There is no detailed data that
would let us estimate the average size of
urban apartments in multi-family build-
ings in Poland. There is, however, data
indicating that the average surface area
of apartments in newly built multi-family
buildings did indeed grow at between
the fall of communism and 2008, but
after that year it began to systematically
shrink49
. Apartments delivered to the
market in 2009 were on average 60
square meters big and consisted of 2.8
rooms. In 2021, those numbers shrunk to
52 square meters and 2.6 rooms, respec-
tively50
. And it is this value that should
serve as the basis for any debate about
the condition of housing in Polish cities.
differences between cities
The spatially disproportionate develop-
ment of the country is clearly reflected
in the location of new residential prop-
erties. Although Voivodeship capitals
and their surrounding areas account for
just 36% of Poland’s population (2020),
they are also home to 57% newly built
apartments (2021) and as many as 72%
of apartments in multi-family buildings
(2021). When we narrow our analysis
down to the five leading urban centers,
it turns out that they contain 38% of all
new housing units, and that half of those
units are located in multi-family build-
ings. At the same time, less than one
fifth of the country’s population lives in
those cities. The largest number of new
apartments per 1000 citizens is built in
Wrocław, Rzeszów, Warsaw and their
vicinity. When we look at new construc-
tion sites in 2021, Wrocław is joined by
Gorzów Wielkopolski and Poznań.
The average usable space of apartments
located in multi-family buildings in 2021
was 56.2 square meters, with an average
of 2.6 rooms per apartment (which in-
cludes rooms with access to sunlight, and
kitchens). In terms of Voivodeship capi-
tals, the biggest apartments are located
in Olsztyn (58.3 square meters) and the
smallest ones in Gorżów Wielkopolski
and Szczecin (ca. 48 square meters).
While in Szczecin this also translates
into a smaller number of rooms (2.1 on
average), the equally small apartments in
Gorzów are divided on average into three
small rooms. Adding numbers for the
surrounding areas of large urban centers
doesn’t change much in terms of the av-
erage surface area of apartments, which
suggests that the surface area of new
apartments doesn’t increase as we move
beyond the big cities.
THE AVERAGE SURFACE AREA OF APARTMENTS IN NEW BUILDINGS
source:
Statistics
Poland
Local
Data
Bank,
2022.
- 12%
Detached houses
52,6 sq. m
2021
133 sq. m
2021
57.6 sq. m
2011
150m2
2011
- 9.5%
Apartments in multi-family buildings
XXXX
Keeping promises creates a good relationship be-
tween client and real estate developer. Spravia has a
reputation for being reliable because we take every
contract, every e-mail, every conversation seriously.
We understand that clients who make decisions abo-
ut purchasing real estate expect security. After all,
for many of them it is not only the biggest expense in
their life, but also the dream home for which they’ve
been waiting a long time. This can cause dilemmas:
will the property really look the way it does on visu-
alizations? Will the developer keep their promises?
In case of Spravia, that’s not an issue. From the very
start, we have been building all our properties in
keeping with the vision presented in advertising ma-
terials, on visualizations and mock-ups. That is our
absolute priority: the finished estate is supposed to
be a perfect reflection of the promise from our folder.
This requires an honest approach to marketing ma-
terials and paying attention to the quality of the work
from start to finish. But this is our way of assuring
our clients that they have made the right decision – in
most cases, a picture of the finished estate looks bet-
ter than the visualization. Keeping our promises lies
at the core of our business ethics.
Damian Kapitan
Chairman of the Board at Spravia
good living | housing in Poland

26. 51
50
THE SOCIAL ASPECTS OF HOUSING IN POLAND
At what age do women give birth to their first child (
Poland, age median, 2019)b
At what age do we move out of our family home?
(2020)a
At what age do we first get married
(age median, 2019)b
Percentage of nesters – people aged 25-34 still
living in their family home (2018)c
Structure of households in Poland (2020)c
Percentage of people whose home does not meet their
needs in terms of mental well-beingd
women – 26.9 years men – 30.1 years
men – 42.6%
men – 29.2 years
29.7 years
women – 27.7 years
women – 29.1%
3.5%
single adult with children
12%
23.8%
single adult without children
24.7%
couple with children
24.9%
couple without children
8.6%
other with children
Activities we see as crucial for maintaining mental health at home
sleep relaxation time spent
with a partner
food cooking
14.5%
other without children
sources:
a
Eurostat,
2021,
Age
of
young
people
leaving
their
parental
household,
https://bit.ly/3wb4bOA
(accessed
on:
25
Apr
2022);
b
Eurostat,
Data
Browser,
2021,
https://bit.ly/3sls0SM
(accessed
on:
25
Apr
2022);
c
GUS,
2021,
The
Nester
Generation
in
Poland;
d
IKEA,
2021,
Life
at
Home
Report.
satisfaction with housing
According to a survey by CBOS, the
declarative level of satisfaction with hous-
ing increased from 24% in 1994 to 62% in
202151
. But does this optimistic result truly
reflect reality? Such a large difference be-
tween the level of satisfaction with hous-
ing in comparison with the 1990s might
be related to Poland’s social and economic
landscape after 1989. Optimism borne out
of systemic transformation and belief that
things could only get better were prevalent
back then, which also meant that attitudes
regarding the previous system were overly
negative.
Currently, Poles have the feeling that
they have chosen the place where they
live themselves, as opposed to them be-
ing “imposed” by the system. Combined
with the fact that a large percentage of
homeowners are saddled with long-term
mortgages, we have a situation in which
many people find it hard to critically assess
their current living conditions. From a psy-
chological point of view, questioning one’s
life decisions and their long-term conse-
quences – which criticizing one’s home
would qualify as – would be unnatural and
unhealthy52
.
An equally important factor contributing to
the high level of satisfaction with housing
in 2021 is the fact that the constant rise of
real estate prices, which translates to lim-
ited availability of apartments, have made
any changes to the status quo unlikely.
This puts things in a different perspective:
people surveyed in 1994 believed that
they would soon move into a different,
subjectively better apartment, and they
viewed their current one through that lens.
Meanwhile, people surveyed in 2021 have
already learned to reconcile themselves
with what their current situation and know
that things are unlikely to get much better,
so they are rationalizing their choices and
choosing to see them as good. Doubts
regarding these numbers are confirmed by
studies that show that the pandemic and
being confined to homes have accentuated
some of the shortcomings of Polish apart-
ments53
.
actual housing conditions
We should not rush to conclude that the
significant increase in the number of apart-
ments in Poland has improved the situ-
ation in terms of satisfying the country’s
housing needs. The truth is that between
2000 and 2020, the number of apartments
rose by about 27% (from 11.85 million
to 15 million), while the population re-
mained relatively unchanged54
. However,
the demographic structure of the country
has changed drastically. Over the 20 ana-
lyzed years, we have seen a steep decline
in the number of births accompanied by
an extension of life expectancy by nearly
three years55
. The percentage of singles,
including old widows and widowers, has
also grown, and the 1970s/1980s gener-
photo: Roberto Nickson,
Unsplash
61% 55% 36% 31% 27%
good living | housing in Poland

27. 53
52
ation has matured. As a result, despite the
country maintaining a similar population
level, the number of households has grown
by nearly 22% (from 12.83 million to 15.6
million), which almost fully matches the
growth of the housing stock.
What’s more, statistics don’t take into ac-
count the fact that over the past few years,
low interest rates combined with the ex-
ponential growth of real estate prices have
resulted in a large number of real estate
purchases motivated solely by a drive to
safeguard capital, with no plans to finish,
inhabit or rent the purchased apartment.
Neither does the data cover apartments
meant for rental by tourists, and therefore
not fulfilling their settlement function. This
might mean that actually, fewer families
had the opportunity to start living on their
own in 2020 than two decades ago.
However, the numbers regarding the over-
crowding of apartments look more opti-
mistic, as the last decade saw a drop from
47.5% to 37%56
. That is still double the EU
average, but given the current demograph-
ic trajectory and the constantly growing
number of apartments, it is set to improve.
THE TOP PARAMETERS OF A „DREAM HOME”
Responses from people from the representative sample who are currently looking for an apartment or a house or are
thinking about moving, and from the additional group. N=520
green areas (parks, forests)
safe neighborhood
garden
balcony
window view
air quality
distance from the workplace
parking space / garage
noise in the area
insolation of the apartment
distance from the city center
well-kept surroundings
terrace
connection by public transport
access roads
sound insulation
air conditioning / ventilation
type of building
elevator
neighbors
quick errands
health facilities
bicycle infrastructure
place to walk a dog or cat
storage room / cellar
footpaths
access to entertainment (e.g. restaurants, cinemas)
local services (e.g. shops, hairdresser)
playgrounds
appearance of surrounding buildings
markets with fresh products
building security (e.g. monitoring, guarded areas)
ecological house (e.g. solar panels)
utility room (locker)
educational facilities
sports and recreation facilities
common space
health food stores
modern technologies (smart home)
places of self-development (e.g. after-school club)
amenities for people with disabilities
other
quality of housing stock
75% of Poles rate their apartment as com-
fortable57
. What they like about most it is
the décor (42%), practicality (28%) and
the color palette (13%) – which means that
the highest rated elements are the ones
in which the residents had a direct hand.
Problematic aspects are related mostly to
the layout of rooms and too small kitch-
ens – both elements beyond their control.
Studies show that 37% of Poles pay at-
tention to the proximity of green areas,
34% value having a private yard, and 23%
appreciate various conveniences in the
neighborhood58
. For those looking for a
new apartment, low noise levels and safe-
ty are also important.
Statistics don’t cover the apartments
whose standard and offered conditions
make them unlivable or are an affront to
human dignity. Close to 19% of existing
Polish apartments were built before 1945
– it is in that segment that 2.9% of resi-
dents complain about not having a bath-
room, and 11.6% about having issues with
moisture59
. Noticeably worse conditions
can be found in country houses. In 2020,
32%
31%
30%
30%
28%
28%
27%
26%
25%
24%
23%
23%
22%
22%
21%
17%
17%
16%
16%
15%
15%
14%
14%
13%
13%
12%
11%
11%
11%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
9%
9%
7%
6%
6%
6%
3%
1%
source:
„Happy
Home.
A
Study
of
the
Well-being
of
Poles”
SWPS
University
for
Otodom
source: Spravia

28. 55
54
as many as 16% of country houses did not
have access to a bathroom60
. At the same
time, it should be noted that the situation
has improved significantly over the past
few decades. Between 1990 and 2018,
the number of apartments with toilets,
bathrooms and central heating rose by 8%.
The standard of an apartment is also influ-
enced by its appliances, whose number is
growing. According to data from Statistics
Poland, in 2003, 76% of households had
an automatic washing machine. By 2020,
that percentage rose to 95%. Over the
same period of time, the number of house-
holds with a dishwasher rose by 43%, and
those with a microwave oven - by 40%.
Changes in terms of home appliances also
tell us something about the way we get
our entertainment and information. While
the percentage of households with ac-
cess to the Internet continues to rise, the
popularity of devices that offer access to
satellite and cable TV has waned over the
past few years. Meanwhile, a significant
growth in the number of households that
own a car (over 70% now) shows growing
needs in this regard resulting from overly
scattered development and insufficient
public transport61
.
a dream home
Studies show that Poles have a clear
vision of their dream home. Generally
speaking, the statistical Kowalski dreams
of a three room apartment with a balco-
ny or a terrace, located downtown62
. The
preferred number of rooms can be seen
as a compromise between maintenance
considerations and a large enough liv-
ing space for all household members. A
three room apartment will fit separate
bedrooms for the parents and a child,
and a common living room that does not
constitute a private area for any spe-
cific household member. This mirrors
the decades-old recommendations of
psychologists that in order to maintain
good mental health and be able to grow
personally, every person/couple should
have access to an independent room63
.
This aspect is so important that it takes
priority over good location, and is part of
the reason for the continuing popularity
of large detached houses6465
.
Still, multi-family houses remain the most
popular option among city dwellers. Fur-
thermore, interest in multi-family housing
has been growing nation-wide over the
past five years66
. We appreciate better
locations, the convenience of not having
to maintain a house, and a certain ano-
nymity offered by living in a multi-family
building. However, it is very important for
the apartment to have certain character-
istics that attempt to address the needs
which would have otherwise be naturally
addressed by a detached house. The
most important aspects of a dream home
for Poles are: the proximity of green are-
as, safety in the neighborhood, owning a
balcony or a garden, and a pleasant view
from the window. Here detached houses
inch ahead of the pack, but they are rated
lower in terms of air quality67
, distance
from places of work and downtown are-
as, and access to public transport.
Interestingly, when asked about their
dream home, respondents don’t speak
in terms of square meters – they do
pay attention to the apartment’s size,
but approach it from the point of view
of functionality rather than a numeric
value. When it comes to functionality,
it’s not just the number of rooms that is
seen as important, but also their layout,
access to natural light, and the ability to
introduce changes to them over time.
This might indicate that the expec-
tations of Poles are converging with
Western standards, where the quality
of an apartment is decided not by its
mathematical size, but by how conven-
ient it is to use.
photo:
Alexander
Dummer,
Unsplash
source: IKEA
The dream
apartment of
an average Pole
has three rooms,
a balcony or a
terrace and is
located in the city
center

29. 57
56
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
IN VOIVODESHIP CAPITALS IN 2021
WARSAW
WROCŁAW
KRAKÓW
LUBLIN
POZNAŃ
ŁÓDŹ
KATOWICE
SZCZECIN
BIAŁYSTOK
BYDGOSZCZ
- TORUŃ
GDAŃSK
54.8
51.4
50.5
49.2
52.9
53.3
54.9
48,.3
51.9
51.8
53.6
average surface area of new apartments in multi-family buildings
29 686
16 258
13 522
4 528
12 590
6 974
6 029
5 225
4 897
4 891
16 390
new apartments total
city Poland Warsaw Gdańsk Wrocław Kraków Poznań Łódź Katowice Szczecin Białystok
Bydgoszcz
-Toruń
Lublin
average surface
area of new
apartments in
multi-family
buildings
52.6 54.8 53.6 51.4 50.5 52.9 53.3 54.9 48.3 51.9 51.8 49.2
average number
of rooms in new
apartments in
multi-family
buildings
2.6 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.2 2.6 2.7 2.8
new apartments
total
234 680 29 686 16 390 16 258 13 522 12 590 6 974 6 029 5 225 4 897 4 891 4 528
new apartments
total per 1000
citizens
6.1 10.7 12.1 17.3 11.3 13.4 6.6 4.6 6.9 10.9 6.3 8.0
new apartments
in multi-family
buildings
115 656 19 426 11 123 11 315 9 314 7 135 4 107 3 357 3 220 3 079 2 627 2 785
new apartments
total in multi-
family buildings
per 1000 citizens
3.0 7.0 8.2 12.0 7.8 7.6 3.9 2.6 4.2 6.9 3.4 4.9
total apartments
whose
construction
began in 2021
277 425 32 956 17 233 15 673 14 592 13 342 10 183 8 727 6 226 4 725 7 199 7 570
total apartments
whose
construction
began in 2021 per
1000 citizens
7.3 11.9 12.7 16.7 12.2 14.2 9.6 6.7 8.2 10.5 9.3 13.4
Data
for
Voivodeship
capitals
and
their
neighboring
districts,
except
for
Tricity
where
the
Pucki
and
Wejherowski
districts
were
also
included.
source:
data
from
Statistics
Poland

30. 59
58
Until now, the housing market in Po-
land was characterized by demand far
exceeding supply. Over the past few
decades, apartments would sell on the
spot and it was definitely a seller’s mar-
ket. However, rising inflation, the war in
Ukraine, and the decreasing availability
of credit have changed the situation. We
are entering a period in which having in-
depth knowledge about the motivations
and expectations of customers could
become key to the future of companies
in the housing sector. Real estate agents
and sales offices are faced with quite a
challenge. Until now, apartments prac-
tically sold themselves, all you had to do
was present them to the customer. But
now that suddenly sales have become
more difficult, the market finds itself
ill-prepared, because it lacks the tools to
facilitate this process.
It is in response to this challenge that
ThinkCo, in cooperation with the Very
Human Services agency, have developed
Housing Personas – comprehensive
profiles of customers who buy and rent
apartments on the primary and second-
ary markets. The results are based on
over 90 in-depth interviews analyzed by
experts.
This study, aimed to analyze deci-
sion-making mechanisms and purchase
motivations regarding the selection and
purchase or rental of real estate, and
the methods used in it, encouraged re-
spondents to share valuable insight into
their entire decision-making process.
The result is a set of recommendations
ready for implementation by sales, com-
munication and marketing departments.
Persona is a report rooted in the reality
of the purchase behavior of specific
people, and allows us to get a glimpse of
their actual motivations in order to better
reach them. We have picked this tool
because we have noticed that the hous-
ing market lacks this type of data, and
we know how successful personas were
in other sectors of the economy. The real
estate market has thus far operated only
based on target groups – largely gener-
alized market segments. However, these
groups are actually diverse, even if they
share some characteristic (for example in
terms of demography). They consist of
many individuals with polarized needs.
This is precisely what Housing Perso-
nas are attempting to address – not by
replacing target groups, but by comple-
menting them.
Personas are helpful in everyday work
because they are specific. They allow
you to quickly and easily share key in-
formation about consumers, ex. in briefs
for marketing agencies. They also allow
every employee within your organization
to see the consumer from the same per-
spective, which means that they can ver-
ify product or service ideas against the
needs and aims of their target audience.
It’s a quicker road to making conscious
marketing and sales decisions.
The results of these studies will translate
into practical guidelines for salespeople,
marketers, designers, customer service
employees, real estate agents, and other
members of the residential real estate
ecosystem.
More information about
Housing Personas can be found at:
personymieszkaniowe.pl
illustration:
Ola
Dobrzyńska
housing personas – a qualitative
study that profiles clients
on the housing market
59
CASE
STUDIES

31. 60
in and around the home

32. 63
62
what makes a home?
4
A home is an idea so broad and so
universally vital that we should take a
moment here to examine it in greater
detail. It is the “central reference point
of human existence” because it is where
we engage in the most basic activities
– including those that are so intimate
they can only be comfortably performed
at that location68
. There is ample liter-
ature on the significance of homes, as
it covers cultural, symbolic, emotional,
cognitive, but also economic and social
factors. In psychology, home is associat-
ed with safety and shelter, with privacy,
expressing ourselves, reflecting one’s
ideas and values, a place where we are
emotional. Sociologists see home as the
center of family life, a place of seclu-
sion, security and relaxation, freedom
and independence, somewhere we can
express ourselves and our social status.
It’s also a place of continuity and per-
manence, a significant financial resource
and a space for work and leisure. So
what exactly is a home?
homes are a places to
which we feel connected
Feeling connected to a place is a pos-
itive emotional relationship between
an individual and the space in which
they live69
. This particular bond extends
across numerous levels – neighborhood,
district, city, region, country – but due
to the sense of control we have over our
little space, it is the home to which we
feel the most attached. Still, the term
“home” also refers to our neighborhood.
Familiar surroundings translate into a
sense of stability and roots70
. Together
with our home, they constitute our basic
living space and as a rule are a facet of
our identity71
.
Connection to a place is established
thanks to a series of elements. The
central one is the passage of time.
The longer we live in a place, the more
we become familiar with it, fill it with
memories and associations. We spon-
taneously build relationships with our
neighbors, but also with local shopkeep-
ers, delivery people and other regularly
encountered persons. This process is
accelerated by a sense of seclusion and
low turnover of other residents. That is
why people from small towns are more
attached to the immediate surroundings
of their house, while residents of big cit-
ies also feel connected to bigger areas,
such as districts72
.
homes gives us a sense of
security
A good relationship with a place allows
us to feel at ease, gives us a sense of
security and trust within a community73
.
It allows us to feel comfortable enough
to start thinking about the future. A
sense of safety related to one’s home
is based on the fact that it’s where we
engage in prosaic but fundamental tasks
– caring for ourselves and our close
ones74
. Feeding ourselves and our fami-
lies, cleaning, rest – all of these activities
take place chiefly at home. When we
are ill, most of us would rather be in our
own beds.
The Covid-19 pandemic clearly under-
scored the significance of our homes as
safe havens, at least seemingly isolated
from the danger outside. The “stay at
home” order meant we had to hunker
down in the one place we were able to
control. Particularly in a time of deep
and rapid social change, home is a tan-
gible and symbolic place of stability75
.
It’s a space we know by heart and one
that we feel we can control76
.
homes are where we build
relationships
One of the main functions of home is re-
inforcing close relations with people who
share the same space. This is confirmed
by studies conducted among people who
had to spend much time outside their
own apartment due to being under pallia-
tive care. The presence of close ones was
source: IKEA
photo: Visually Us, Pexels
photo:
Chewy,
Unsplash
A home is a place
of continuity and
durability, as well as
a space for work and
rest

33. 65
64
homes provide privacy
Spending time with other people, par-
ticularly with strangers, is tiring and can
be stressful. Home is where we retreat
to take a break from our social nature for
a time. According to Martin Heidegger,
home not only protects us from external
threats and the discomfort of the out-
side world, but also serves as a space
for caring for and nurturing ourselves,
our sanctuary77
.
The threshold of our home separates us
from other and allows us to change our
status. After crossing it, an employee
becomes a father or a mother, a student
becomes a child, a stranger becomes a
guest. The threshold allows us to con-
trol space by creating a mechanism of
controlling privacy78
. Controlling access
to our home means deciding with whom
we are ready to establish a closer re-
lationship and what form it is going to
take79
. Home is a space of order, it helps
us reduce the complexity of the world
around us – and in order for us to main-
tain this state, it has to be controlled.
homes at various
stages of life
Our approach to our home is in large
part shaped by our age and its inher-
ent needs and regularities. Even small
children prefer specific places, and until
they begin their education, home is pret-
ty much their entire world80
. Later our
horizons expand, but a sense of home
remains important as we go through the
stages of life81
. Attachment to a specific
space is stronger the more activities you
engage in therein82
. The ability to nur-
ture neighborly relationships might be
important in this respect. Feeling like we
belong to a community because we live
in a specific place reinforces our sense
of stability, and neighborly relations
shared with other household members
provide a common point of reference
that builds the identity of a place83
.
the most frequent answer to the question
what would make them feel “at home”
while in hospital. Aside from household
members, other important factors includ-
ed sustained neighborly relations, which
gave people a sense of being rooted in a
place.
The popularization of social media
caused our homes to become more open
to the outside world than ever before.
The traditionally private interiors became
backgrounds for photographs, videos and
stories. A special kind of intrusion into
the private sphere is studying or working
from home, which is often related to the
necessity of revealing parts of our rooms
during video conferences. Thus we have
become more frequently subjected to
scrutiny in terms of the space we inhabit
– its style, size, and cleanliness. The place
that is meant to ensure our privacy has
become the backdrop of our interactions
with the outside world
photo: Bench Accounting,
Unsplash
XXXX
At ROBYG, we have been successfully implementing
the principles of a 15-minute city for nearly 20 years.
Currently, 80% of our properties adhere to this con-
cept. We develop our properties responsibly, taking
into account the size, layout and location of the plot,
using solutions that support biodiversity and water
retention and prevent the creation of so-called urban
heat islands. We emphasize eco-friendly solutions,
as evidenced by our ROBYG Green Standard. Out
of concern for the well-being of our clients, we have
also developed the unique ROBYG Human Balance
Standard, as part of which we are creating active
design residential properties that promote an active
and healthy lifestyle. We are convinced that it’s not
just the functionality of an apartment that counts, but
also the way the entire estate is organized.
Benefits for our residents go hand in hand with bene-
fits for the environment, which translates into a better
life both at home and in the area. The high quality of
our apartments is the result of a number of factors:
location, access to infrastructure, but also the high
standard of our properties and the option of being
able to flexibly reorganize space to match evolving
expectations.
Eyal Keltsh
Vice Chairman of the Board
at ROBYG S.A.
good living | what makes a home?

34. 67
66
such as stores, bakeries, cafes, etc. The
IKEA range of products is rich and multi-
functional enough to work with any inte-
rior. The only limit is your imagination.
What are the other benefits of the
IKEA for Business design service?
Above all - its comprehensiveness. The
project doesn’t have to end at picking
out and purchasing the furniture. We
can also provide various styles of ac-
cessories, tableware sets, textiles, com-
prehensive lighting solutions, and even
plants. With our experienced designers
and wide range of IKEA products we can
not only ensure that the design is going
to be cohesive up to the final detail, but
also that you are going to save time and
money by purchasing from a single sup-
plier.
How should I prepare for the meeting
with the designer?
It’s good to prepare drawings showing
the space in question and its dimensions.
Photographs of the current state of the
space and information about decisions
that have already been made – such as
the selected doors and window frames,
finishing materials – will also be useful.
During the meeting, the designer will ask
you about the functions you require. If
you are designing apartments, it’s good
to think about who they are being de-
signed for, who is going to live in them.
What if we need to design more apart-
ments?
That’s a frequent request. Many of our
clients are hotel and apartment own-
ers, real estate developers, and lessees
of office space. We can approach this
issue in two ways, depending on the
client’s needs. We can treat every space
individually and prepare specialized
designs for each unit. But more often
we will take advantage of the capabili-
ties of IKEA furniture systems and, after
preparing the base design, multiply it,
adjusting it for each space. It’s a con-
venient solution that speeds up imple-
mentation. IKEA furniture is not made to
size, it is modular – which means that it
is created from ready-made elements.
With the use of supplementary panels,
our experts can adjust our products at
the assembly stage to match any space.
And by using furniture systems instead
of pieces made to order, we are saving
time and money.
The design stage is over, what now?
IKEA for Business also offers sales
coordinators who take over once the
design is done. They will prepare an
order summary along with a payment
plan (including leasing) and send over
an invoice. We also provide delivery
and installation. Throughout the whole
process, our coordinators look after the
client’s interests, making sure that the
purchase, delivery and installation go as
smoothly as possible.
At IKEA for Business, we give you the
opportunity to purchase a turnkey in-
terior – up to the last glass and potted
plant. Our designers and coordinators
work together to optimize the entire
process and save the investors’ time. It’s
a fast and convenient solution that guar-
antees that once the project is complet-
ed, you will be able to invite people into
a space they won’t want to leave.
IKEA for Business is a place where a
business client can get the most person-
alized service. By investigating needs
and recognizing challenges we are able
to create even better living spaces. IKEA
for Business offers design services that
have found eager users among repre-
sentatives of various industries, above
all real estate developers and owners of
hotels and apartments for rent. Our spe-
cialists prepare designs tailored to the
needs of our clients, with the option of
multiplying them for use in other units.
It’s a good solution for quality-oriented
businessmen who value their time and
keep an eye on the bottom line.
What does the design process
look like?
Paulina Roszak-Krawczuk: The first
step is a meeting and discussion about
the property – this can be also done on-
line. Based on the information provided
by the client, our designer will propose
an option from our array of services,
or prepare an individual offer for this
particular project. This includes not only
visualizations showing the functional
layout of the interior, but also mood col-
lages, color suggestions, and a complete
purchase list with a cost estimation.
This service can be used to design abso-
lutely any space: from a single room to
an entire apartment, as well as common
areas, offices, even commercial spaces
source: IKEA
Paulina
Roszak-Krawczuk
interior designer, IKEA
IKEA for Companies
– what is it?
source:
IKEA
INTERVIEW

35. 69
68
The role of a real estate developer isn’t
limited to erecting buildings anymore –
it has shifted towards creating spaces
teeming with life. That is why TDJ Estate
has from the start emphasized mul-
ti-family residential development “with
a soul”. Our mission is to create places
in which we ourselves would like to live,
work and spend our free time. We form
long-term bonds with our properties,
getting involved in the activation of our
residents and the lessees of our commer-
cial spaces. We believe that quality of life
is improved by strong social bonds.
Osiedle Fanciszkańskie in Katowice – the
first TDJ Estate residential development
– is a good example of this approach.
Our Children’s Day celebrations have
become a local mainstay, as has Bloom-
ing Hawthorn Day during which we join
our youngest residents in planting haw-
thorn trees around the estate. Christmas
Tree Day, a pre-Christmas get-together
for our residents, is an opportunity to
taste Christmas dishes, buy ornaments,
and find the perfect Christmas tree – all
while supporting a local animal shel-
ter. We also publish the “Twoja Ligota”
newspaper where we showcase the
passions and talents of our exceptional
residents, talk about interesting initia-
tives, and promote local businessmen
and activists.
We are also taking these good practices
to other properties – in Pierwsza Dziel-
nica, all residents and business owners
will soon get to know each other during
Neighbor Day. These are all just local
celebrations, but we are also actively
involved in issues that are important to
our communities – we organize con-
certs, workshops for children, charity
drives, garage sales, support students’
sports clubs, day rooms and community
centers. We are particularly fond of the
“Safe Stronghold” Inter-Generational
Integration Center. We also sponsor
sports events and promote local events
in which our residents can participate.
We want to give our residents the op-
portunity to establish relationships with
each other, which is why we put so much
effort into creating shared spaces.
Our designs are open by nature, because
we believe that barriers inhibit contact.
When developing outdoor areas, we
make sure that they contain various types
of greenery and carefully selected street
furniture. We treat each property individ-
ually, highlighting its assets while taking
into account the history of the area.
In the center of the Dobrynów estate,
we have placed a courtyard filled with
various plants, a community garden, an
outdoor movie theatre, and an area for
children of all ages. Meanwhile, Fran-
ciszkańskie Południe takes advantage
of its adjacency to the Franciscan mon-
astery. The estate grounds are going to
be connected to the monastery parks,
which will create a tranquil green oasis
in the heart of the property. In Pierwsza
Dzielnica, which is located downtown,
the outdoor areas which flow naturally
into the Culture Zone will be filled with
recreational infrastructure and lush
greenery.
More information on TDJ Estate multi-
functional residential development can
be found at www.tdjestate.pl
source:
TDJ
Estate
source:
TDJ
Estate
the nearest surroundings
and interpersonal relationships
are key
69
CASE
STUDIES