Office Buildings

Quality standards and classification

Forton International JSCo

Associate Office of Cushman & Wakefield
Office space market in Bulgaria

Office space market has been through a rapid development for the last few years, especially in the biggest cities
such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas. The market in Sofia is expected to reach its stage of maturity within
the next few years. About 750 000 sq.m of office space are in the process of development with another 700 000
sq.m still at their design stage. This is strengthening competition on the market, which results mainly in the
attracting of large tenants.

Demand for high-quality office space

A logical result of all this is the increasing demand for first-

class office space that meets international quality standards
as well as the growing requirements of tenants. In search of
better marketing for their projects, many brokers mark the
offices they lease as class A office space. But what
architectural and technical characteristics are behind that
attractive concept and is it used correctly for the market in
Bulgaria?
International office space standards

Under the international standards of developed markets, administrative buildings can be classified depending on
their main parameters, location, design, installations and equipment, etc. The classification defines three main
office categories – class A, B and C with each of them having subcategories (A+, B+, etc.). Defining the standards,
which office buildings have to meet for the different categories and their subcategories, depends on the specifics
of the region and the stage of development for the particular market. Standards for Bulgaria are still not largely
applied, and as a whole, there is no clear definition by brokers, tenants and landlords of what a class A office is.

The classification shown below is based on a survey on the standards for the
markets of the EU as well as on general data from the Urban Land Institute in
the US. In defining criteria we have taken into account also the specifics of the
market in Bulgaria and the main provisions of the Law of the Spatial Planning
and Regulation No2 For the Transport and Commuting Systems of the Urban
Territories.
Office-buildings are classified according to a combination of location and
physical characteristics. The offered criteria for each category are with the
idea to standardize the process so that the classification would be a reliable
measure for the quality of the office buildings on the market. There is no exact
formula to automatically define the category of a building. There is always
personal judgment involved, especially when discussing characteristics of
quality.
Standards of Bulgarian market

Considering the supply of office space in Bulgaria, we have defined 5 different categories of the classification,
starting with А+, followed by А, B+, B, C.
The buildings of Class B and Class C are categorized compared to the quality and characteristics of the
buildings of Class A.

Class A+ Office Building

These are ‘symbol’ buildings which meet all 22 criteria for a Class A
building, additionally possessing:
1. Remarkable quality and prestige;
2. Unique architecture;
3. Excellent location in the city center or CBD;
4. Excellent everyday maintenance
There are still no office buildings to respond to all these
requirements in Bulgaria.
Class A Office Building

Compulsory characteristics:
1. First-class design of a newly constructed building
2. Excellent location
Buildings with an excellent location generally are either in the city center and/or CBD. Since such secondary
business districts have not distinctively formed in Bulgaria’s largest cities, here we agree that excellent
location means the city center, and specifically for Sofia we include also the main boulevards Bulgaria, Tsar
Boris III as well as Tsarigradsko shosse blvd. and Todor Aleksandrov blvd. in the parts bordering the city
center.
3. Easy access to the building
4. Attractiveness to the most creditworthy and prestigious tenants on the market
5. High rent levels. Rent levels should be above the average for the particular city
6. Professional property management
7. Underground parking lot providing enough parking space for the building
Under Regulation No2 necessary number of parking places is calculated by the following formula:
(TBA of the building/60 - 80 sq.m) х 1,2 = necessary number of parking places
8. Use of high-quality building materials
9. Floor to ceiling height responding to the regulatory requirements for this type of buildings but not less than
2,70 m
10. Flexibility of internal design – ‘open space type’
11.Underfloor cabling system (raised floors) and suspended ceilings
Class A Office Buildings

Compulsory characteristics:
12.24-hours security and access control
13.High-speed lifts with waiting time max up to 30 seconds. At least 2 lifts with a capacity of at least for 6 people
14.HVAC system to provide heating, cooling and humidity control of the air and control of microclimate in the
office according to the EU HVAC standards.
15.Dual power supply with automatic switch
16.Room depth 18-20 m between windows
17.Common areas not more than 12 percent of TBA
18.Building Management System
19.Luxury meeting rooms and a large impressive lobby
20.Food and rest areas for staff /restaurant, café, fitness/ for the buildings designed for more than 250 people
21.Modern window panes, high-quality window frames, sun-protection glass
22. Energy efficiency class A (the highest efficiency class according to EU Energy efficiency standards)
Class A Office Building – example

High-quality design and excellent

location - top city center. Design fits
to the surrounding buildings, flexible
interior space, Building Management
System, underground parking lot,
high level of rents.
Class A Office Building - example

Raised floors with the interior

cabling. The lid is blending with
the flooring and covers the
sockets for electricity, internet
and telephones.

Suspended ceilings with ventilation air ducts, sprinkler

system, and fire alarm system.
Class B and B+ office buildings

This Class is the most disputable one in terms of criteria, because there is always personal judgment
involved. Buildings of this Class feature a number of characteristics that apply for Class A buildings, but still
not enough to meet all of them.
Generally, buildings of the Class are characterized with good location of a newly built or newly reconstructed
building, good construction solutions and maintenance, little functional obsolescence and deterioration.
Buildings with a very good location from an earlier period but still very well maintained can also fit into that
category. Tenant standards are above average.
At present, a main requirement, with an option to a future change, is the building to be constructed after 1989.

Class В+

This subcategory of Class В includes newly constructed buildings with excellent design and technical
characteristics, above the level of Class B buildings but still not responding to all compulsory requirements for
a buildings of Class A. Very often Class B+ buildings meet all the requirements of Class A except for the
excellent location. Considering criteria described here, a Class B+ office building is one that meets more than
12 of the compulsory requirements for Class B but does not have all 22 characteristics of Class A.
Office class В+

Office buildings of the class are remarkable

for their beautiful and modern suspended
façades which adds to their prestige.

Office space is provided with a HVAC system for

control of microclimate in accordance with the EU
standards.
A building with a sprinkler system for automatic fire
extinguishing installed in the suspended ceiling.

A very impressive solution of a

raised floor made of transparent
glass panels to show the
cabling underneath.
Class B

Compulsory characteristics:
1. High rent levels. Rent levels should be above the average for the market in the particular city
2. Professional property management
3. Use of high-quality building materials
4. Floor to ceiling height responding to the regulatory requirements for this type of buildings but not less than
2,70 m
5. Flexibility of internal design – ‘open space type’
6. 24-hours security and access control
7. High-speed lifts with waiting time max up to 30 seconds. At least 2 lifts with a capacity of at least for 6 people
8. Dual power supply with automatic switch
9. Room depth 18-20 m between windows
10. Luxury meeting rooms and a large impressive lobby
11. Food and rest areas for staff /restaurant, café, fitness/ for the buildings designed for more than 250 people
12. Modern window panes, high-quality window frames, sun-protection glass
Class В - example
The building is provided with enough
parking places – both two levels
underground and above ground.

An office building from an earlier period, still with a very

good solution for the entrance space, location on a
main boulevard, easy access to the building and very
good maintenance. Rent levels are high.
Class C Office buildings

Buildings of this category are with lower quality characteristics.

Generally, such buildings are indented for administrative use for
earlier periods, often dating to 20-25 years ago. They meet just
a part of the main requirements for class B office buildings.
These buildings have not gone through any renovation or
modernization and are often functionally obsolete, build with
non-ecological materials.
Offices that are part of another building type, for instance retail
or residential buildings, and are formed as sections in the
common areas, also go into this category.
Law of the Spatial Planning in Bulgaria gives the options under
certain conditions for apartments to be qualified as offices, and
they would also fit into the category of class C.
Class C is unacceptable on many markets because it does not
respond to the standards. Low quality makes many buildings of
this class useless, hence potential ‘candidates’ for demolition.
Class C building - Example

A new office building, corridor-type, limited interior

space, small floor-to-ceiling height, too narrow
windows. Part of mixed-use building with residential
part.

No raised floors or suspended

ceilings. Cabling is visible and is laid
into channels going by the walls of
the room.
For further information please contact
Investment Consulting team
at Forton International

akasabova@forton.bg
gpopchev@forton.bg