Hybrid work models, whereby employees combine in-office and remote days, have become the norm and therefore impact the design of the modern workplace.

“A modern class ‘A’ office must now operate as a lifestyle destination. While prime location and strong connectivity remain essential, the real differentiator is the human-centric experience,” says Zita Kovács-Bertók, office development director of CPI Hungary.

“This includes high-quality shared spaces such as lounges, rooftop terraces and collaborative meeting hubs, combined with hospitality-driven services including professional community management, wellness programs and exclusive tenant benefits. The goal is to create an environment where people feel a genuine sense of belonging,” she adds.

Landlords very often provide tenants with bookable meeting and conference spaces in the common areas, as a contribution to space and cost optimization. Concierge services, mobility options and state-of-the-art parking solutions help optimize time spent in the office building. Well-being has also gained focus: modern office buildings often offer tenants fitness amenities such as gyms and rooftop running tracks, comments Balázs Agócs, head of workplace services CEE & SEE at iO Partners.

“During workplace strategy planning, most companies face space efficiency and occupancy questions, business adoption challenges and organizational changes at the same time. The physical office space can help companies adapt to the ever-changing environment and adjust their hybrid model as often as necessary, supported by flexible and multi-functional spaces, enabling technologies and a human-centric and healthy work environment,” he says.

Interior architect and WELL assessor Regina Kurucz says that, as offices shift toward activity-based and hybrid working, spaces are no longer uniformly occupied throughout the day and that this is actually an opportunity. With the help of presence detectors or CO2 sensors, building management systems can measure in real time exactly where people are and where they are not.

An Elegant Solution

Combined with automation and AI, this makes it possible to supply generous amounts of fresh air precisely»where occupants are present, while maintaining only the regulatory minimum ventilation in empty zones. The result is an elegant solution to what was previously seen as a trade-off: energy efficiency and high indoor air quality are no longer competing goals; they become mutually reinforcing.

“For property managers and FM firms,»this represents a fundamental shift in strategy: from managing buildings on fixed schedules to managing them dynamically, in response to actual human presence. The buildings that will lead the market»are those that are not just smart, but genuinely responsive to the people inside them,” Kurucz says.

“In the Hungarian commercial real estate sector, we see this most concretely during asset transactions and lease negotiations with buildings with a recognized sustainability certificate, such as BREEAM or LEED, and a social certification, such as WELL,” she adds.

All three phases of the 66,000 sqm Budapest ONE office building have achieved BREEAM In-Use “Outstanding” certification. This assesses a building’s actual, operational performance. Its performance is supported by on-site solar energy generation, which helps reduce tenants’ energy costs. In the design and construction, not only environmental performance but also a people-centered approach played a key role.

The building also holds the highest “Gold” rating from Access4You as well as WELL Core “Platinum” certification, recognizing buildings that positively impact employees’ health and well-being. Tenants benefit from a green rooftop garden, bicycle storage with showers, EV, bicycle and scooter charging facilities, selective waste collection, and a 500-meter rooftop running track. Inside the complex, there is half a hectare of open community space and green areas supporting employee well-being, according to Futureal.

Basic Expectations

Sustainability accreditations are now the norm for modern office developments, and the growing use of WELL, a system designed for interiors, reflects a basic expectation among tenants, staff and investors. The predominant trend is alignment with sustainability and ESG requirements, while also responding to tenant and staff demands.

How costs are divided between landlords and tenants remains to be seen. However, it is argued that high-quality, ESG-compliant space is economically beneficial in the longer term for office asset owners.

Attila Puskás, an executive member of the board at Frame Group, sees the roles of PM and FM in offices as undergoing an unprecedented transformation from pure operators and administrators to strategic custodians of real estate value. Further, achieving effective ESG compliance and operational performance aligned with modern expectations is now inconceivable without robust IT and AI-based tools.

Owners are clearly shifting from an input-based approach to outcome-driven performance. The focus is no longer on hours or headcount, but on tenant satisfaction, asset value preservation, energy efficiency and long-term cost stability. PM and FM are increasingly becoming strategic tools that directly impact revenue, risk and overall asset value. ESG principles are blurring the boundaries between PM and FM, with the former responsible for defining sustainability and social goals, while the latter provides the systems, data, and processes needed to achieve them, adds Tibor Karsai, managing director of Rustler Hungary.

“These operational functions are absolutely central, and not just to ESG, but to value retention. PM and FM are where resilience is tested daily: energy usage, tenant satisfaction, cost control and emergency preparedness. Transparent, accurate data allows both investors and regulators to see whether sustainability and resilience claims hold up. Without that, ESG becomes hollow, and increasingly, that carries financial and regulatory consequences,” concludes Hubert Abt, CEO and founder of Workcloud24.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of May 22, 2026.