Malta International Airport plc plans further investment in the environs of Sky Parks, the business centre currently under development adjacent to the Gujda terminal, Sky Parks general manager Alan Borg told The Sunday Times.
The €16 million block, which is on target for completion at the end of the summer, is the first “of many possibilities”, he said.
“We consider Sky Parks to be Phase One in our plans,” Mr Borg explained. “When the local master plan is finalised, we aim to have the wider Sky Parks site designated as a business area – and an asset to the infrastructure of the south of Malta.”
Mr Borg would not be drawn into specifics but said MIA, which owned the business centre operated by its subsidiary Sky Parks Development Ltd, was examining a number of options that would house a range of commercial activities.
Meanwhile, civil works at Sky Parks, which boasts seven floors of dedicated office space and food and business outlets, and two underground levels of parking for 160 cars, will be completed by the end of next month.
All will be in place for the planned inauguration in the last quarter of the year, which will coincide with anchor tenant Vodafone Malta’s relocation into the sixth floor penthouse suites and half of Level 5 after 20 years in Msida.
Talbot and Bons, a new local brand by Alan Mercieca Bons, co-owner of Vittoriosa’s Del Borgo, will move in on the ground floor with a concept cafè and fine wine and food store, complete with terrace.
A day care centre with a capacity for 80 children and open for use by non-Sky Parks-based parents will open on this level and enjoy a designated area of the terrace. Other food and beverage activities and “a major financial institution” have been assigned the remaining space at street level.
Around 65 per cent of Sky Parks’ total rentable area of 11,000 square metres is vacant, but Mr Borg said the developers were confident the centre will see 100 per cent occupancy within 12 months of opening.
Sky Parks Development is currently shortlisting tenants for a 1,500-square metre corporate gym aimed at high-end members on the ground floor.
Floor space on Level 1 has been earmarked for lease to an operator of a convenience store that would stock stationery, IT peripherals and gadgets, small office equipment and ancillary goods and services.
“Sky Parks seeks to improve on the business space offering currently widely available on the local market,” Mr Borg added. “All services seek to add value to the working experience of all the teams who will be based here. The services and commercial activity have been allocated and designed to complement the growing retail area on the terminal’s landside which is open to general public. There will not be duplication at Sky Parks.”
The business centre’s marketing efforts are being directed at public limited companies in sectors like igaming, finance and ICT, and major brands, and Mr Borg said the aviation industry had shown particular interest in the project.
Lease agreements are long-term: of five years’ duration and over.
The project aimed to stand out on the corporate leasing market with a host of differentiators besides its 100-metre proximity to the air terminal.
Mr Borg said the hi-tech building had been designed to provide convenience and comfort to team members working 12-hour-plus days and travellers on hectic business trips.
With panoramic views of the surroundings, tenants would be able to work in offices bathed in natural light, enjoying the benefits of Sky Parks’ location.
The project also boasts an unprecedented footprint: no other business centre in Malta could offer 2,100 square metres of office space on one level, he pointed out.
Sky Parks has been entirely designed and developed to qualify for the UK’s BRE Environment Assessment Method (BREEM) Grade A certification.
As the first building in Malta on the road to obtaining BREEM certification, Sky Parks scored high in location strengths (its proximity to public transport and leisure), quality and transparency history, and building efficiencies.