INTERVIEW
COFFEE BREAK 22
Marco Clarijs (right) and Michael Blokland (left) have both been with leading real estate consultancy CBRE for nearly ten years, so they’ve had front-row seats to all the changes happening in RCD. While they’re happy with how Rotterdam is doing now, they’re also concerned about the office market, which they say is lagging behind due to limited highquality availability. We met up with Marco and Michael for coffee in their office on Delftseplein.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR PRESENCE HERE MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE DISTRICT? Marco: “We have a twelve-year track record when it comes to bringing together supply and demand. In the end, we’re ‘just’ consultants – or commercial real estate brokers, depending on who you ask – but we’ve truly managed to create a vision for this district and to take on a leading role in the area’s development. We’re on excellent terms with the city council, regularly publish studies and relevant data, and I feel like we’ve really found our footing here within a relatively short period of time.” Michael: “And that’s just at the area level. If you look at the level of individual buildings, you’d be hard-pressed to find
YOU’VE BEEN WORKING AT CBRE FOR ALMOST A
a building we haven’t been involved with in one way or another.
TEXT Romy Lange
PHOTOGRAPHY Ruben Stam
DECADE NOW. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN RCD CHANGE IN RECENT YEARS?
WHAT IS YOUR MAIN FOCUS RIGHT NOW AT CBRE
Michael: “I started working in this area at a time when we were
ROTTERDAM?
dealing with 25% vacancy in the office market. Those spaces
Marco: “We want to strengthen the multidisciplinary nature of
couldn’t stay empty, of course, but finding tenants was really
our company. We’ve been working hard for years to shake off
quite difficult at that time.” Marco: “If you look at business cy-
that ‘broker’ label I just mentioned. Of course, we still do trans-
cles, you have seven fat years and seven lean years, and after
actions, but we’re building more and more services around
2007 Rotterdam had its fair share of lean years. RCD was like a
that to really become a fully integrated real estate advisor.”
ghost town, with vacant buildings everywhere. Today, almost
Michael: “Data plays an important role in that as well, and we
everything has been let – even despite the pandemic.”
reap the benefits of the data we collect and analyse every day.”
WHAT ARE RCD’S STRENGTHS COMPARED TO OTHER
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE
BUSINESS DISTRICTS?
WITH THE READERS OF RCD MAGAZINE?
Marco: “The combination of different functions here is the
Marco: “Rotterdam is doing really well right now, and we’re
number one selling point, as far as I’m concerned. When you
making huge strides in the residential market. But the overall
walk out of the station here, you see offices, apartment build-
quality of the office market is still trailing behind. One of the
ings, shops and all kinds of other facilities. Everything is mixed
effects of the pandemic we’re dealing with is the assumption
together.” Michael: “But there’s also still room for improve-
people have that we’ll need less office space. But based on our
ment there, I think, which the city council is pushing for as well.
data and research, we don’t predict a large vacancy in this mar-
Weena and Delftsestraat could be a little more lively. Two new
ket. On the contrary, Weena will be fully let again by the end of
buildings, Tree House and The Modernist, will be a big draw in
the year.” Michael: “That’s actually a big risk for the city, and
the future.”
it would be a shame of course if large companies were unable to find a place to set up shop here. That’s something we really need to keep an eye on together.”
