The Czech real estate group Urbanity, part of the M. L. Moran investment group, is now one of the most significant developers of new-generation of industrial complexes. It creates unique campuses that combine manufacturing, services, and community life—and not just on paper. We spoke with Roland Hofman, the company's co-founder and CEO, about what it means to build industrial with human approach, what the future holds for brownfields, and how Urbanity differs from conventional logistics giants.
 
Does industrial development belong in the city? 
Definitely. At Urbanity, we strive to make industrial development a partner to cities and local communities. Industrial zones don't have to be the enemy of quality of life but can become its backbone. If an industrial campus provides a quality working environment, respects the landscape, is energy self-sufficient, and brings new services, then it becomes a real asset. The city can cooperate with it, develop infrastructure, and create lasting partnerships. That is our ideal scenario: a complex that is an organic part of the city and everyone involved benefits from it.
 
That doesn't sound like a typical developer's approach.
It's time for a change. At Urbanity, we create synergistic modern industrial campuses; we don't just strive to build warehouses and maximize land use. Our goal is to revitalize neglected brownfields, make the location attractive to international companies employing local talent, and transform it back into a fully-fledged part of the city. All this with an emphasis on the needs of employees, architecture, and ecology. 
 
Where did the idea of combining industry and community life come from?
More than ten years ago, together with Zdeněk Šmejkal, founder of the M.L. Moran investment group, we began to think about how to give industrial development a new direction. We focused primarily on pleasant design, business efficiency, an attractive working environment for all users, and the services offered.  
 
When did the moment come when you said to yourselves that you wanted to do "it" differently than others?
It was a gradual evolution, but the turning point came when we realized that industrial buildings are not just about tenants and square meters, but mainly about the people who live their lives in them. In addition, as part of the M. L. Moran investment group, we have owned and managed ourselves several industrial companies over the past 25 years. This has given us direct experience of how the environment can influence mood, the effective use of opportunities, relationships, and motivation to work. We wrote down everything we felt was missing in our existing facilities—from architecture to services to connections with the surrounding area—and decided to do things differently. Today, we have a clear strategy: Our goal is to build well-designed industrial campuses with services and an emphasis on community. And to develop it in a way that brings joy to people, regions, and ourselves.
 
Your projects in Tachov and Bruntál really don't look like typical logistics parks. How they differ from other industrial parks?
I would say that the most fundamental difference is in our approach. In Tachov, we bought a former brownfield site and transformed it into a campus with production halls that meet the highest technological and energy standards, but also include a children's group. From the beginning, we have strived to reach out to people and their lives. We are now also preparing a kindergarten, hotel, apartment buildings, coworking space, fitness center, public forest park, and other services.
The same thing is happening now in Bruntál. We are revitalizing a 120,000 m² site in the immediate vicinity of the city center. This is where it becomes clear that well-conceived industry can be a driver of development for the entire region – while operating sustainably and with respect for local tradition.
 
When you talk about sustainability, that's quite a sensitive topic in industrial construction...
Yes, but that's what sets us apart. We have had our own ESG strategy for several years now, and we prepare detailed studies for each campus, for example, socio-economic or demographic studies. We have our own energy division that helps each client with innovative, tailor-made solutions, and we address operational and energy savings. We build infrastructure for electromobility, use rainwater, bring life back to brownfields, and are an active partner for the city. As a result, we significantly save costs to our clients, improve the quality of the environment, and at the same time fulfill long-term sustainability goals. 
 
It sounds almost like urban planning, not industrial development.
That's exactly what we're trying to do. Even our name, Urbanity, refers to this. Already in the preparation phase, we emphasize not only the construction of buildings, but also the urban planning aspect of the entire concept. In order to maintain the quality of our services, we also operate our campuses by ourselves and take care of our clients. So, it doesn't end with just construction for us.
 
You mentioned that you design projects from the perspective of the people who work in them. What does that mean in practice?
It means that we think in terms of the daily schedule of those people. What do they do before work? During work? After work? That's why our concepts include, for example, a children's group, a shop, a café, relaxation areas, a doctor, or even a fitness center as part of the campus. We want the complex to be not just a production space, but a functional urban district. This philosophy is also reflected in the buildings themselves—they have increased access to daylight, a smart measurement and control system, pleasant and representative facilities, high-quality acoustics, and equipment for better air quality. 
 
Let's go back to Tachov. Is this your first project of this type, which you will replicate in the future?
It can be said that way. Tachov has really become our proof of concept. We were the first in the Czech Republic to obtain BREEAM Communities certification and the first in the world to receive it for an industrial site. Typically, this certification is awarded to urban districts. What's more, we received an Excellent rating. This is a major international recognition that assesses the sustainability of the entire area, not just individual buildings, as is usually the case. In 2023, we also won the Industrial Project of the Year award and the Special Award for Ecology at the Estate Awards for Tachov, then we won the prestigious Best of Realty competition and received the Sustainability Star 2024 at the Czech and Slovak Sustainability Summit. This year, we were inducted into the Hall of Fame for Central and Eastern Europe.
 
How is Urbanity doing economically? Many companies today are concerned about costs, and sustainability can be expensive at the same time.
That's a legitimate question. But we are showing that it can be done. Since 2021, we have tripled the value of our assets, while maintaining a very conservative debt level of 38%. Our sites are fully occupied, we have long-term tenants—mostly established local and international manufacturing companies—and therefore stable long-term income. 
Although we are considered a medium-sized player, we were once again ranked in the TOP 5 in the ESG ranking in 2024 as the only real estate group.
 
You mention tenants – how do you actually select who can move into your campuses?
The key factor for us is the client's approach. We want partners who share our values – companies that behave responsibly, have a stable background, and care about their employees and the environment in which they operate. We tailor the premises to each client so that they can achieve the highest possible efficiency. The result is long-term and beneficial cooperation.
 
And what is the outlook for the future? Where will Urbanity be in five or ten years?
Our goal is to expand into other locations, but in a high-quality and sustainable manner. We are starting to build a campus in Bruntál, continuing with the next phase of industrial construction in Tachov, renovating a building intended for civic amenities and hotel accommodation, and building a section intended for rental housing. We are also looking for new locations, especially where there are brownfields or suitable potential for the construction of campuses with services. 
 
Your projects often attract attention from an architectural point of view. Why is the appearance of an industrial complex important to you?
Architecture is a way of communication for us. It clearly conveys how you want to influence the environment and people's relationship to the place where they spend a third of their day. That is why we always work with talented architects from the very beginning of a project. In Tachov, the individual designs were created by the Olomouc-based studio Komplits for the residential part under construction architects, and in Bruntál by the studio JA Architekti. In all cases, we look for architects that are willing to create an original and unique design. 
 
How do you build relationships with the municipalities and communities where you operate?
This is key for us. In each location, we start with a dialogue—with the municipality, citizens, schools, retirement homes and local businesses. We try to understand what is missing in a given place, what are their needs. We connect generations and different groups of people. In Bruntál, for example, we are building on the industrial tradition of the city, but at the same time we are bringing a new standard. We support local sports and educational projects, we cooperate with local municipalities to revitalize public spaces, and at the same time we plan elements that the public will also be able to use. We are not just interested in "building and renting," but in leaving a positive and lasting value.
 
Your approach is very long-term and strategic. How do you finance such projects?
Our advantage is that we are not under pressure to generate short-term returns. We adhere to a philosophy of responsible and two-stage capital. This allows us to plan for ten years or more. We finance both from our own resources and subsidies, as well as in cooperation with banks and investors, but always conservatively – without speculation.
 
You profile yourself as a company that actively participates in ESG debates – you were among the first on the Czech market to develop an ESG strategy and report. However, in the current political debate, the fate of ESG is uncertain. How do you perceive the current situation?
We never wanted to do ESG just to meet legislative requirements. Our ESG strategy is based on practice and everyday decision-making – we want to protect social values and the environment, but we also see the pragmatic side of things. When you build energy-efficient industrial campuses, address the needs of local residents, and treat nature with respect, it pays off financially in the long run. We strive to be transparent and seek solutions that take into account the needs of all stakeholders – cities, investors, employees, and the environment. So for us, how ESG reporting will ultimately turn out and what the standards or other partial obligations will be is not that important. We continue to fulfill our strong vision.
 
When you look back, what do you personally enjoy most about your work?
The fact that we are succeeding in transforming neglected places around us. You see a location where there used to be an abandoned complex, overgrown railway tracks with greenery, empty buildings – and in a few years, it becomes a living organism where people enjoy working, children go to kindergarten, and there is a café and services. Such a concrete transformation makes sense.


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