On Wednesday, July 9, Miguel Ángel Falcón, Managing Director of Lysander in Spain, moderated the OPTIMIZA 25 forum organized by CESINE Jornadas and Revista Metros 2, held at NATURGY’s headquarters on Avenida de América, 38 in Madrid.
The speakers addressed a variety of topics, including their perspectives on the roles and strategies of Property Managers, highlighting key approaches for different types of investors such as individuals, funds, REITs (Socimis), and family offices. They also discussed the digital dialogue that takes place within assets throughout their lifecycle, and the real-time data leveraged for property management. Another key topic was the importance of occupancy control, emphasizing its critical role in optimizing comfort, meeting certifications like LEED, and monetizing energy savings. Finally, two remarkable examples of comprehensive rehabilitation of historical assets were showcased: Torre Bizkaia and the building at Hernán Cortés 11.
Following this, Miguel Ángel moderated a roundtable discussion with executives from major investment firms and fund managers such as AXA IM, Drago Capital, Catella AM, as well as representatives from major international occupiers like Amazon, and consulting firms including Ayesa, Aire Limpio, and the Escuela de la Edificación. They explored highly relevant topics such as the actual effectiveness of the new LAW ON URBAN MEASURES FOR THE PROMOTION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING (Law 3/2024, of June 28, promoted by the Community of Madrid), which is expected to facilitate and speed up the conversion of land and tertiary-use buildings (offices, shopping centers, and others) into protected rental housing.
Regarding asset repositioning, both panellists and speakers discussed the criteria and priorities applied by Asset Managers, alongside investors, to determine the scope of work and improvement budgets for portfolio assets. They also addressed how major occupiers like Amazon approach the renovation of the spaces they occupy.
It was also noted that the most significant complexity in large-scale renovation and repositioning projects is not just the technical side but rather the management of approvals by all stakeholders and decision-makers involved.
Another essential aspect when undertaking new construction or large-scale renovation and repositioning projects is the choice of contract and management model. In this regard, there are increasingly more alternatives to the traditional model of hiring architecture/engineering services and general contractors under the supervision of a Project Manager. On the one hand, there are Delegated Development Contracts offered by traditional developers, and on the other, Design & Build services with a guaranteed maximum price for repositioning projects, offered by Project Management firms such as ours, Lysander. In these, we include specialised consultants, engineers, and subcontractors in our team, and we commit to a maximum price without the client having to sacrifice transparency, robust reporting, and the flexibility needed to make decisions at any time.
The 2030 green agenda, including the EU Taxonomy and the new Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD), is becoming increasingly important, accelerating compliance milestones based on use types, ownership, and users. Concern was raised about the risk of many assets gradually falling into obsolescence, which could lead to further polarisation of the market.
Finally, it was pointed out that there is a structural gap in the training of personnel responsible for building operation and maintenance after construction. Academic institutions and the sector itself should play a more active role in closing that gap.
Miguel Ángel emphasised the critical importance of involving Facility Managers and experts in sustainability, efficiency, and technology from the very beginning of projects, in addition to the usual stakeholders. He also stressed the need to establish a generous OPEX for the progressive upgrading of assets.
Without a doubt, the OPTIMIZA 25 Forum was engaging and enabled a transparent and agile discussion of key aspects for the repositioning of tertiary assets.
Miguel Angel Falcón, July 2025