27/1/2025
· A multidisciplinary team of Foster + Partners, led by architects Maximilian and Daniel Zielinski, is working on two major projects: reconfiguration of thePalas Iași mixed-use complex and the concept for an urban reconversion and regeneration project proposed in Constanța, an over 800 million Euro investment
· These are the first projects that Foster + Partners will implement in Romania
· Learn more about the Foster + Partners architects' vision for the developments in Iaşi andConstanţa: https://bitly.cx/kioK
IULIUS Company, one of the large streal estate developers in the country, continues its mission to contribute to the urban regeneration of Romanian cities and invests in complex mixed-useprojects with major economic impact. IULIUS marks a new strategic development stage and will collaborate with Foster + Partners, one of the most innovative and world-renowned architecture firms, to implement the company's new urban development vision.
The two projects that IULIUS is developing in Iași and Constanța will harness Foster + Partners’ 50-plus years of global expertise. The partnership will take urban regeneration and reconversion initiatives in Romania to the next level, offering functional and sustainable architectural solutions, adapted to the current needs of their respective communities and harmoniously integrated into the urban fabric, thus substantially improving the residents’ quality of life. The architects’ holistic approach will be reflected in these two major projects:
- Palas Iașireconfiguration: the company’s landmark project and its best-performing one in the retail segment outside the Capital will be reconfigured to meet the current demands of the market and the community. The transformation will highlight the uniqueness of the location by integrating the Palace of Culture and positioning it in the city’s civic and cultural center and thus enhancing the visitor experience.
- Large-scale urban reconversion project in Constanța: an investment upwards of 800million Euro targeting the Oil Terminal platform, which will be completely decontaminated and reconnected to the rest of the city, in a modern, vibrant,and sustainable urban environment. The concept proposed by Foster + Partners offers a vision for the redevelopment of this area, now completely isolatedf rom the rest of the city, transforming it into an attractive hub, with integrated functions that will support the economy, tourism, and social life.The project will revitalize Constanța and strengthen the city’s status as a strategic economic, social, and cultural hub, while contributing to regional and national competitiveness.
“Our entire activity over the past 25years has revolved around projects that transform cities into better spaces for communities. The projects initiated with Foster + Partners are two of the most complex initiatives we have undertaken so far. In Iași, we are upgrading an existing complex in an iconic historical location, where reverence for the surrounding monuments, such as the Palace of Culture, is paramount. In Constanța, we are likely dealing with one of the largest decontamination projects in Europe and the opportunity to give an identity to an area currently isolated and contaminated. We propose to fully reintegrate this urban space,now an enclave, into the city and transform it into a vibrant center with functions that the city currently lacks. With the expertise of Foster +Partners architects and by working closely with the authorities and the respective communities, we are confident that we can implement a vision that redefines urban development standards in Romania,” said Iulian Dascălu, President of IULIUS Company.
Foster + Partners has designed retail,office, and residential buildings, as well as infrastructure solutions and urban developments all over the world. They created numerous architectural and engineering masterpieces, such as Apple’s headquarters in California, 30 StMary Axe, also known as the Gherkin, the Great Court at the British Museum, and the Millennium Bridge in London.
“We are honored to work with IULIUS in addressing the challenges of urban regeneration in two cities of great significance in Romania. Both the Palas Iași project, with its historical and cultural complexity, and the reconversion of the platform in Constanța, alarge-scale industrial area, offer opportunities for creating lasting positive impact. It is rare to find a developer with the courage and vision to take on such ambitious challenges. We are proud to lend our expertise and we are confident that, through this collaboration, we will transform these locations into sustainable and attractive destinations, serving as models for the future,” said Maximilian and Daniel Zielinski, Senior Partners Foster + Partners.
The new Palas Iași – 80,000 sqm retail area
The reconfiguration of the Palas complex in downtown Iași will be an extensive process, carried out in stages starting this year. Foster + Partners is reimagining the multiple uses in the complex –experiences, retail, food, and park – focusing on reconfiguring and optimizing the existing spaces to expand the retail area up to 80,000 sqm GLA. This expansion addresses the demands of retailers looking to enter the regional market or to expand their existing formats.
The reconfiguration will make Palas a greenerand more dynamic destination, with a superior offer in terms of premiumshopping, dining, and entertainment experiences for all audiences and a more integrated connection to the Palace of Culture.
Palas Iași is the highest performing commercial development outside of Bucharest, with an annual footfall upwards of22 million visits, making it the leisure destination of choice for residents in the region and from the Republic of Moldova. The complex is also a strong business center and it also has a strong cultural and artistic scene. The opening of Palas Campus in 2023, a project designed as an extension of PalasIași, marked the development of the largest business hub outside the Capital,with 60-plus companies and 14,000 employees, right in the city center.
Proposal for Constanța – Year-round premium destination
In Constanța, IULIUS is proposing an urban reconversion project for a 38 hectares land owned by Oil Terminal, that has been inactive for 10-plus years. The industrial area will be restored to the city in the form of a mixed-use urban development hub, designed to match the needs of the community, as identified in the dialogue that the company is fostering at a local level. One major challenge to this project is the environmental remediation of the land impacted by the previous oil products storage operations conducted there until a decade ago. The bioremediation, a complex process,has been initiated, and the costs and logistical efforts will be covered by the company.
The investment will feature diverse uses, making it a year-round attraction: office, retail, entertainment,educational and cultural facilities, retail park, botanical garden, public facilities, Aqua Park, coffee shops and restaurants, a fresh market, etc.Modern infrastructure will also be created to support the mobility and connectivity of the project, in line with the urban development strategy of the city.
About Foster+ Partners
Foster+ Partners is a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design, rooted in sustainability, which was founded over fifty years ago in 1967 by Norman Foster. Since then, he and the team around him have established an international practice with a worldwide reputation for thoughtful and pioneering design, working as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse. The studio integrates the skills of architecture with engineering, both structural and environmental, urbanism, interior and industrial design, model and film making, aeronautics and many more – our collegiate working environment is similar to a compact university. These diverse skills make us capable of tackling a wide range of projects,particularly those of considerable complexity and scale. Design is at the core of everything that we do. We design buildings, spaces and cities; we listen, wequestion, and we innovate.
The studio has established an international reputation with buildings such as the Hearst Headquarters in New York, 30 St Mary Axe, popularly known as The Gherkin, in London, Millau Viaduct in France, the German Parliament in the Reichstag, Berlin, The Great Court for the British Museum, Headquarters for HSBC in Hong Kong and London, Commerzbank Headquarters in Frankfurt, the Metro Bilbao, the Carré d’Art Nîmes, and the sustainable Masdar development in Abu Dhabi. Recent work includes Apple Park in California, Bloomberg’s new European headquarters in London, 425 Park Avenue in New York, the new extension to the Marseille Airport, Battersea Roof Gardens in London, and two new stations for Sydney Metro. Currently, the practice is involved in projects such as the New Slussen Masterplan in Sweden, Kuwait International Airport, One Beverly Hills master plan in California, 270 Park Avenue in New York and the renovation of Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.
AboutIULIUS
IULIUS Company is a real estate developer and operator specialized in mixed-use urban regeneration projects in Romania, with 25-plus years of real estate experience and operating in four major Romanian cities – Iași, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca and Suceava.
The company portfolio comprises more than 310,000 sqm of retail premises in two mixed-use urban regeneration projects (Palas Iași and Iulius Town Timișoara), the nation wide network of regional shopping malls (Iulius Mall – Iași, Cluj-Napoca, and Suceava), and the Family Market projects in Iași (Miroslava and Bucium). The projects are regional market leaders and draw more than 70 mil. visits every year.
In just 10 short years, IULIUS came into prominence as one as the most active developers and operators of class A office buildings, creating regional business hubs and multinational creative communities under the United Business Center national brand in three major academic centers in Romania – Iași, Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca). In total,there are 15 green buildings with a total area upwards of 242,000 sqm, accommodating more than 140 company offices and 29,500-plus employees.
IULIUS projects are sustainable concepts that integrate extensive gardens, bringing nature closer to the people, in the heart of their cities.