The Dimex-2000 Company builder, controlled by entrepreneurs Ioan and Neluţa Lucreţia Scurtu from Rebrişoara, Bistriţa-Năsăud County, reported a turnover of RON 615.4 million (EUR 123.7 million) for 2024, 2.2 times higher than the previous year, when the company had business of over RON 273 million (EUR 55.2 million).

The Bistriţa-based builder achieved a net profit of RON 49.1 million (approximately EUR 9.9 million) last year, 3.5 times higher than the previous year, when Dimex-2000 Company obtained a net profit of RON 14 million (EUR 2.8 million), according to public data. The company reached an average number of 245 employees last year, 46 more people than in 2023.

IULIUS Company has announced the launch of a major redevelopment project for the Palas Iași mixed-use complex. The redesign is based on a concept developed by the renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners, marking the firm’s first fully implemented project in Romania.

The project will be carried out in stages and aims to enhance the existing retail, leisure, and public spaces within the complex. The retail component will be expanded, with the total leasable area set to surpass 80,000 square metres. The esplanade in front of the Luceafărul Theater will be reimagined as a green space and a venue for events. New regional and international fashion, sports, and department store brands will be introduced, along with flagship formats for anchor tenants.

The redevelopment will also include new entertainment areas for families and children, more flexible event spaces, and an expanded park that will incorporate interactive and relaxation zones. The current events centre will be relocated and upgraded, offering four halls with a total capacity of 1,000 people. Additional underground parking will be added, and the connection to the nearby Palace of Culture will be enhanced through sustainable and aesthetically integrated landscaping and design.

This phase of development represents an investment of approximately EUR 80 million, bringing IULIUS’s total investment in the city centre of Iași to over EUR 520 million.

The updated vision for Palas Iași seeks to build on the relationship that residents and visitors already have with the space—emphasising green areas, inclusive experiences, architectural continuity with the Palace of Culture, and a diverse retail and dining environment. Foster + Partners, known for designing iconic and sustainable structures worldwide, is leading the design process, handling the project in its entirety, including all technical specifications.

According to Raluca Munteanu, Development Manager at IULIUS, the redevelopment is about ensuring long-term relevance. She stated that while Palas is already a successful project, it must continue to evolve alongside the needs of the community. The transformation is intended to better integrate the complex into the city through added green areas, family-oriented spaces, and a refreshed commercial and leisure offer.

Munteanu highlighted that the involvement of Foster + Partners places Iași on the international map of architecture and urban planning, but the real focus remains on creating meaningful spaces for the people who live in and visit the city.

The City Hall of Sector 2 has decided to stop the revitalization works of the Obor Square area, a project already started by the former administration, and the works have reached about 40%. The current administration wants to make parking lots instead of green spaces.

The Romanian capital has only 7.1 square meters of green space per inhabitant, the smallest of its kind in Europe, while Sofia has 14.4 square meters and Budapest 16.1 square meters.

Green spaces are being transformed into apartment buildings, parking lots or streets. More cars mean more pollution, and reducing green spaces only means less capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. In just ten years, the number of cars in Bucharest has increased by 300,000 in a city where the infrastructure can barely cope.

“People go to areas where there are a lot of pedestrian spaces, where there are what are called pocket parks, all public space is designed as a park, you have shady areas everywhere, there are such pocket parks in London. There are a lot of other programs with green streets in France, Belgium, everywhere where we like to spend our money on vacations. Why don’t people go on vacation where there are parking lots? Why don’t we go to the parking lots of malls to spend our free time? It is obvious that we need urban comfort, that is, protection, so that cars don’t run over you, and shade,” explains Diana Culescu, president of the Association of Landscape Architects in Romania.