Hamburg, 25.10.2018. Two DGNB awards in the "Gold" class have gone to Hamburg-based project developer Becken: The listed "Finnlandhaus", today the Becken Group's headquarters, and the neighboring "Esplace" office building were honored yesterday for their outstanding sustainability quality. Dieter Becken accepted both certificates at the Finnlandhaus at Esplanade 41. The company moved into this building in June 2017 after an extensive refurbishment phase.

"We are delighted to receive this award and see it as confirmation that we are on the right track with our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency in construction quality," says Dieter Becken, Managing Partner of Becken Holding. "In the case of the "Finnlandhaus" in particular, this certification was preceded by a complex revitalization process," emphasizes Becken. "The award of the DGNB certificate is the result of an extensive process and the best proof that a building has a high, holistic sustainability quality," says DGNB Vice President Hermann Horster. "In this respect, I can only congratulate those involved in the project, as it shows that the values of sustainable construction are important to them."

With its striking architecture, the listed "Finnlandhaus" on the Esplanade, where the Outer and Inner Alster meet, is considered a landmark in Hamburg's city center. Both the original façade of the thirteen-storey office complex from 1966 and numerous stylistic elements inside the building have been preserved. The restoration of the original façade is remarkable, as is the fact that the building has been optimized as a contemporary multi-tenant building in terms of energy efficiency, technology and construction.

Marc Holzhausen, Member of the Management Board of Becken Development, adds that the example of the "Finnlandhaus" once again clearly demonstrates how sustainability and energy efficiency can be reconciled with heritage protection. At the same time as the refurbishment project, the neighboring new office building "Esplace" was also completed at the end of the second quarter of 2017, which has now also received DGNB "Gold" certification.