News

Becken lays foundation stone for high-rise office building in prime Hamburg city centre location

• Ceremony with Senator of Finance Dr. Andreas Dressel and District Manager Falko Droßmann
• Construction progress on schedule for the ConneXion Office office project
• Ten-storey new building with around 17,000 square metres of floor space
• Completion of the quarter at the Klostertor by 2022

Hamburg, 10 September 2020: The Hamburg real estate company Becken is building the ten-storey office building ConneXion Office at Klostertor 1 with a project volume of 114 million euros. The foundation stone for the prestigious office building, built to the most modern standards, was ceremonially laid in the best inner-city location, only about 200 metres from the main railway station, in keeping with the old tradition. Dr. Andreas Dressel, Hamburg Senator and President of the Tax Authority, and Falko Droßmann, District Director in Hamburg-Mitte, celebrated the ceremony on the construction site together with the client Dieter Becken, Managing Partner of Becken Holding GmbH.

The city of Hamburg sold the 3,500 square metre, triangularly cut building plot at the end of 2019 as one of the last free city plots to Becken. This had been preceded by a concept tender in which Becken convinced with a future-oriented utilisation concept for the completion of the Klostertor-Quartier and was awarded the contract. Finance Senator Dr. Andreas Dressel emphasized in his welcoming address to the investor: "On the day of the laying of the foundation stone, this inner-city building site is also a symbol of the city's economic development. After all, our goal of retaining jobs in Hamburg is being successfully implemented here at Klostertor. The new ConneXion Office will provide space for more than 1,000 jobs and at the same time open up a new scope for urban life".

District manager Falko Droßmann emphasized the urban development perspective of the office project: "Now the time has come - with the new building between the central station and the art mile, the Münzviertel will find a fitting conclusion in the west after many years of construction. Modern, bright and prestigious, the ConneXion Office complements the ensemble of new buildings on Klosterwall and will soon be one of the new 'faces' of Hammerbrook. With around one thousand central workplaces, it is a real asset to Hamburg's economy. I particularly like the fact that gastronomy is also moving in on the ground floor, creating a kind of campus character that not only gives the building itself additional life, but also offers all Hamburg residents a new meeting place in the middle of the city.

The ConneXion Office fits into the quarter like the last piece of a triangular puzzle, convincing prospective tenants with its inner-city location quality and versatile transport connections. Dieter Becken was able to announce a pre-letting of 50 percent for the approximately 17,000 square meters of floor space at a very early stage of the project: "Further talks are currently underway with several prospective tenants. Demand has been very good right from the start. Due to its flexibility, the building is suitable for a wide range of companies. The intended gold certification of the German Sustainable Building Council and the modern, high-quality office space in a prime downtown location are important arguments for letting.

The project name ConneXion Office is a word created by the client and is derived from "connection", which means connection. Thanks to its central location in Hamburg and its special equipment, the building is intended to connect people and bring them into contact. For example, the building guarantees its tenants a high level of Internet connectivity, which is documented by a Wired Score certificate. At the same time, the completion of the quarter will create a campus for encounters and exchange.

The building plot is one of the last available larger development areas near the main railway station and had waited around 70 years for its new purpose. Construction of the ConneXion Office is progressing quickly and according to plan. The shell of the building will be completed by mid 2021. We are building a forward-looking building with outstanding architecture in Hamburg," says Dominik Tenhumberg, Managing Director of Becken Development GmbH. "The users and visitors of the ConneXion Office will particularly enjoy the unique floor plans and the impressive views towards the city and Speicherstadt".