' News

Becken lays foundation stone for residential and commercial building in prime city center location in Westerland (Sylt)

• Ceremony in Wilhelmstrasse with Sylt Mayor Nikolas Häckel
• Construction progress on the renovation and modernization of the historic
  main building and construction of an extension on schedule
• Construction of 23 apartments and one commercial unit
• Occupation of the apartments from the first quarter of 2022, completion of the
  retail space in the third quarter of 2021

Hamburg / Sylt, September 30, 2020 : The Hamburg-based real estate company Becken, a specialist in the development and realization as well as long-term asset and investment management of commercial and residential properties, is building a three-storey residential and commercial building with 23 apartments, a retail space on the first floor and an underground car park with 39 parking spaces in a prime downtown location in Westerland (Sylt) at Wilhelmstraße 2, adjacent to the pedestrian zone. The prestigious existing building will be extensively renovated as part of the construction project and extended with a new two-storey building to create a modern residential and commercial building.

The foundation stone for the new building was ceremoniously laid today in keeping with tradition. Nikolas Häckel, Mayor of Sylt, and Dieter Becken, developer and Managing Partner of Becken Holding GmbH, jointly celebrated the ceremony on the construction site. Becken acquired the 1,237 square meter site with the existing building, which dominates the townscape, from HypoVereinsbank in March 2019. Following the repositioning, the building will offer 711 square meters of commercial space and 986 square meters of residential space.

Nikolas Häckel, mayor of Sylt, emphasized in his welcoming address to the investor: "I am delighted that the historic appearance of this prominent downtown location will be preserved and even restored with the tower—the beautiful, period facade of the building will continue to have a significant impact on our cityscape."

Building owner Dieter Becken particularly praised the ideas of architect Jan-Erik Gerdt: "In terms of scale and division of use, the architectural design allows for a very successful urban ensemble of buildings." Becken continued: "The high-quality façade is very close to my heart because it emphasizes the special beauty of historic Westerland, when seaside resort architecture was still a predominant design feature. Now, behind the stylish façade, an attractive retail space and 23 modern one- and two-bedroom apartments with living spaces of 22 to 85 square meters are being created."

Becken had already leased the commercial unit on the first floor to the drugstore Rossmann on a long-term ten-year lease in the middle of this year. Rossmann will take over its new store area on October 1, 2021. Construction work is proceeding according to plan and without disruption. The old existing building will soon be carefully dismantled down to the façade and completely rebuilt in conjunction with the extension. The topping-out ceremony should take place by April next year.

At the end of 2019, Becken invested in the building fabric and the extension of the mother and child clinic in Westerland, which the company acquired in January 2017.