Hamburg / Sylt, July 8, 2021. 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 was extensively renovated in the course of the construction work and extended with a new two-storey building to create a modern residential and commercial building.

The topping-out wreath for the project development was placed today in accordance with an old custom. Nikolas Häckel, Mayor of Sylt, and Dieter Becken, developer and Managing Partner of Becken Holding GmbH, attended the ceremony on the construction site, which is traditionally celebrated with a topping-out speech by the carpenter. Becken acquired the 1,237 square meter site with the existing building, which dominates the cityscape, from HypoVereinsbank in March 2019. Following the repositioning, the building will offer 711 square meters of commercial space and around 1,000 square meters of residential space.

Nikolas Häckel, Mayor of Sylt, emphasized in his greeting to the investor: "Today we can see for ourselves how valuable it is that the historic appearance of this prominent inner city location is being preserved. The restored tower in particular, with its historic appearance, will continue to beautify our cityscape in the long term."
Client Dieter Becken praised the work carried out so far by all the companies and employees involved in the construction and expressed his great satisfaction with the result at the topping-out ceremony. "We emphasize the excellent location here in the pedestrian zone with a very successful urban ensemble of buildings. I am particularly pleased that we were able to secure numerous Sylt-based tradesmen for the shell and finishing work." Becken continued: "I am delighted to be able to show with the 'Wilhelm' that the special beauty of historic Westerland is very close to my heart." Behind the stylish façade, an attractive retail space will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021 and a total of 23 modern one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 22 to 85 square meters in the first quarter of 2022."

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 last year. Rossmann is expected to open its new store area before Christmas 2021.