"The lion on the Finland House symbolizes the style
of my work: attentive,
dominant and caring
at the same time."

Dieter Becken

A firm handshake, a clear look - with Dieter Becken, you know immediately where you stand. After a warm welcome, he immediately begins to talk:

After earning my first money, I realized the role that money plays in people's lives. And so I chose a profession that offered me the opportunity to use my skills to be very successful in business. I think I succeeded. I actually did everything right. I learned the business from the ground up. My basis: an apprenticeship as a bricklayer - and that wasn't always fun. I had a master who didn't believe in me and that's precisely why he gave me an incredible impetus and drive. I would never have made it without him! After four years in construction and spurred on by these experiences, I went to evening school to catch up on my A-levels. I then went on to study architecture and engineering in Hamburg and Hanover. When I received my diploma, I became self-employed and founded my own company. To this day, I have never worked as an employee again, which my employees sometimes find strange. Very soon I specialized in investments, development, realization and long-term management of commercial and residential properties in Hamburg.

"He didn't
believe in me
-
but without him I
wouldn't have made it
, because the
triggered the
drive
in me
."

So you have an eventful career behind you. What situation do you remember spontaneously?

I was sitting in my first own office. I was ready to create great
architecture on even greater buildings. However, no one seemed to be waiting for me, the phone remained silent. So I had to quickly become active myself, develop a network, secure orders - I was a manager, site manager, architect and structural engineer all rolled into one. Thank goodness these functions are now spread across a large number of employees, all of whom certainly do their job just as well or even better. But I can assure you that the spirit is still
the same: everyone here has to approach projects with the same energy and passion as I did back then and still do today.

These are exciting stories. Could you say you have written real estate history?

I certainly have no shortage of history and stories to tell; in so many years, a lot has come together that is worth telling. But let's start with the first buildings I designed that shape Hamburg's cityscape: the police headquarters, the VTG Center, the Stadtparkturm, the Berliner Bogen - all stories made of steel, concrete and glass. And numbers. Which played a particularly important role on December 23, 2006, when I sold my entire portfolio to a Morgan Stanley real estate fund. To this day, that day has earned me the wonderful reputation of having predicted the financial and real estate crisis! Of course, I didn't, but I did foresee the corporate structure of Becken Holding, under whose umbrella I wanted to bundle all of my company's expertise.

Are you actually still in the office every day?

You can rely on one thing: I will fulfill my role as owner until the very last day in my company. My employees are used to me walking through the offices every day, and they dread my constant question: What's new?

And Mr. Becken: What's new?

(Laughs) I can tell you this: I only recently took my hunting license at my age and passed the exam with distinction. The flea was put in my ear by my son-in-law, Michael Becken, who has been enthusiastic about hunting
since he passed his hunting license test a few years ago. But I'm a better shot than him and have shown the next generation of clay pigeon shooters that I'm still a force to be reckoned with. So I'm not short of challenges to take on. (laughs again)

"The spirit,
with which I founded my
company
,
is still the same today,
many years later,
."

Are you not only a hunter, but also a gatherer?

Who whispered that to you? Yes, I am a lover of realistic still lifes and English antiques. I surround myself with them in my private life. In fact, I am becoming a passionate collector of works from the Düsseldorf School and can already call many a painting my own.

"With time comes
experience. But even in
a long career,
you are always faced with new challenges.

Experience then means having the
confidence to act
correctly."

However, your office space looks completely different ...

An office is not a living room. During the working day, anything that distracts you from concentrating on the essentials is distracting. At home, you can relax and recharge your batteries. And take your mind off things. That's why I'm an advocate of the clean desk policy in the office. And as you can see, our offices have been fitted out by Deutsche Werkstätten with great attention to detail and a high level of craftsmanship
. Only those who look closely can recognize the quality - because quality is proven in the details. I am impressed by Deutsche Werkstätten's understanding of materials, their outstanding attention to detail and the lasting value of their fixtures and fittings.

You seem to enjoy working a lot. What else do you want to achieve in this life?

It's not necessarily my goal to go down in history, but I wouldn't mind that either. Joking aside, my main goal is to work on projects that are worthwhile and to work with people who I can learn from and who can learn from me.

Esplanade 41
20354 Hamburg
T: +49 40 237 840 10
F: +49 40 237 840 9999
E: info@becken.de

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