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Topping-out ceremony for the first office building in Europaviertel

Frankfurt, 23 February 2010 - Vivico and Union Investment today held the topping-out ceremony for the office and commercial building Europa-Allee 12-22 in Frankfurt's Europaviertel (European Quarter). They were joined by Mayor Petra Roth, Councillor Edwin Schwarz and project participants. From this summer, the German headquarters of BNP Paribas will occupy around 67 percent of the office space available for rent in the building, which covers approximately 34,000 m²) (322,917 ft²) of gross floor area (GFA). The building was sold to Union Investment Real Estate by Vivico before construction started.

 

At the topping-out ceremony, Vivico and Union Investment announced that the building had been awarded silver pre-certification by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen e. V. (DGNB - German Sustainable Building Council) in recognition of its sustainable features. The hosts also announced the conclusion of a rental agreement for a restaurant measuring 425 m² (4,574 ft²) on the ground floor of the building. It will open late in the summer of 2010 and will be called Loft Fifty Two. The restaurant will have seating for around 150 people and will offer a bistro, private dining and a bar area. It will be operated by Thierry and Angela Muller, who already run renowned French restaurant Avocado in Frankfurt.
In her speech, Mayor Petra Roth said how impressed she was by the dynamic realisation of the Europaviertel district: "It is amazing to see the district growing at an increasing pace. The first residents moved here to Europa-Allee last summer, the Meininger Hotel was the second hotel to have been completed, and now the first office building will soon be finished. A new and vibrant urban district is being created in the heart of Frankfurt."
Bernhard H. Hansen, CEO of Vivico, thanked the construction workers, planners and all project participants, remarking that it was thanks to their efforts that the shell of the first office building in Europaviertel had been completed. "The building is a wonderful example of our concept for Europaviertel: attractive, yet sustainable and efficient architecture, an international main tenant and ground floor concepts like Loft Fifty Two that bring life to the building." This strong concept and central positioning within the city, he said, were sure to impress tenants, investors and hotel operators even in difficult economic times.
In his speech, Dr. Frank Billand, a member of the management at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH, emphasised the all-round quality of the building, which corresponds fully with the investment philosophy of Union Investment. Besides the ecological performance and outstanding location of the building at Europa-Allee 12-22 in the heart of Frankfurt, Europaviertel has tremendous potential. The Mövenpick Hotel and the neighbouring office building, which form a sort of ensemble, will benefit from the location's unique central position.
Joachim von Schorlemer, Country Head of BNP Paribas Germany, explained the reason for the company's decision: "As one of the largest foreign banks in Germany, the new building offers us the opportunity to keep all areas of the bank in Frankfurt together and to further increase our efficiency. For us, the move not only creates the foundation for further growth in terms of space, but is also a clear profession of faith in Frankfurt as a financial centre."

More information on the office building Europa-Allee 12-22