New building in Eschborn: GIZ campus gets the go-ahead

GIZ’s new building in Eschborn will meet the highest sustainability standards.

Eschborn, 4 December 2020 It is official: The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has given the go-ahead for a campus in Eschborn. On 3 December, Chair of the GIZ Management Board Tanja Gönner and Managing Director Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel signed the contract for the purchase of a new property in Ludwig-Erhard-Strasse on a site adjoining GIZ’s current premises in Eschborn. The site is around 32,000m² in size, and it is planned that by 2025, it will be home to a six-storey building accommodating around 1,000 workstations. The new building will be constructed by Frankfurt-based project developer PHOENIX and the Vienna-based architectural firm Caramel, which won an architectural competition.

Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, GIZ’s Labour Relations Director, will be responsible for the project. He said, ‘We will be creating a compact campus here in Eschborn that offers modern working conditions. I’m particularly pleased that our new building will meet the very highest standards set by the German Sustainable Building Council.’ He added that sustainability means looking to the future, ‘The current pandemic has shown us how important it is to be flexible. That’s why, for example, the spaces in the new building will have partition walls that can be repositioned flexibly, meaning we can easily reconfigure them and adapt them to new working conditions. Following the opening of the new Bonn campus earlier this year, the company’s next step is to invest more than EUR 220 million in Eschborn. This will send a clear signal about the company’s commitment to Eschborn, future-proofing and its desire to create a modern working environment. I would particularly like to thank Dr Frank Lebsanft, CEO of PHOENIX, for excellent collaboration on the basis of trust. A project of this scale involves a number of phases. We’ve worked through them together – and I’m sure we shall go on doing so. I’d also like to thank the town of Eschborn, former Mayor Mathias Geiger, the town council and, especially, the current Mayor Adnan Shaikh for all their support,’ Schäfer-Gümbel concluded.

CEO of PHOENIX Real Estate Development GmbH Frank Lebsanft said ‘GIZ is kicking off a green redevelopment of Eschborn West. We have an opportunity to make it Frankfurt’s most sustainable office district. From our road and transport concept to the green outdoor spaces we are planning, our focus will be to create an environment that looks to the future. To meet that aspiration, we have to work together with GIZ its neighbours and the town; the way to do that is to join forces to learn from other developments. We believe we can make Eschborn West a beacon for modern urban development.’

The new building will replace some older GIZ office buildings in Eschborn and complement the company’s existing premises there. When it is complete, GIZ will have a modern campus in Eschborn providing a total of 80,500m² of floor space for around 3,000 staff. The campus will include extensive communal areas where colleagues can meet and exchange ideas as well as flexible workstations.

About GIZ

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federal enterprise with worldwide operations. It supports the German Government in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. It is also engaged in international education activities around the globe. It has over 22,000 employees across around 120 countries. Through its work, it assists people and societies in shaping their own future and improving living conditions. Its registered offices are in Eschborn and Bonn.

About PHOENIX Real Estate Development GmbH

Future-oriented project developments demand outstanding buildings in attractive locations. This principle guides PHOENIX’s work, from planning and construction right through to leasing. By focusing primarily on development in Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Stuttgart, PHOENIX has created a base in three of Germany’s most stable property markets and is using this base to create sustainable investment products both for quality-oriented property investors and for owner-occupiers.