ABG Real Estate Group and Hecker GmbH, owners of the BERLINERHAUS office tower on Wolfsburg’s Mittelland Canal via a joint venture, have announced that T-Systems will move into the building. ABG Real Estate Group is active throughout Germany, whilst Hecker GmbH is a Wolfsburg-based family-owned business. IT and digital services provider T-Systems, a subsidiary of DAX constituent Deutsche Telekom AG, is renting approximately 2,250 sqm in BERLINERHAUS to locate experts from its automotive division who will be working on topics such as automotive software, connected cars, digital customer experience, and secure cloud computing – almost next door to their client Volkswagen AG and its AUTOSTADT experience centre. The space rented by T-Systems comprises the top four floors – 8 through 11 – of the BERLINERHAUS office tower and boasts a two-storey ‘sky lounge’, a rooftop terrace, together with a flexible layout that offers a mix of open office space, conference rooms and individual offices, allowing for all forms of modern working. The tenant has also rented 40 car parking spaces. Handover is scheduled for the end of the year.
Back in late 2020, the joint venture between ABG Real Estate Group and Hecker GmbH had already let approximately 8,000 sqm of space to international hotel operator Premier Inn within the BERLINERHAUS property – and in the early summer of 2022, the 260-room hotel – conveniently situated close to VW Group’s AUTOSTADT – opened its doors to guests. Korean automotive supplier Hyundai Transys Inc. was the next in, setting up a 330 sqm research and development unit on the sixth floor at the end of the year. Last but not least, DOS (a medium-sized provider of IT consulting and software development services) consolidated its Wolfsburg offices on the third and fourth floors of the building, occupying around 1,275 sqm.
Jens Hofschröer, Head of the Department of Economic and Digital Affairs of the City of Wolfsburg, commented: “With its IT services, the company T-Systems is successful worldwide, especially in the automotive sector, and has been active in Wolfsburg for many years, particularly in the area of software for vehicles. The investment and expansion of T-Systems at the Wolfsburg location underlines the importance of our business location as a driving force in the digital transformation of the automotive industry. With its decision in favour of BERLINERHAUS, the company is once again sending out a forward-looking signal for the office property market and thus also for the business location.”
Ulrich Höller, Managing Partner at ABG Real Estate Group, stated: “One of the key players in the digital transition of the German automotive industry is moving into BERLINERHAUS, highlighting the top quality of clientèle attracted to this property. Its location in the heart of automotive hub Wolfsburg, combined with leading-edge flexible space, offers the best of the modern working world – an ideal place, in fact, to shape the future.”
Wolfsburg’s BERLINERHAUS
The elegant 45-metre BERLINERHAUS office tower sports a delicate metal and glass façade. Three attractive, two-storey ‘sky lounges’ and a rooftop terrace offer visitors a unique view of the AUTOSTADT and Wolfsburg Castle. Twelve full storeys provide approximately 6,700 sqm of flexible office space for future tenants, within walking distance of the city centre and the main station. The complex is completed by two transverse five-storey blocks for the Premier Inn hotel, which sit on two-storey pedestals. The hotel offers 260 rooms on around 8,000 sqm of rental space. The building has around 170 car parking spaces.
To make the BERLINERHAUS project a reality, ABG Real Estate Group – with more than fifty years of experience in spectacular landmark developments at Germany’s prime locations – joined forces with the long-established Wolfsburg-based and family-run Hecker GmbH, who brought profound local expertise to create a perfect match. Architectural firm Stauth Architekten was commissioned with the planning of the project.
In 2022 the BERLINERHAUS was awarded the prestigious LEED ‘Gold’ certificate to reflect implementation of innovative sustainable concepts for the entire property during project planning and realisation. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the most widely used green building rating system around the globe.
