Frankfurt
CBRE Investment Management Acquires 12,400 sq m Prime Office Property in Berlin
May 5, 2022
Corporate Communications Director
Helen Stott
Corporate Communications Director
CBRE Investment Management (CBRE IM), on behalf of a pan European strategy, has acquired an office building complex through a sale and leaseback transaction in Berlin’s central Mitte district near the Gendarmenmarkt square. The seller is German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom. The property consists of a listed building and two new buildings with a total GLA of approximately 12,400 sq m.
Deutsche Telekom will initially continue as a tenant in the property at Französische Strasse 33 A-C. CBRE IM is planning to refurbish the building in the medium term.
“The complex in this prime Berlin location is an impressive amalgamation of the highly prestigious former Imperial telegraph office and the new buildings. We plan to preserve its character and develop a prime quality, modern and sustainable office property,” commented Sebastian Ehrhardt, Head of Transactions Germany at CBRE Investment Management.
The listed part of the building consists of the former general telegraph office dating from 1862. The four-storey building offers around 5,000 sq m of GLA. A highlight is the magnificent atrium, which is currently used for events holding up to 750 people. The modern section, with its striking glass façade, comprises around 6,400 sq m of GLA, predominantly office space. It also includes a roof terrace and an atrium for events. The third part of the building offers just over 1,000 sq m on six floors and is currently entirely used as telecommunications space. All parts are accessed by three separate entrances. The complex also includes 58 underground and 14 outdoor parking spaces.
It is excellently situated and is in close proximity to Berlin’s main transport axes including Berlin Central Station. The Hausvogteiplatz underground station is located 200 m away. A number of cultural and scientific establishments, government institutions and embassies in the direct vicinity characterise the exclusive office location.
CBRE IM was advised by Linklaters, CBRE Capital Markets, CBRE Building Consultancy, E&Y and Graft Architekten. The seller was assisted in the transaction by the Berlin teams of Cushman & Wakefield and Poellath & Partner.
About CBRE Investment Management
CBRE Investment Management is a leading global real assets investment management firm with $141.9 billion in assets under management* as of December 31, 2021, operating in more than 30 offices and 20 countries around the world. Through its investor-operator culture, the firm seeks to deliver sustainable investment solutions across real assets categories, geographies, risk profiles and execution formats so that its clients, people and communities thrive.
CBRE Investment Management is an independently operated affiliate of CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2021 revenue). CBRE has more than 105,000 employees (excluding Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE Investment Management harnesses CBRE’s data and market insights, investment sourcing and other resources for the benefit of its clients. For more information, please visit www.cbreim.com.
*Assets under management (AUM) refers to the fair market value of real assets-related investments with respect to which CBRE Investment Management provides, on a global basis, oversight, investment management services and other advice and which generally consist of investments in real assets; equity in funds and joint ventures; securities portfolios; operating companies and real assets-related loans. This AUM is intended principally to reflect the extent of CBRE Investment Management’s presence in the global real assets market, and its calculation of AUM may differ from the calculations of other asset managers and from its calculation of regulatory assets under management for purposes of certain regulatory filings.
Deutsche Telekom will initially continue as a tenant in the property at Französische Strasse 33 A-C. CBRE IM is planning to refurbish the building in the medium term.
“The complex in this prime Berlin location is an impressive amalgamation of the highly prestigious former Imperial telegraph office and the new buildings. We plan to preserve its character and develop a prime quality, modern and sustainable office property,” commented Sebastian Ehrhardt, Head of Transactions Germany at CBRE Investment Management.
The listed part of the building consists of the former general telegraph office dating from 1862. The four-storey building offers around 5,000 sq m of GLA. A highlight is the magnificent atrium, which is currently used for events holding up to 750 people. The modern section, with its striking glass façade, comprises around 6,400 sq m of GLA, predominantly office space. It also includes a roof terrace and an atrium for events. The third part of the building offers just over 1,000 sq m on six floors and is currently entirely used as telecommunications space. All parts are accessed by three separate entrances. The complex also includes 58 underground and 14 outdoor parking spaces.
It is excellently situated and is in close proximity to Berlin’s main transport axes including Berlin Central Station. The Hausvogteiplatz underground station is located 200 m away. A number of cultural and scientific establishments, government institutions and embassies in the direct vicinity characterise the exclusive office location.
CBRE IM was advised by Linklaters, CBRE Capital Markets, CBRE Building Consultancy, E&Y and Graft Architekten. The seller was assisted in the transaction by the Berlin teams of Cushman & Wakefield and Poellath & Partner.
About CBRE Investment Management
CBRE Investment Management is a leading global real assets investment management firm with $141.9 billion in assets under management* as of December 31, 2021, operating in more than 30 offices and 20 countries around the world. Through its investor-operator culture, the firm seeks to deliver sustainable investment solutions across real assets categories, geographies, risk profiles and execution formats so that its clients, people and communities thrive.
CBRE Investment Management is an independently operated affiliate of CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2021 revenue). CBRE has more than 105,000 employees (excluding Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE Investment Management harnesses CBRE’s data and market insights, investment sourcing and other resources for the benefit of its clients. For more information, please visit www.cbreim.com.
*Assets under management (AUM) refers to the fair market value of real assets-related investments with respect to which CBRE Investment Management provides, on a global basis, oversight, investment management services and other advice and which generally consist of investments in real assets; equity in funds and joint ventures; securities portfolios; operating companies and real assets-related loans. This AUM is intended principally to reflect the extent of CBRE Investment Management’s presence in the global real assets market, and its calculation of AUM may differ from the calculations of other asset managers and from its calculation of regulatory assets under management for purposes of certain regulatory filings.