- Frankfurt’s first office building in timber hybrid construction
- More than 15,000 square metres of energy-efficient and sustainable office and retail space
- Completion is planned for mid 2023
Frankfurt am Main, 26.10.2022. Just over three quarters of a year after planning permission was granted, the topping-out ceremony was held today for the Timber Pioneer developed by UBM Development and Paulus Immobilien. The Timber Pioneer is Frankfurt’s first office building in timber hybrid construction and is being built in Frankfurt’s Europaviertel in the immediate vicinity of the F.A.Z. Tower, also developed by UBM and Paulus. The 8-storey Timber Pioneer offers 14,100 square metres of office space and around 1,500 square metres of retail space on the ground floor. The building is not only green but also a smart office development that offers tenants all options, from individual offices to open-space concepts.
Mike Josef, City Councillor, Department for Planning, Housing and Sport Frankfurt a. M., says on the occasion of the topping-out ceremony: “Today’s topping-out ceremony can rightly be seen as a building block in developing our city into a sustainable metropolis. For Frankfurt as a city with a dynamic construction industry, this plays a very important role. My thanks go to the project partners UBM and Paulus, the architects from Eike Becker Architekten and last but not least to all the tradespeople and construction workers involved in the construction. I wish everyone involved a continued smooth and incident-free construction process!
Thanks to the resource-saving use of FSC-certified spruce wood, the shell construction of the office floors can be built in a CO2-neutral manner, and the industrially prefabricated composite elements have also significantly accelerated the construction work. The timber hybrid building thus fits perfectly into UBM’s new group strategy, which the listed real estate developer has developed as a consequence of the Corona pandemic under the slogans “green. smart. and more.”. “The focus of our business activities is on sustainable and intelligent buildings with added value,” explains Thomas G. Winkler, CEO of UBM Development AG, “UBM has the clear goal of becoming the European market leader in the development of timber buildings.”
“With the Timber Pioneer, we are sending a clear signal,” emphasises Andreas Thamm, CEO of UBM Development Deutschland GmbH, “Sustainability is the driver here, technology is the enabler.
“We are proud to be able to use the Timber Pioneer to visibly demonstrate why we are rated as the most sustainable company within the German and Austrian industry,” says Martin Löcker, COO of UBM Development AG. UBM is ranked in the top 1 percent of 100,000 companies worldwide in EcoVadis’ new ESG rating. Christian Paulus, Managing Director of PAULUS Immobilien GmbH, points out that “… at this excellent location, it has also been possible to realise an extraordinary project that meets the needs and demands of our time.” In the near future, a station on the underground line 5 in front of the door will ensure optimal connections to public transport.
WIEHAG Ingenieurbau, based in Altheim, Upper Austria, is one of the world market leaders in timber engineering and is responsible for Timber Pioneer’s timber hybrid construction. WIEHAG managing director Erich Wiesner says: “Building with wood is active climate protection. This is becoming increasingly important for investors. We deliver the highest competence and experience for this.”
Around 1,800 cubic metres of wood were used in the Timber Pioneer, which binds approximately 1,800 tonnes of CO2. The intensive greening of the inner courtyard and roof terrace will enhance the urban microclimate. A cooling effect is created that helps to counteract so-called heat islands in the summer. The e-mobility concept with sharing options and e-charging stations also reduces CO2 emissions when considering the overall usage of the building.
UBM Development develops real estate for Europe’s metropolises. The strategic focus is on green building and smart office in major cities such as Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt and Prague. The gold rating from EcoVadis and the prime status from ISS ESG confirm the consistent focus on sustainability. With almost 150 years of experience, UBM offers all development services from a single source, from planning to commercialisation. The shares are listed in the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange, the segment with the highest transparency requirements.
For further information please contact:
Sven Hoffmann
Head of Marketing Deutschland
UBM Development Deutschland GmbH
Telefon: +49 30 91 58 06 50
Email: sven.hoffmann@ubm-development.com
Karl Abentheuer
Head of Corporate Communications
UBM Development AG
Mob.: + 43 664 801873184
Email: karl.abentheuer@ubm-development.com