- Universal Investment leases approx. 10,000 m2 in Frankfurt’s first timber hybrid office building.
- Timber Pioneer offers a total of more than 15,000 m2 in the first timber hybrid office in Frankfurt
- Handover to Universal Investment as anchor tenant in Q2/2024, lease term of 12 years
Frankfurt am Main, 30.03.2023. Less than four months after the topping-out ceremony, UBM Development and Paulus Immobilien, who are developing the Timber Pioneer in a 75:25 joint venture, have now signed a lease agreement with Universal Investment for almost 10,000 m2. Universal Investment will occupy the space with approximately 750 employees. “The lease shows that our change in strategy is paying off,” explains Martin Löcker, COO of UBM Development AG, “UBM is thus another step closer to its goal of becoming the European market leader in the development of timber buildings.”
The Timber Pioneer is being built in Frankfurt’s Europaviertel in the direct vicinity of the F.A.Z. Tower, also constructed by the two partners, as Frankfurt’s first office building in timber hybrid construction. The 8-story Timber Pioneer offers 14,100 square meters of office space and around 1,500 square meters of retail space. The building is not only a green building but also a smart office, offering users forward-looking workplace options ranging from individual offices to open-space concepts. The lease agreement with Universal Investment has a term of 12 years.
“Universal Investment is the fastest growing capital management company in Germany, and we are investing accordingly in our team. With the new-work concept that we will implement at our future headquarters in the Timber Pioneer, we are also strengthening our profile as an innovative employer. Another factor in favor of the Timber Pioneer is that, as a timber hybrid building, it meets the highest sustainability criteria and therefore fits perfectly with our clear sustainability strategy,” says Michael Reinhard, CEO of Universal Investment. Universal Investment was advised by JLL on the lease.
“With this lease, Timber Pioneer is sending a clear signal in a difficult time,” emphasizes Bertold Wild, CEO of UBM Development Deutschland GmbH, “and it is the successful start for an entire Timber Family in Germany.”
Christian Paulus, Managing Director of Paulus Immobilien GmbH, points out that “… not only the excellent location, but also the innovative and sustainable construction method offer the tenant and its employees excellent conditions, which most certainly investors will appreciate as clients.” In the near future, a new station of the subway line 5 directly in front of the door will ensure optimal connections to the public transport system.
Around 1,800 cubic meters of wood were used in the Timber Pioneer, in which approximately 1,800 tons of CO2 are stored. The intensive greening of the inner courtyard and roof terrace further improves the urban microclimate. The e-mobility concept with sharing offers and e-charging stations also reduces CO2 emissions in the overall consideration of building use. The resource-conserving use of FSC-certified spruce wood means that the shell of the office floors can be constructed in a virtually CO2-neutral manner; the industrially prefabricated composite elements have also significantly accelerated construction work and reduced truck deliveries by a factor of 7.
UBM Development is one of the leading developers of timber construction projects in Europe. The strategic focus is on green building and smart office in major cities such as Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt or Prague. The company’s platinum rating from EcoVadis and prime status from ISS ESG confirm its consistent focus on sustainability. With 150 years of experience, UBM offers all development services from a single source, from planning to commercialization. The company’s shares are listed on the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange, the segment with the highest transparency requirements.
Universal Investment has been active in Frankfurt as a so-called master and service capital management company since 1968. As a fund administrator, the company offers solutions for all asset classes to institutional investors such as pension funds or pension schemes and asset managers. As one of very few providers in the Frankfurt investment funds centre, the company is also very successful internationally because it offers highly customized B2B solutions. Over 1,700 employees manage more than 2,000 funds with assets of over 975 billion euros at the locations in Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Dublin, London, Paris, Hamburg and Krakow.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Sven Hoffmann
Head of Marketing Deutschland
UBM Development Deutschland GmbH
Telephone: +49 30 91 58 06 50
Email: sven.hoffmann@ubm-development.com
Karl Abentheuer
Head of Corporate Communications
UBM Development AG
Mobile: + 43 664 801873184
Email: karl.abentheuer@ubm-development.com
Alexandra Schwarz
Paulus Immobilien GmbH
Telephone: +49 89 693 50 60
Email: schwarz@paulus-immobilien.group
