As best emission house in the category “Geschlossene Immobilienfonds Deutschland” the Deutsche Fonds Holding AG could accept the Scope Investment Award 2011 on the 1st of December 2011.

The jury’s choice was made on the basis of six assessment criteria – product quality, transparency, continuity, integrity, innovative strength and strategic farsightedness. Among others, the jury was convinced by the extensive emission history, the clear core strategy with the focus on German office properties, the ability to acquire interesting projects time and again, and the competence to build up attractive participation offers on the foundation hereof.

With the Scope Awards, once a year, special performance in the investment branch is distinguished.  The German rating agency Scope is specialised in systematic research, analysis and evaluation of international capital investments and their providers.

Apart from Jörn Franke and the engineer Rolf Biermann, the engineer Jörg Schachschal was appointed managing director of Zechbau GmbH. And in so doing the responsible-organisational build-up of the company’s structures is now also reflected in its management. Jörg Schachschal is responsible for the regional area East, with its subsidiaries Cottbus and Saxonia, as well as the offices in Berlin and Leipzig.

The Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG has published an interim announcement for the third quarter 2011. This can be found here.

As of 2012, the ATLANTIC-Hotel group is the first in the North German premium hotel business to implement a new development programme for young managers, which includes above-average remuneration and additional benefits for new trainees.

As of the training year 2012, the new trainees who are being educated as cooks, restaurant specialists and hotel managers are given an additional financial starting aid in the amount 1,000 euros in the first year of education. In the second year, ATLANTIC Hotels will in future pay a monthly trainee remuneration that is 100 euros higher than that of the negotiated wage. In the third year of education it will in future be 150 euros more.

The initiative has the objective of ensuring qualified up-and-coming talents for these attractive professions in future as well – especially against the backdrop of the widely discussed trainee-quality in the hotel and gastronomy business, as well as the demographic change.

In cooperation with experienced managers from the business sector, the Zech Group started the institutional special fund business in accordance with German investment law. For this purpose, an application for permission was lodged at the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). The investment company Art-Invest Real Estate Funds GmbH has its headquarters in Cologne.

Apart from the Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG as division holding of the Zech Group for the Real Estate division, the managing director Jan Dührkoop and Philipp Henkels are associates of the Art-Invest Real Estate Funds GmbH.

More information can be found here.

Plenty of space, fashion and international inspiration – one of the largest shopping possibilities for everything beautiful and stylish is now coming to Düsseldorf.  As of autumn 2013, international brands will be set in scene in an atmosphere of sophisticated international flair, covering a surface of more than 15,000 square metres.

Thus the fashion and lifestyle company, Breuninger, returns to Düsseldorf and with it, the world of sought-after, exclusive designers now also move into the Kö-Bogen. Therefore the first so-called anchor tenant for this project of the century is now officially known.

Breuninger was convinced that Düsseldorf is ideally suited as the shopping metropolis in the heart of Rhineland Westphalia. The Kö-Bogen, with the architectural design by the New York star architect, Daniel Libeskind, forms the framework for a new department-store concept, which is located directly in the centre of the city. 

The Zech Group and Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG would like to welcome you to Expo Real 2011 in Munich, the international specialist trade fair for commercial property and investments. From 4 to 6 October, 2011, you will find us in hall B2 at stand 214. We’re looking forward to your visit!

Zech Umwelt GmbH has repositioned its water treatment sector and considerably expanded the range of services on offer. Within the framework of this restructuring CARO-Biotechnik GmbH (Aachen) has changed its company name to Zech Water Technology GmbH. The full-service environmental service provider can now offer its customers a variety of solutions for the preparation and treatment of water.  

The spectrum of services includes: 
- Site water conservation and cleaning
- Soil and ground water remediation
- Ground air cleaning
- Exhaust air treatment
- In-situ remediation
- Industrial management
- Drinking water treatment                                           
- Process water treatment
- Water reuse
- Municipal wastewater treatment 
- Industrial wastewater treatment 

Around one year after it opened the four-star superior ATLANTIC Grand Hotel Bremen is extending its event capacities. In the rooms of the former Casino Bremen on Böttcherstraße new event spaces are being created on an area of 1000 square metres. The concept and design of the new spaces follow on from the tradition of the 1920s social rooms or saloons and are being given a modern twist. In terms of quality and appearance the interior design is in keeping with that of the main building, but takes the famous Böttcherstraße location into consideration under the motto “Tradition and Modern”.

Multifunctional and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, not only special occasions, but also congresses and conferences can be held in the unique atmosphere of the “Goldener Saal”, “Scotland Saal” and the so-called “Marquee”. A variable space concept offers room for all kinds and sizes of events. A comfortable transition from the conference area of the hotels had already been completed prior to this.    

“Hafenkante” Quarter in Bremen
The Überseestadt harbour redevelopment in Bremen is one of the biggest urban development projects in Europe. On around 300 hectares a new, vibrant neighbourhood is being created with a dynamic mix of harbour-related businesses, innovative services, premium residential and office buildings, as well as retail, gastronomy and culture offers. Situated right by the water, here in the new “Hafenkante” (or Harbour’s Edge) quarter five apartment blocks with around 100 apartments are being built. They are being developed and constructed by Zech Immobilien Beteiligungs GmbH and DS-Bauconcept GmbH. Last week the winners of the architect competition were presented. In order to incorporate as many different architectonic hallmarks as possible, the jury awarded two first prizes and both ideas are being implemented. Important to the jury were variety and distinctness as a result of different architectural styles. Currently under construction are four to seven full storeys with two, three, four and five-room apartments and penthouses covering areas between 65 and 170 square metres. www.bremen-hafenkante.de

“WohnGut – an der Promenade” in Heidelberg
Construction work has already begun on the “WohnGut - an der Promenade” residential quarter in Heidelberg. Due to the high demand the developers, DIH Deutsche Wohnwerte GmbH from Heidelberg, can begin one month earlier than planned. On 5 August 2011 the first symbolic spadeful of earth was turned. Being built as part of the new Heidelberg “Bahnstadt” district are single-storey and penthouse apartments with two to five rooms, terraced houses with their own garden, cross-over houses (four or five rooms on three floors) and city villas with up to five rooms. In addition, there will also be a central district plaza, garden courtyards, the namesake promenade and an underground car park on the former site of the railway yard and freight depot. Covering an area of 116 hectares the “Bahnstadt” is bigger than Heidelberg’s Old Town and offers plenty of space for urban spaces with an exciting design. www.wohngut-bahnstadt.de

On 18.07.2011 ECOSOIL Süd GmbH took over the complete operation of the Schelklingen Quarry on behalf of SWS Steinwerk Schelklingen GmbH & Co. KG. Within this framework it will operate the landfill site of the Alb-Donau district in future years and is responsible for the entire re-cultivation and maintenance of the site. The operation of the recycling plant at the location will continue to be part of the agreement.

With this investment ECOSOIL Süd GmbH, which has belonged to Zech Umwelt GmbH since October 2010, is further developing its market position and portfolio of facilities in southern Germany. In addition to the aforementioned waste management activities, the preparation of construction waste and railway ballast into certified recycled building materials, it is also continuing the quarrying, preparation and marketing of limestone and limestone products. With the Schelklingen Quarry and B.A.U. GmbH in Ulm-Donautal, ECOSOIL Süd GmbH now has its own two railway sidings.

The foundation stone of the “Kö-Bogen” construction project in Düsseldorf was laid today. Star architect Daniel Libeskind from New York, Düsseldorf’s Lord Mayor Dirk Elbers, Düsseldorf’s First Mayor Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Zech Group managing director and partner Kurt Zech and die developer managing director Stefan Mühling gathered together at the bottom of the excavation pit of the future retail and office building to celebrate the occasion. It was attended by several hundred guests from the worlds of politics, business, management and culture. In keeping with tradition, coins newspapers and construction plans were placed inside the foundation stone. The triangular stainless-steel sculpture, created by Libeskind himself, will be later visibly integrated into the façade in a corner of the building.

The building pit is now almost fully excavated – the mass of moved soil is equivalent to a volume of 43 swimming pools with 50-meter lanes or 280 single-family homes. The construction project is now being continued with the development of the underground car park and the two buildings. The opening is planned for autumn 2013.

The planning and construction of social properties require specialised knowledge and a lot of experience with regard to the daily operation of such facilities. The technical and economic wishes of the people responsible for running them and also the investors need to be taken into consideration, as well as the countless different legal requirements.

As a general contractor we have extensive know-how in the turnkey ready construction of nursing care facilities, residential homes, apartments for assisted living, health and rehabilitation centres as well as clinics and doctors’ practices. Since 2006, within our group of companies we have developed social properties with more than 2000 beds.

Between 12 and 14  April 2011 Zechbau is represented at the ALTENPFLEGE 2011 trade show in Nuremberg, Europe’s leading trade fair for elderly care, in hall 1 at stand 111. We’re looking forward to your visit!

On Saturday, 26 February 2011 representatives from the city of Cologne and the managing director of DIH Deutsche Wohnbau GmbH Wolfrat Voigt symbolically dig the first spadeful of soil for the Il Castello residential building project. Within the group of companies DIH Deutsche Wohnbau GmbH is responsible for the high-grade residential construction in metropolitan regions.

The building project on the site of the former children’s homes in Cologne-Sülz includes two buildings with private inner courtyards and 33 owner-occupied apartments as well as 7 townhouses. The sizes of the apartments range from 37 to 165 square metres. The project, which has been accepted with enthusiasm by the market, covers a total living space of around 4300 square metres.  

Show rendering

On 1 February 2011 Zech Immobilien Management GmbH can look back on 10 years of business. Today the company supervises more than 6000 clients in all fields of property management. It administers rental apartments and houses, property owner associations, commercial units, shopping malls, offices and doctor’s practices throughout the whole of Germany. The subsidiary company of Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG started out in 2001 with around 3000 clients, who were mainly former clients of the Bast-Bau group.

The company covers all areas of modern property management with concepts that are specifically tailored to its clients. The list of clients includes businesses, nationwide and foreign investor groups, building contractors, banks, private investors, law firms, property owner associations and individual property owners. In 2010 the managed rent volume amounted to around 36.2 million euros.

The Zech Group has sold its companies BFB Behmann Feuerfestbau GmbH, Bremen, and SFB Behmann Feuerfestbau GmbH, Schwedt/Oder, to Ed. Züblin AG. Behmann is a specialised company for fireproof construction, chimney construction and technical insulation. Together with Ooms-Ittner-Hof GmbH, Cologne, in the future Behmann will be forming the special division for chimney and fireproof construction within Ed. Züblin AG.

The sale is based on a strategic decision. The aim of the Zech Group is to develop every company unit to achieve a significant output and size, in order to guarantee long-term success on the market. Despite intensive searching during previous months it was not possible to find a suitable takeover candidate for the expansion of the business. Therefore the decision was made to sell the Behmann companies to Ed. Züblin AG. All Behmann employees will continue to work within the Züblin group.

Zech Hotel Holding GmbH has sold the ATLANTIC Congress Hotel Essen to the WestInvest Gesellschaft für Investmentfonds mbH. Within the framework of a sale-and-leaseback, WestInvest, a company of Deka Immobillien Investment GmbH, purchased the hotel, which is located in Essen next to the Grugahalle arena, for their property fund “WestInvest TargetSelect Hotel”. It was the biggest single hotel transaction in Germany so far this year. The four-star superior category hotel, which will continue to be run by Zech Hotels GmbH, opened in January 2010 and has over 248 rooms, a large conference area and a vinotheque.
 
The transaction was structured in just four months. The right location and concept, as well as the high quality standard of Zech Hotels, form the basis of this success. The “WestInvest TargetSelect Hotel” fund invests in hotel properties at top locations with an international orientation in the European Economic Area.

In an asset deal Zech Umwelt GmbH has taken over important parts of Ecosoil Süd GmbH with a large number of employees. The old Ecosoil Süd GmbH with its headquarters in Ulm had to file for bankruptcy in September 2010. With the sectors of landfill construction/landfill restoration and flood prevention, Zech Umwelt GmbH is opening up new business fields and, thanks to the new locations of Ulm, Groß-Gerau and Munich, is now even closer to its customers in southern Germany. With previously 14 and from now on 17 stationary soil purification and material flow plants in Germany alone, Zech Umwelt GmbH is now one of the market leaders in Germany.

Ecosoil Süd GmbH is one of the leading companies for land recycling, restoration of contaminated sites, landfill construction and flood prevention in southern Germany. A main focus of Ecosoil Süd GmbH is on the conversion of industrial wasteland.

Further information can be found here

The Zech Group and the Düsseldorf property project developers ‘die developer’ signed the tenancy agreement with telecommunications provider Vodafone Deutschland for the large-scale project “Vodafone Campus Düsseldorf”. This means that the team of project developers under Stefan H. Mühling have been able to win another large property project in addition to the renowned “Kö-Bogen” complex. The Zech Group supports the projects as an investor and works closely with ‘die developer’. The two projects are currently amongst Europe’s largest property development plans.

The tenancy agreement with Vodafone D2 GmbH comprises around 86,000 m2 of office space and has a duration of 20 years. The total investment volume amounts to more than 300 million Euros. Zechbau GmbH is responsible for the construction (technical lead management), within a consortium, as well as Ed. Züblin AG. In a construction period of just 27 months a new building will be realised, which includes an office tower, three building blocks and a multi-storey car park. Construction work begins on 13 September, 2010.

ATLANTIC Grand Hotel Bremen
One year and a few days after the foundation stone was laid the four-star superior ATLANTIC Grand Hotel Bremen has opened its doors. The new building closes the gap between the market square, Böttcherstraße and Schlachte Boulevard on the River Weser. The classically modern interior design references Hanseatic lifestyle and building culture. Numerous artefacts from Bremen’s history were unearthed here before and during construction. This is why vessels, tools and building materials can be found throughout the whole hotel in display cabinets. The ATLANTIC Grand Hotel Bremen has 138 rooms, the “ALTO” restaurant with a conservatory and outdoor seating, a lounge with bar and café plus a spacious smokers’ lounge with fireplace. On the seventh floor the guests have a unique panoramic view of the publicly accessible rooftop terrace. A sauna and fitness area is the perfect place to relax. Conference and congress rooms for up to 300 people and an underground car park with 70 parking spaces round off the range of services.

ATLANTIC Hotel Kiel
In a central location between the main train station, the central bus station and the Fjord, Kiel now boasts a new top hotel. With its Hanseatic modern design the four-star superior private hotel perfectly complements the existing choice of hotels in Kiel. The prominent location makes it an attractive destination for both business travellers and conference guests, as well as for short-break tourists and holidaymakers. The design-oriented hotel offers 187 spacious rooms, 12 of which are suites, fitness and sauna area and a wine cellar for exclusive events. Seven multifunctional congress and banquet rooms are available to host all kinds of events for up to 400 people. The “Pier 16” restaurant awaits the guests with authentic and creative North-German cuisine. The rooftop lounge bar “Deck 8” with its rooftop terrace and views of the Fjord and the ferry dock is already enhancing Kiel’s gastronomy scene.

The ATLANTIC Hotel in Lübeck's old town centre opened its doors on 30 March 2010. The new building has 135 rooms, studios and suites. A generous foyer welcomes guests and visitors. The "SALIS" restaurant owes its name to the city's history and the fact that Lübeck lies on the old salt road. It also offers special facilities for connoisseurs of good tobacco and good wine with a smoking lounge and a well sorted wine cellar for private events. The multi-purpose conference and event suite with ballroom can seat up to 280. The seventh floor has the sauna and fitness facilities together with an exclusive roof lounge.

Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG (DIH AG) has presented its group annual accounts for 2009 with a report on the hitherto unaudited and therefore provisional results. These reflect the strong growth still enjoyed by the company.

You can find the press release here.

The first construction phase in the Kö-Bogen project in Dusseldorf has begun with clearance of the site. Implementation lies in the hands of the Dusseldorf branch of Zechbau GmbH.  The project developers, "die developer", have just posted a new informative website on the project, offering not only the latest news but also numerous Web 2.0 interaction possibilities for anyone who is interested. The website also shows the new Kö-Bogen image film together with the images of the new site webcam with its 180° lens.

The Kö-Bogen-website www.koebogen.info

Deutsche Immobilien Holding Aktiengesellschaft has made an interim announcement relating to the third quarter of 2009. You can find this here.

The Zech Group has acquired the majority holding in HOCHTIEF do Brasil in São Paulo, the Brazilian subsidiary of HOCHTIEF Aktiengesellschaft, Essen. With this, the medium-sized group headquartered in Bremen has paved the way for further increased international growth.    

HOCHTIEF do Brasil, which has 1,500 employees, has already undertaken projects for national and international clients in the sectors of infrastructure, industry, commercial buildings and residential property. The company also offers services in the field of facility management. HOCHTIEF will retain a minority holding in HOCHTIEF do Brasil, since Brazil remains an interesting market for the HOCHTIEF Group which secures, by its retained shareholding, access to local resources.

For the Zech Group, acquisition of the majority holding in HOCHTIEF do Brasil was the next logical step to further expansion on the attractive Brazilian market. Brazil is one of the world's most aspiring industrial nations and has enormous development potential. The Zech Group is active in the business fields of construction (Zech Bau Holding GmbH), real-estate project development (Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG), environment/technology (Zech Umwelt Holding GmbH), industry (Nordwest Industrie Capital GmbH) and hotels (Zech Hotel Holding GmbH). Since the beginning of 2009 it can look back on 100 years of company history. In Brazil the Zech Group has already been involved in the environment sector for several years, via subsidiaries. For a year now it has held a 50 percent shareholding in the construction company Construtora Tedesco Ltda. in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil. In the medium term the Group also plans to engage itself in the real-estate and hotel sectors.

The official starting signal for the construction of Kö-Bogen in the heart of Düsseldorf was given today. Together with the American star architect Daniel Libeskind, Düsseldorf's lord mayor Dirk Elbers, lady mayor Dr. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Zech-Group shareholder and managing director Kurt Zech and the managing director and fellow partner of "die developer Projektentwicklung GmbH" Stefan Mühling, the first cut of the spade for the most important town-planning project in the coming years was welcomed at Jan-Wellem-Platz.

After the official opening ceremony Libeskind, who is especially known for his design for the World Trade Center in New York and for the Jewish Museum in Berlin, presented his plans in detail to the public. On one side the buildings take on the sweeping form of the neighbouring theatre, whereas on the other the facade will be reflected by the so-called "Dreischeibenhochhaus" (three-pane high-rise). The facade itself is interspersed with green areas that form an optical connection to the adjacent "Hofgarten" (courtyard garden).

At one of the most attractive squares in the state capital of Düsseldorf the project-development company "die developer", which belongs to the Zech Group, will develop Kö-Bogen as a property with the utilization focus on high-quality retail outlets and offices, supplemented by restaurants and cafés. The starting date for the engineering work on a tunnel and basement garage is scheduled for the beginning of 2010. And the high-rise construction commences in 2011. And the completion and opening of Kö-Bogen is planned in good time for Christmas business, 2013.

You will find further information on Kö-Bogen here as well as under www.koe-bogen.info.

The prerequisites for certification of the purchase contract with the City of Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf on 25th June 2009 were punctually achieved, thereby permitting the die developer Projektentwicklung GmbH, a holding of Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG, and the latter itself via an interim holding, to engage in the construction of one of the most spectacular project developments ever envisaged for the city. The Düsseldorf city council issued its approval of this contract, making it legally effective.

Based on the plans of the famous architect Daniel Libeskind, the state capital will be given a new facelift. This is the result of intensive negotiations on the financing of the project by a banking consortium, which were successfully and punctually concluded before the signing of the contracts with the state capital of Düsseldorf. The capital resources invested by Deutsche Immobilien Holding AG itself, reasonable in relation to the total investment volume, amount to more than 70 million euros, which were partly made available by Zech Group GmbH and will also be used to support a guarantee to the city of Düsseldorf to the value of 120 million euros.

With this, the Group sets new standards during this difficult economic period, satisfying the prerequisites for increasing profits in the years ahead.

To the project

The hoping and planning lasted many years, but the building structure of the Congress Hotel Messe Essen was completed after only six month's work. The investor and developer Kurt Zech and Essen's lord mayor Dr. Wolfgang Reiniger today celebrated and the topping-out ceremony, together with representatives of Zech Hotel Holding, the building companies involved in the construction and a large number of invited guests. The hotel will open its doors at the end of the year 2009.

Located directly at the Grugahalle, this superior, 4-star hotel will provide its guests with 250 rooms and suites, a special Executive Floor with a separate business lounge, a restaurant with outer terrace, a wine cellar, a bar and a smokers’ lounge. Another major attraction is the large congress zone, which covers an area of 1,200 square metres. This makes it one of the largest hotels in the Ruhr district and one of the city of Essen's biggest providers of conference space. The investment volume amounts to around 30 million euros.

Within the framework of a European-wide call for tenders, the construction and operating concept proposed by Zech Hotel Holding convinced those responsible.
The finished building will be run by the hotel operating company Zech Hotels GmbH. The company already operates the Holiday Inn Essen City Centre and the Holiday Inn Düsseldorf/Neuss.

To the location

Just a few weeks after the commencement of work on two further hotels in Lübeck and in Kiel, today marks the start of construction work on the ATLANTIC Hotel at Bredenplatz in Bremen. This new building fills the gap in the city landscape between Marktplatz, the historical Böttcherstrasse and Weser-Boulevard Schlachte. A classical-modern interior design reflects the Hanseatic lifestyle and building heritage. The hotel will have more than 136 rooms and suites, a restaurant, a conservatory, a lounge and a smokers' lounge with a fireplace. A wine cellar is also planned and the seventh upper storey is designed as a roof lounge. 

To the location

Deutsche Immobilien Holding Aktiengesellschaft has made an interim announcement relating to the first quarter of 2009. You can find this here.

Kiel's lady mayor, Angelika Volquartz, today gave the start signal for construction work on the new ATLANTIC Hotel Kiel. Together with the Bremen investors Joachim J. Linnemann and Kurt Zech, amidst the many representatives from the fields of politics, economics and administration, the mayor, who is also head of department for economics, cut the first ground signalling the start of work on the building site. 

To the location

Zech Umwelt GmbH has developed a new, innovative purification process for contaminated plastics. By means of an intensive cold wash, this fully separates HDPE plastics from clinging residues, such as oil remnants, making it possible to produce a high-quality, reusable grist for material recycling from essentially unused waste material.

The construction work on the new private four-star hotel belonging to the ATLANTIC Hotel cooperation has now begun. Today, in the presence of a large number of representatives from the fields of politics, business and administration, the traditional laying of the foundation stone was undertaken by Lübeck's Mayor Bernd Saxe and the Lady Director of the Lübeck swimming baths, Sieglinde Schüssler. With this design-oriented hotel facility in Schmiedestrasse the investors Joachim J. Linnemann and Kurt Zech have erected the first and only hotel in Lübeck's "old town". As is the custom, a cartouche containing a number of coins, a daily newspaper and copies of the building plans were "walled-in" with the foundation stone.
To the location

As from today, Zech Group, which has its headquarters in Bremen (Germany), can look back on 100 years of company history. Yet the Group, which is internationally active and is highly diversified, is still at heart a family business. What began as a building company with a handful of workers is meanwhile engaged in the fields of Construction, Real Estate, Hotel, Environment/Technology and Industrial & International Holdings.

In the course of three generations there have been many changes and further developments. What has remained unchanged, however, is the motivation to create value for the customers. The Zech Group is characterized by healthy growth, increasing internationalization and a willingness to explore paths that are new and unconventional. Since its beginning the company stands for personal responsibility.

The foundation stone for the Group was laid in February 1909 with a building company set up near to Breslau by Gustav Zech. After the chaos of second world war, the family moved to Bremen hoping to make a fresh start. Together with Kurt Zech (senior), one of his six children, Gustav Zech revived his building company and was therefore able to participate in the reconstruction of Bremen. In 1978 Kurt Zech finally took over the business from his father. Since then the Group has continuously extended its fields of business. The managing partner Kurt Zech has meanwhile developed the one-time small building company to the Zech Group, which now employs about 3,000 people. The Group is a strategic management holding company incorporating six different business units, each with its own center of competence.

With many different fields of activity the Group is well positioned. With the knowledge, know-how and commitment of the employees it is optimistic about the future. Even about the challenging months that lie ahead, as a result of the reprehensible behaviour on the financial and real-estate markets. In view of the current turbulence on the world markets, the business enterprise has decided to do without any opulent jubilee celebrations.

The Zech Group stands for long-term business strategy, as opposed to short-term success. And has done for generations.

Kamü Bau GmbH presents itself as a competent partner for the fields of structural engineering and engineering construction, civil engineering and renovation with a newly reworked home page in the Internet. Under www.kamue.de visitors will find services, references, contacts, jobs and downloads in a modern presentation that is clearly organized and well designed.

At various point in the Internet presentation, for example, the user can choose between the three main fields of work of the Bremen-based company. Under "Kamü builds on“ there is the core performance of the company  - the construction of upmarket buildings that are highly complex and last for a long time. Under "Kamü goes deep", the civil engineering portfolio presents the road construction and sewer construction, earthwork and plasterwork and the construction of complete outdoor plant. The comprehensive area of renovation is addressed under the title "Kamü makes fresh“ - from small repairs to large-scale projects, from loft conversions and redevelopment of structures under monument protection to complete conversions of trade buildings.

In the best Stuttgart inner-city location Phoenix Real Estate Development GmbH has realized a project at Königstraße 43b - the longest shopping street in Europe. The company develops high-quality and long-lasting investment products for returns-and-quality-oriented real estate investors.

The property, which was completed at the beginning of 2006, bears the name "Das weiße Haus" [The White House]. This name derives from the facade, which was completed in shining-smooth, white concrete.

In November 2008 this project won the Construction Award 2008 given by the Baden-Württemberg State Association of the Federal German Association of Architects (BDA). Since 1969 this has been presented to developers and architects once a year, at a distance of three years, for their joint work on exemplary buildings in Baden-Württemberg. In the opinion of the BDA, developers and architects accept a high level of responsibility towards human society. The quality of the designed environment is influenced by their personal commitment. Architecture as a product of developers and planners is one of the greatest and multifaceted cultural challenges faced, and as such can only be mastered jointly.

Further information is available under www.weisses-haus.info and www.bda-bawue.de.

At the end of October 2008 the new building project "Hofgartenpalais" in Düsseldorf had its topping-out ceremony. The building was erected under the technical control of the Zechbau GmbH subsidiary in Düsseldorf.

The technical supervisory authority TÜV Thuringia has developed and launched the first evaluation system for commercial real estate on the principles of the hotel classifications. This determines in a selective and objective way the practical value and the quality of the real estate for the user and allocates, on this basis, between one and six stars.

The TÜV Real Estate Seal of approval evaluates a great many user-relevant aspects such as size, cut, room arrangement, services provided, furnishings and fittings, Infrastructure, environmental surroundings, security or consumer costs. "Luxury“ aspects, by contrast, are not taken into account. The evaluation system must not be compared or confused with the well-known sustainability seal, that evaluates solely the environmental suitability of real estate. This is also given consideration in the context of the TÜV certification, but constitutes one aspect amongst many. The development of the catalogue of criteria determined in agreement with the German real-estate association IVD, which contributed with its knowledge and experience of the market. All individual results were evaluated in a criteria catalogue by awarding points, these then being used to determine the overall result. The more points one has, the higher the standard. The seal permits a comparison of real estate offers and assists in marketing the real estate.

The "Hofgartenpalais" is now the first office property in Germany to receive the TÜV Thuringia certification. It is - although still under construction - thereby classified as being in the 5-star category of "outstanding value“. In the course of the final certification, which will take place after completion in the first quarter of 2009, a further improvement in category is even possible. The aspects of safety, service performance, administration and others besides cannot be precisely evaluated any earlier.

The questioning of users and lessors of commercial real estate has confirmed that the real estate seal provides an important and objective assessment and is therefore of great importance to both sides.