Client story

Spectacular views in Hamburg’s HafenCity

Exclusive investment opportunities: IQ - WATERMARK and SHIPYARD: unique landmark buildings with fabulous views in the best location on the Elbe.

Location

HafenCity Hamburg

Spotlight

White ceramic façade

Time

Marketing during the construction phase

Square Metres

Total 21,500 sqm

Hamburg's most modern and world-famous district has a new attraction: the glazed porcelain façades of the WATERMARK tower on the 9,000 sqm Intelligent Quarters (IQ) site shine visibly from afar. Located directly on the River Elbe, the 70-metre tower forms the Intelligent Quarters’ highest point. The new maritime quarter comprises the WATERMARK and SHIPYARD commercial buildings and the FREEPORT residential building. Connected to the water by open steps and a spacious square, the new Intelligent Quarters complex, created by the joint venture comprising ECE and STRABAG Real Estate, offers exclusive office, retail and residential space in a premium location. Situated in the heart of HafenCity, it can of course boast optimal private and public transport connections. From its position directly opposite the Elbphilharmonie (Elbe Philharmonic Hall), the WATERMARK building offers sensational and breath-taking panoramic views over the entire HafenCity and the city centre. Designed by the award-winning Hamburg architects Störmer Murphy and Partners, the Intelligent Quarters complex meets the highest demands for aesthetics, functionality and efficiency. This manifests itself, for example, in the distinctive porcelain façade of hard-wearing, self-cleaning elements, which is an impressive architectural highlight. At the same time, the three façades of "white gold" form the connecting element of the newly created campus.

Marketing for sale during the construction phase

„WATERMARK and SHIPYARD in Hamburg's HafenCity are an exclusive investment ensemble with truly spectacular views.“

Sarah Cervinka, Senior Team Leader Office Investment, JLL

The developer and seller, the joint venture comprising ECE and STRABAG Real Estate, instructed JLL to market the WATERMARK and SHIPYARD buildings for sale. These two office complexes with integrated retail space offer 21,500 sqm of lettable area and will be certified with DGNB Gold for their sustainable construction.

The Intelligent Quarters offers investors above-average cash flow stability with outstanding growth potential. For example, the occupancy rate of the seven-storey SHIPYARD with its 6,900 sqm of office and retail space had already reached 84% by April 2018. Its main tenant with a strong credit rating is one of the world's leading logistics companies with its headquarters in Hamburg.

„Intelligent Quarters is characteristic of the standards we set for HafenCity.“

Jan Störmer of Störmer, Murphy and Partners architects

WATERMARK, also affectionately called "the elegant exclamation mark in white", is a 70-metre high multi-tenant office tower with an area of 15,200 sqm. With its eighteen storeys, WATERMARK towers over all other office buildings in HafenCity and offers spectacular views in every respect.

JLL designed a broad-based marketing campaign in the form of a structured bidding process to appeal to both domestic and international investors. The large size of the deal, especially for the Hamburg market, generated strong investor interest.

As an international real estate advisor, JLL accompanied the marketing and sales process, providing comprehensive advice at every stage and achieving an end-result with which all participants were more than satisfied.  

Sale and handover of the WATERMARK and SHIPYARD

Munich-based REAL I.S. AG acquired these two landmark buildings within the newly developed Intelligent Quarters complex in Hamburg's HafenCity. WATERMARK was purchased for Real I.S. Themenfonds Deutschland I and the SHIPYARD for BGV VII Europa. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.