Art-Invest Real Estate is taking over the asset management of the Axel Springer Campus on behalf of Norges Bank Investment Management, effective 1 October 2026. This commitment concerns the headquarters of Axel Springer SE in Berlin-Mitte, which was completed in 2020. The parties involved also intend to jointly realise further investments in the office property segment in primary German metropolitan regions in the coming years.
The Axel Springer Campus represents an architecturally significant office and media building. The design is by the international architectural practice OMA, founded by Rem Koolhaas. The property is located at Zimmerstraße 50 in Berlin, in the immediate vicinity of the former border strip of the Berlin Wall. The building symbolises Axel Springer's transformation from a traditional publishing house to a digital media and technology company.
Property Features and Strategic Alignment
The property comprises a lettable area of approximately 52,700 square metres, providing capacity for around 3,500 workplaces. A distinctive architectural element is the diagonal atrium, which reaches a height of approximately 45 metres. The design of the terraced workstations is geared towards promoting communication and collaboration throughout the building. The property has been certified according to the DGNB Gold standard and is fully let long-term to Axel Springer.
Guilain Decrop, Co-Head of Europe, Real Estate at Norges Bank Investment Management, commented on the cooperation, emphasising the intention to further strengthen their presence in the German office property market. He highlighted that they are entrusting the management of the Axel Springer Campus to the Art-Invest Real Estate team, while simultaneously aiming to expand and diversify their German portfolio through joint investments in high-quality office properties in leading metropolitan regions. This collaboration aligns with their strategy of investing with specialised real estate managers, and they value Art-Invest Real Estate's broad positioning in the most important German real estate markets.
Markus Wiedenmann and Jan Dührkoop, Managing Directors of Art-Invest Real Estate, commented that they are honoured to take over the management of the Axel Springer Campus with their Berlin team. They also expressed their expectation for the collaboration with the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund's investment team to jointly capitalise on opportunities for large-volume office investments in the current market cycle.
