The VIVIT Group, an investment and real estate manager specialising in the development and management of office, residential, and commercial properties, has signed a comprehensive Green Lease agreement with the University of Duisburg-Essen. The contract pertains to the entire rental area of the existing PARKSIDE development in Essen. The leased area of approximately 2,200 m² will be occupied by the University of Duisburg-Essen gradually from 2027 onwards. The transaction was brokered by the property services provider Brockhoff GmbH.
The PARKSIDE property, located in Essen's Westviertel district, offers the now leased total area, spread across four floors. Erected in 1955, the building was originally part of the Krupp industrial and workshop halls. For many years, it housed the headquarters of a turbine manufacturer belonging to the AEG group. The VIVIT Group acquired the building as part of a joint venture and repositioned it on the market with a market-appropriate and user-oriented concept. The renovation was carried out with consideration for sustainability aspects and accessibility, in order to create a modern office space with an urban-industrial character.
New Use and Positioning
With the University of Duisburg-Essen moving in, PARKSIDE will henceforth be used as a single-tenant property. Its intended uses as a psychological outpatient clinic and teaching facility lend the building a versatile character. The diverse requirements of the university illustrate the building's flexibility. The spatial concept allows for a variety of work, teaching, and meeting formats. These include open spaces, classic offices, as well as communication and communal areas.
Benedict Meckenstock, Real Estate Manager at VIVIT, explained that PARKSIDE allowed for the careful further development of an existing property with industrial history, giving it new relevance in the urban context. For VIVIT, it was crucial to create a flexibly usable space that preserves identity and provides genuine added value for people and the district. He emphasised that the use of the site for teaching and psychological care by the University of Duisburg-Essen underscores the company's ambition to develop spaces with social and urban added value for their users.
Birtta Mauritz, Dipl.-Ing. Architect in the Building Management Department of the University of Duisburg-Essen, stated that PARKSIDE combines precisely the qualities that were sought for this location: flexible areas, an authentic atmosphere, and a central urban location with its own character. With the planned uses, an open place for learning, encounters, and support will be created in the heart of Essen.
Infrastructure and Surroundings
PARKSIDE benefits from excellent transport links. The Berliner Platz underground station is in the immediate vicinity and is well connected to public transport. Essen's main station can be reached in ten minutes. Düsseldorf International Airport is half an hour's drive away. The property includes car and bicycle parking spaces; further parking options are available within walking distance in the surrounding area. The central location also offers attractive leisure opportunities, including Weststadt Park, hotels, as well as numerous gastronomic options, gyms, leisure facilities, and shopping opportunities.
