Just two months after the complete takeover of the Gerling Quartier development project in Cologne, the new sole owner IMMOFINANZ Group set an important milestone by completing 40% of the building shells. That was reason enough to celebrate this intermediate goal with a topping-out ceremony.
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IMMOFINANZ Group plans to realize a total of 15 buildings in two phases in the Gerling Quartier.
Together with Cologne's Lord Mayor Jürgen Roters, the managers celebrated the occasion with a festive ceremony. Roters was impressed with the progress on this project as well as the aesthetics and architectonic design of the quarter: "As one of the largest inner city development projects in Germany, the Gerling Quartier is extremely important for Cologne. In particular, the blending of historical and modern architecture into an entirely new style makes the Gerling Quartier unique", explained the Lord Mayor.
"When we took over the Gerling Quartier in September, we announced that we would do everything possible to realize this project quickly and successfully. Today's topping-out ceremony for the first three building shells demonstrates to the city of Cologne and its residents that we keep our word", commented Eduard Zehetner, CEO of IMMOFINANZ Group. "Construction will now continue without interruption. The topping-out ceremony is only a short breather - it gives the many participants and stakeholders from the company, politics and administration an opportunity to take a look at our ambitious project and to visualize the 'new' Gerling Quartier."
Memorable and characteristic
The Gerling Quartier will become an independent 'Veedel' (district) in Cologne. This fusion of tradition and modern, the convergence of Mediterranean atmosphere and international architecture create a distinct atmosphere and will have a significant influence on the cityscape of Cologne. "The transformation of the Gerling property is something like the "birth" of a new city within the existing metropolitan area.
For us as planners, an extremely complex process that is, at the same time, fascinating and exhilarating when design issues touch so many lives and move this much 'city'. The first shells make it easier to see the huge potential of this new urban quarter", explained Johannes Kister from the architects' firm kister scheithauer gross and master planner of the Gerling Quartier.
Full-speed work on the first stage of construction
IMMOFINANZ Group plans to realize a total of 15 buildings in two phases in the Gerling Quartier. Construction on the first stage is currently proceeding at full speed. Five residential and five commercial properties are scheduled for completion by autumn 2014, and the first buildings should be finished at the end of 2013. For this reason, IMMOFINANZ Group has substantially accelerated work at this most spectacular construction site in Cologne. Nearly 140 workers are ensuring the fast and smooth progress of construction on the individual properties: for example, the core of the Gerling-Hochhaus, the highly visible landmark of thi
