ECE Work & Live
FINANCIALLY STRONG, FAST, AND PROFICIENT
-
Henrie W. Kötter, CEO at ECE Work & Live.
With 60 years of experience, strong financial resources, and comprehensive expertise as a developer, operator, and investor, ECE Work & Live seeks to build on these solid foundations and find attractive real estate projects both nationally and internationally. It reacts flexibly when opportunities arise on the market – whether that be new construction projects, further development of projects that have already started, or conversion of existing properties.
ECE Work & Live always adopts a user-oriented, flexible, and value-creating approach. “One of our particular strengths lies in acquiring existing properties or sites in selected European cities and using investments and our expertise to transform them into sustainable, user-oriented properties for end investors,” explains Henrie W. Kötter, CEO of ECE Work & Live. The company takes on the role of investor as well as developer here. The degree of vertical integration varies from being comprehensively involved in operational project development to acting as a lean and flexible investor working with local partners.
THINKING FROM THE USER’S PERSPECTIVE
ECE Work & Live approaches all solutions and projects from the user’s perspective, starting at the point where the greatest value is created from the user’s and investor’s perspective. This approach is shaped by ECE’s 60 years of experience in the retail sector. “Instead of starting with the site or the existing property, we start with the customer journey,” says Kötter, explaining the unique approach. “We develop the property on this basis. This in-house operational expertise helps us to make better decisions in our role as investors and deal with development partners on equal terms.”
-
Tobias Wittke (left, Director Technical Planning & Realization ECE Work & Live) and Henrie W. Kötter (CEO ECE Work & Live) at the TIDE construction site.
RESIDENTIAL EXPERTISE
ECE Work & Live’s activities are particularly focused on the residential sector, where it embraces innovative and sustainable planning concepts. Its activities cover the entire spectrum, ranging from the luxury segment and the renovation of existing buildings to low-cost residential developments – in line with the new Hamburg Standard, for example, a concept which ECE Work & Live was instrumental in developing. The aim is to speed up planning processes, shorten approval times, reduce costs, and facilitate sustainable construction methods.
Making residential projects in Germany viable under the current conditions requires a high level of professional expertise. Among ECE Work & Live’s current residential construction projects is TIDE in Hamburg’s HafenCity. In Freising near Munich, ECE Work & Live has taken on the “Freisinger Anger” residential project – a development where work was underway before being suspended – and will see it through to completion. A residential complex with attractive condos in Rome is another project.
COOL MOVE: CONVERTING EXISTING BUILDINGS
Converting existing buildings can be a sustainable and efficient option. It represents one key way of meeting climate targets while opening up new usable space. Current examples of how disused offices are being converted into residential buildings can be found in Düsseldorf and Rome. ECE Work & Live is also showing how former office buildings can be transformed into hotels in Rome and in Copenhagen.
“One of our particular strengths lies in acquiring existing properties or sites in selected European cities and using investments and our expertise to transform them into sustainable, user-oriented properties for end investors.”
Henrie W. Kötter, CEO at ECE Work & Live
€ 2.5 billion
INVESTMENT VOLUME OF ECE WORK & LIVE CONSTRUCTION/PROJECTS
3,500
HOTEL ROOMS BUILT AND PLANNED
8,000
APARTMENTS BUILT, PLANNED, OR UNDER MANAGEMENT
2 million m²
OF LOGISTICS SPACE BUILT AND PLANNED
SUCCESS IN LOGISTICS
The demand for flexible logistics space that also meets high ESG standards is proving to be particularly resilient. This is underlined by the successful sales of the fully let ECE logistics properties in Hamburg-Billbrook to Savills Investment Management and in Heilbronn to AXA IM Alts. In Marl, ECE Work & Live is currently working with Thalia to build a state-of-the-art omnichannel hub in the new gate.ruhr business park. Another development is the GreenWorkPark on the outskirts of Berlin.
The dynamism in the European markets presents excellent opportunities and possibilities for ECE Work & Live. The focus here is on attractive, rapidly growing European cities that lack attractive, affordable housing on the one hand, but are also popular tourist destinations on the other, making them interesting places for hotel developments. What’s more, it is cheaper and easier to build in many European countries because there is less red tape. Italy is currently one international target market for ECE Work & Live.
ESG PROJECT MANAGERS
A few years ago, ECE Work & Live drew up ESG codes with clear guidelines and standards for individual asset classes. Now the company is going one step further and relying on ESG project managers who liaise between clients, planners, and general contractors – as is currently the case with the projects in Marl and Copenhagen. //
122
EXCLUSIVE CONDOS
200
RENTAL APARTMENTS
4
ELEGANT TOWN HOUSES
FROM THE RENTAL APARTMENT TO THE PENTHOUSE
The new TIDE development in Hamburg’s HafenCity offers space to suit every need. In a premium location between Norderelbe and Baakenhafen, the BEAT and PULSE high-rise complexes are currently being built with a total of 122 exclusive condos and four elegant town houses with roof terraces. Then there are the 200 rental apartments in the VIBES build-to-rent property. Other elements in the development include a residence hall with 260 apartments for students and the UBS Digital Art Museum, a cultural highlight that will attract tourists to the area. The TIDE project is being built by ECE Work & Live together with partners. Completion of the first construction phase is scheduled for 2026.
ESG-Spotlight
-
HafenCity environmental certification, platinum
-
Solar panels installed on the roofs
-
Low-carbon construction methods
-
Recyclable materials used
-
Accessible overall concept
-
Public transport links (underground and metro)
-
E-charging stations for cars and bikes
-
Car-sharing options
LIVING IN HAFENCITY
THE TIDE DEVELOPMENT IS RISING HIGH
