The topping-out ceremony for the Eden Tower in Frankfurt’s European District was celebrated on October 13, 2020. Eden Frankfurt is the first residential high-rise in the German metropolis with a fully green facade. The Eden Tower extends over 28 floors, reaches a total height of 98 meters and has a gross floor area of 19,680 square meters (211,833 square feet).

Façade installation and interior construction have already been ongoing for around two months. One of the next steps will be fitting and installing underfloor heating in all apartments, designed to cool during the summer and warm in winter. A showcase apartment is scheduled for completion in the upcoming weeks; interested parties will then be able to get a tour, including a presentation of the green concept.

After completion, the green façade will be visible on all four sides of the residential tower, with ribbons of greenery extending the full height of the building. “With our innovative façade concept we have established a pioneering position in Europe,” says Muriel Sam, Head of Development at the developer Immobel, adding: “We will be placing around 195,000 plants to form ten vertical green ribbons.” According to Muriel Sam, this will also benefit future residents, since each balcony will resemble a private haven – surrounded by nature and crispness.

In the opinion of Rudi op ‘t Roodt, Head of Technical at Immobel Group, Eden Tower fits very well into our modern times: “We are creating nearly 2,000 square meters (21,527 square feet) of additional green space in the city, in what used to be a distinctly bleak car park.” Rudi op ‘t Roodt adds that construction of such a façade comes with numerous challenges, since the sheer complexity of the project is only manageable by implementing an elaborate preparation and planning phase. After all, tests had to be performed to see which plants would flourish at such heights. In addition, a system had to be developed to allow water and nutrients to reach the plants, as residents are not supposed to have to take care of the plants. Planting will take place in May 2021.

“It’s now one year since the start of construction, and our sales results are very promising,” says Muriel Sam. Whilst potential buyer requests did fall at the beginning of the corona pandemic, she stated, “demand for products with a focus on well-being, quality of life, and sustainability – all of which Eden Tower offers – recovered quite fast. Eden Tower sales figures are proof of that.” Today, over 40 per cent of the Eden Tower apartments have been sold; a further 10 per cent have been reserved.

Immobel cites two further reasons for this ongoing strong demand: Germany’s political and economic stability on the one hand, and the dynamism of the Rhine-Main Region on the other. Furthermore, Immobel believes that the continued growth of Frankfurt’s real estate market and Eden Tower’s green concept resonate well with exactly those buyers looking for high-quality and safe inner-city investments.

“We are proud to be realising a real European project with Eden Tower – as befits the location in Frankfurt’s European District,” emphasises Rudi op ‘t Roodt. “During the corona pandemic, this posed great challenges for all parties involved.” After all, suppliers to the project are spread across several countries. The German construction company Züblin was responsible for the shell construction, Poland’s Aluproject is providing the façade, Belgium’s Verheyen concrete is managing production and delivery of prefabricated balcony modules, while AMG Railing from the Netherlands is providing the balcony railings. Sempergreen (also a Dutch company) developed the plant system and is responsible for its implementation. “At the end of the day, however, by adjusting the various workflows and supply chains we were able to implement a multitude of tasks smoothly and on schedule,” says Rudi op ‘t Roodt.

Eden Tower is being constructed at the entrance to Frankfurt’s European District; it offers space for 263 apartments with 1 to 4 rooms. The tower is crowned with a shared rooftop terrace and has a green courtyard, concierge service in a high-end lobby, and a gym – amongst other features. Jones Lang LaSalle and Mattheußer Immobilien are jointly responsible for property marketing. To visit the showcase apartment and showroom, please schedule a meeting with the marketing partners.

• Height: around 98 metres, ground floor plus 27 floors above ground
• Parking: 100 parking spaces, in common underground car park
• Floor space (gross): 19,682 square meters
• Residential units: 263 (studio apartments with approx. 29 square meters, 2-room-apartments with approx. 50 to 63 square meters, 3-room-apartments with approx. 94 square meters, penthouse apartments with approx. 50 to 197 square meters)
• Location: Europaallee 11, 60327 Frankfurt, Germany
• Façade with vertical gardens
• Shell construction: Ed. Züblin AG
• Project management: cmT – cmT Germany
• Dry construction: A.S.T.-Trockenbau
• Building and systems engineering: GA-tec
• Electrical engineering: Heinle Elektrotechnik
• Sprinkler system: P.u.P. Feuerschutz und Anlagenbau
• Marketing: Jones Lang LaSalle and Mattheußer Immobilien
• Completion scheduled for year-end 2021, with first occupancy in 2022

Immobel is the largest listed real estate developer in Belgium. The group, which dates back to 1863, creates high-quality, future-proof urban environments with a positive impact on the way people live, work and play, and specialises in mixed real estate. With a stock market value of over EUR 650 million and a portfolio of more than 1,200,000 square meters of project development in 6 countries (Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Poland, France, Spain, Germany), Immobel occupies a leading position in the European real estate landscape. The group strives for sustainability in urban development. Furthermore, it uses part of its profits to support good causes in the areas of health, culture and social inclusion. Approximately 200 people work at Immobel.