All good things come in threes: Panattoni is revitalising a former coking plant in Essen

A new space for companies is being built in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, only a stone’s throw from the main train station in Essen. With the City Dock Essen Zentrum, Panattoni is building a modern and sustainable business park on an approximately 24,800 sqm Brownfield for tenants from various industries and varying company sizes.

In the immediate vicinity of the A40 federal motorway and the city centre of Essen, Europe’s largest developer of industrial, logistics and commercial properties will offer eight units with a usable space of between 1,850 m² and 14,800 m² starting in the first quarter of 2026. Whether start-ups, last-mile providers or medium-sized enterprises, the flexible real estate solution can be adapted to a wide variety of companies’ needs due to an efficient, modular design. In total, around 8,800 sqm of hall space, 3,050 sqm of office space and 2,950 sqm of flexible space are available to let.

“The City Dock Essen Zentrum is already the third Panattoni project in this economically attractive region,” says Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni Germany. “With the Panattoni Park Essen and the first City Dock Essen, we have already created a home for a number of companies and an economic additional value for the city.” Andre Boschem, Managing Director at EWG - Essener Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH, highlights the significance of the project for Essen as a financial centre. “With the construction project on Westendstraße, we are sending a clear sign for a dynamic and growth-oriented financial policy and are making use, in particular, of the high demand for smaller spaces from the production, crafts and service sectors.”

In order to repurpose the property, formerly a coking plant, for a new commercial use, comprehensive revitalisation measures are required. Since a portion of the building is still owned by the GMH Group [Georgsmarienhütte Holding GmbH], unused building shells have been structurally separated from it. In addition to the subsequent dismantling of the old buildings, the replacement and laying of pipes for the degasification of an approximately 1,000 m deep, sealed mine shaft are also on the schedule. The severe contamination of the site by, among other things, tar oil, requires a comprehensive soil decontamination concept.

The City Dock Essen Zentrum is being built in accordance with the sustainability criteria of the DNGB [German Association for Sustainable Construction] gold standard. A photovoltaics system, LED lighting and heating using an air-to-air heat pump in the hall and an air-to-water heat pump in the offices offer up to eight companies excellent boundary conditions for keeping their CO2 emissions low. Overall, the City Dock will be equipped with 16 electric charging points and is thus far above the statutory minimum requirements. Well-being areas, fruit trees, a wildflower meadow and nesting boxes support the local flora and fauna and ensure a modern and relaxed atmosphere.

“We are keeping up with the times and betting on future-oriented city development, says Thomas Kufen, Mayor of the City of Essen. “The fact that Panattoni is constructing another commercial property with comprehensive sustainability measures strengthens our position as an attractive and environmentally friendly site for trade and industry and contributes towards our city remaining on a successful economic course.”

The demolition of the old buildings should be completed by February 2025 and the completion is slated for the first quarter of 2026. The brownfield site was brokered by NIG Naumann Immobilien & Kapital Management GmbH.