[Yves]

Today in the Europaviertel, Vivico together with Petra Roth, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt, Hans Wagener, spokesman for the Board of Directors of Pricewaterhouse Coopers AG (PwC) and Professor Christoph Mäckler, architect, cut the first sod for Tower 185.

"The Europaviertel is reaching new heights," emphasised Bernhard H. Hansen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vivico. "Tower 185 is the first high-rise in the Europaviertel. The start of Tower 185's construction is marked by a rapidly developing Europaviertel. It is already a location for living, offices and hotels. As the next step, the Skyline Plaza with extensive shopping and meeting options will sensibly complement the usage mix in the Europaviertel."

For Hansen the Vivico project developments are sustainable investments: "The conclusion of the lease agreement with PwC before construction begins confirms our strategy of commercially sound planning and implementation." The auditing company Pricewaterhouse Coopers AG has rented around 645,000 square feet in Tower 185 for its new Frankfurt company headquarters. The sustainable approach is to be complemented by the ecological optimisation of Tower 185. Vivico is striving to achieve certification from the international seal of approval of "LEED" [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). "LEED" defines standards for environmentally-friendly, resource-saving and sustainable construction and is considered the world's most recognized benchmark for ecological real estate.

The start of construction work was symbolically celebrated with the cutting of the first sod. The initial preparatory work has been running since the start of September. The foundations are expected to be completed in February 2009. After that, the six-storey base building is to be erected, with completion planned for autumn 2010. The construction of the 50-storey tower is to be concluded by the end of 2011.

Tower 185 marks the entrance to the Europaviertel and lies directly next to the Skyline Plaza, the shopping and conference centre recently approved by the Frankfurt city councillor assembly. The address for Tower 185 is Friedrich Ebert Anlage 35-37.

The building has a total of approx. 1,445,000 square feet of gross floor space above ground, mainly for office use. More than 12,900 square feet of retail trade and restaurants on the ground floor of the base building will liven up the entire environment of Tower 185. The upper floors of the 50-storey tower will house prestigious business offices, communications and conference rooms with a unique skyline view. The tower contains a two-storey underground car park with around 550 parking spaces. The trend-setting architecture of the high-rise stems from the Frankfurt architect Professor Christoph Mäckler. It integrates itself harmoniously into the existing city panoramic view.

Source:Vivico