The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will remain in Cologne until at least 2046. This is evident from the new lease agreement that it concluded with Commerz Real. Their open-ended real estate fund Hausinvest owns the “Neue Direktion” office complex on Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3 directly on the Rhine. Since 2016, EASA’s headquarters have been located there on 22,800 square metres. The name of the building refers to the Royal Railway Directorate of Cologne, which had its seat behind the historic facade since 1913 and later as Deutsche Bahn until 2001.
Between 2013 and 2016, the building was completely renovated and initially completely demolished down to the facade. A completely new office building with historic details was built inside the facade. The staircase and entrance halls of the historic railway directorate were integrated into the new directorate. The new building was crowned by three floors with surrounding terraces, edged by horizontal steel slats. This construction is intended to recall the contour of the Mansard roof destroyed during World War II.
“With its unique location, modern facilities and distinctive architecture, the New Directorate of Cologne is ideal for us,” says Arthur Beckand, Acting Resources and Support Director at EASA. “We welcome the fact that we have secured our location in Cologne for the next 21 years and thus laid the foundation for a good rental relationship in the coming years.”
I am particularly pleased with our Cologne investors, who make a significant contribution to the city’s economic attractiveness with their commitment.
According to Schüttauf, this also pays off in monetary terms. Since the acquisition of the then construction project in 2013, the property has achieved an average annual appreciation of around four percent and thus contributed to the fund’s positive overall result. Founded in 2002, EASA is responsible for ensuring aviation safety and environmental protection in Europe. It employs more than 800 employees from over 20 European countries.
Commerz Real AG is the asset manager of the Commerzbank Group and has 50 years of international market experience. The company combines extensive know-how in asset management with broad structuring expertise and uses this expertise to develop tangible asset-oriented fund products and individual investment solutions in the real estate and infrastructure sectors. As a leasing service provider of Commerzbank, Commerz Real Mobilienleasing also offers needs-based leasing concepts.
Since 2025, the Commerzbank Group’s asset management holdings have been bundled with Commerz Real AG. In addition to Commerz Real’s brands and products, these include the Aquila Capital investment company with a focus on sustainable tangible asset investments in the area of energy infrastructure and Yellowfin as a boutique for liquid investment strategies. Under the umbrella of Commerz Real AG, a total of around 1,000 employees manage assets of around EUR 55 billion at around 20 locations.
A Commerzbank Group company