RWE Campus I

On the historic grounds of the former Victoria Mathias coal mine in northern Essen – where the energy provider RWE built its first power plant in the late 19th century – an opportunity arose to blend the company’s history with its future in a new campus. Former mining activity, difficult construction site conditions, an existing substation, and power cable routes made the site technically challenging. The new corporate headquarters was not built on a “greenfield site,” but rather at an inner-city location with an industrial past—in close proximity to the mine complex decommissioned in 1965, which included the former Victoria Mathias 1 and 2 mining shafts.

At the same time, the goal was to modernize the existing administrative building at Altenessener Street 35, connect it spatially and visually with the new buildings, and integrate it into the future campus structure.

And above all, there was a clear promise to our client: The new campus had to be completed on time so that RWE could move in and begin operations at the new headquarters.

As a developer-operator, we purchased the 20,500-square-meter property, signed two long-term lease agreements with RWE for the existing and new buildings, renovated the coal mine’s historic administration building, developed and constructed the new building – and sold the project to an international investor upon completion.

Construction began in the fall of 2017 and was completed in the spring of 2020 – on schedule, within budget, and to the agreed-upon quality standards. A good two years after the groundbreaking, RWE was able to move in as planned – a key success factor, as the timely availability of the new headquarters was crucial for the group’s organizational realignment. Working in close partnership with all stakeholders, we were able to meet cost and quality targets from the outset and optimize them as the project progressed.

With the RWE Campus I, we have successfully transformed an industrial site with complex location requirements into a forward-looking corporate campus that now serves as RWE’s headquarters in the very place where the company has its roots. Serving as a connecting link, it strengthens the axis between Essen’s north city, the Elting and the new university district, demonstrating how we translate unique challenges into reliable solutions for our clients. Awarded the DGNB Gold Standard, this campus project is a masterpiece from our project factory.