In Cologne's Bickendorf district, directly adjacent to the trendy Ehrenfeld district, Segro CityPark Cologne is being built on the former site of the AkzoNobel chemical company as part of one of our largest revitalization projects.
Segro acquired the former paint and varnish factory in 2015. Since then, a modern industrial and commercial park has been created on the eleven-hectare site, focusing on medium-sized companies from a wide range of sectors and city logistics uses. As part of the revitalization, 76,000 tonnes of recycled material were processed, among other things. The buildings are being constructed successively and in compliance with high environmental standards. The Jäger Group, which specializes in the rental and sale of event technology, recently leased the first 3,200 square meters of newly constructed space. Five buildings are currently planned on the entire site, offering space for around 40 companies.

The work was preceded by an extensive inspection of the property, which included a detailed soil survey including an investigation of existing contaminated sites such as pollutants, as well as legal easements. It was also important to protect the original appearance of the site as far as possible and to implement an attractive architectural design for the new buildings. Segro's project developers designed the real estate concept specifically with a view to preserving the old building fabric so that the historical character of the site is still visible.

High flexibility for tenants
At the heart of the real estate concept designed and implemented by Segro is the guiding principle of ensuring the greatest possible flexibility of space. This means that the individual buildings can be divided into sub-areas of around 800 to 12,000 square meters, giving a wide variety of users space for their needs. Thanks to the good cooperation with the tenants, it is also possible to expand or reduce space as the business grows - or even shrinks - and thus give companies more flexibility.

In addition, the rental areas are designed in such a way that retrofitting and space adjustments can be made at a later date. On the one hand, this favors good interaction between the various usable areas in the building, including production, logistics and service areas. This is particularly beneficial for the new manufacturing processes required for Industry 4.0 and urban production. On the other hand, office space can also be created if required, for example by moving a mezzanine into the hall areas.
While the larger rental units are primarily intended for production and urban logistics, the smaller sub-areas are particularly suitable for medium-sized companies ranging from retailers to pharmaceutical laboratories. However, alternative uses are also possible, for example cultural and leisure facilities such as theater stages or sports halls - not least due to the proximity to the trendy Ehrenfeld district.

The location enables close proximity to customers
Like other major German cities, Cologne is also significantly influenced by the megatrend of reurbanization. Between 2010 and 2017, the population increased by more than 65,000. E-commerce is also continuing to grow rapidly on the Rhine. Both of these factors are not only causing a growing shortage of space, but also increasing traffic congestion. For companies in the logistics sector in particular, but also for other players with constant customer contact, short and efficient access routes and the greatest possible proximity to the end customer are therefore necessary - whether in the B2B or B2C segment. Revitalization projects such as the Segro CityPark Cologne have the advantage of generally being close to the city center and easily accessible. The CityPark is not only located in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral and main railway station, but Cologne/Bonn Airport is also just 20 kilometers away. In addition, several city and federal highways can be reached quickly from the location. The nearest bus stop is also only 50 meters away - an important aspect for the employees working on the site, which contributes to the attractiveness of the work location.

Sensible from an urban planning perspective too
Revitalization projects such as the Segro CityPark Cologne also make sense from an urban planning perspective, and they are in line with the political guidelines of consistent inner-city redensification. For example, the German government has set itself the goal of reducing land consumption - including the designation of new building land - to 30 hectares per day by 2020 and to 20 hectares per day by 2030. Due to the increasing competition with new residential and office construction for inner-city building land, it also makes sense to use existing industrial sites for production and logistics uses. In terms of building law, it is relatively straightforward to convert these areas into modern commercial units, so various building types can be realized. Conceivable options include multi-level properties with separately accessible

Outer ramp to make even more efficient use of inner-city building plots.
If a business park is redeveloped on a brownfield site, this also helps to retain jobs in the region and even create additional jobs for skilled workers - instead of redeveloping a corresponding site on the periphery, thereby further increasing commuter traffic. In addition, an aesthetic design that incorporates the historical characteristics and low-emission operation can help to sustainably enhance the image of inner-city logistics among residents and local authorities.