Topping-Out Ceremony for the Sky Office in Düsseldorf

March of 2007 saw the commencement of construction work for the 89 meter high Sky Office on Kennedydamm. On Thursday, November 13th, 2008, the topping-out ceremony will be celebrated, hosted by the builder-owner ORCO Germany and its general contractor, HOCHTIEF Construction.

In his address, Rainer Bormann (CEO ORCO Germany) will be thanking all of the people involved in the project. The mayor of Düsseldorf, Dirk Elbers, and the architect Christoph Ingenhoven of Ingenhoven Architekten will likewise address the guests. And, as tradition requires, the HOCHTIEF Construction foreman Stefan Klein will read a poem wishing the building and its inhabitants well while the topping-out wreath is being raised. A small pyrotechnic light show will follow.

The catering service Bistro EssART will provide the traditional “Richtschmaus” reception with food and drink and celebration after the ceremony. Bistro EssART will be operating the restaurant in the Sky Office; future tenants include McKinsey and Lovells. Since then have signed on, more than 60 percent of the office space in the eye-catching new building have already been leased out.

The Sky Office will present itself as a modern, first-class business building offering a view of the Rhine River. At a height of 89 meters, the Sky Office with its approximately 37,000 m² of gross floor area distributed on 23 floors will be a new highlight in the Düsseldorf skyline.

ORCO Germany
ORCO Germany S.A. is a real estate company, registered in Luxembourg, and listed in the Prime Standard on the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The ORCO Germany group, which operates under the uniform registered trademark ORCO Germany, has been pursuing its activities in Germany since 2004 and concentrates on commercial properties, as well as, on asset management and project development. ORCO Germany currently employs about 210 staff members in Germany.
In 2006, ORCO Germany strategically reinforced its project development operations by acquiring Viterra Development. Viterra Development was renamed ORCO Projektentwicklung GmbH at the beginning of 2008 and is one of the leading project developers and investors specializing in commercial and residential properties in the core German markets of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. ORCO Germany expanded its portfolio of properties in Berlin in June of 2007 by taking over
Gewerbesiedlungs-Gesellschaft mbH (GSG); the company now manages more than 1 million square meters of developed and undeveloped areas in the German capital. GSG was established in 1965 and is the largest owner of commercial space in Berlin with about 850,000 square meters of office and multifunctional space. ORCO-GSG owns 45 so-called commercial courtyards and centers, as well as,
235 residential units. Most of the properties are located in the city center with excellent connections to the Berlin public transportation network. Orco Germany S.A. is a subsidiary of Orco Property Group, one of the leading Central European real estate firms holding a portfolio worth EUR 2,7 billion (as evaluated on June 30th, 2008). Established in 1991, the company has its registered seat in Luxembourg and is listed on the Euronext, Prague, Budapest and Warsaw stock exchanges. It operates primarily in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Croatia, the Slovak Republic and Germany.
By switching from the Open Market, where ORCO Germany S.A. had been listed since 2006, to the Regulated Market (Prime Standard) in November of 2007, ORCO Germany has demonstrated that it is implementing a capital market strategy consistent with its rapid operating growth of recent years. By meeting the most exacting standards of transparency in place at the German Stock Exchange, ORCO Germany S.A. has improved its accessibility to capital market players even further.

HOCHTIEF Construction
HOCHTIEF Construction is a service-oriented construction company combining the traditional core business of the HOCHTIEF Group in Europe. This is formed in particular by building construction as well as civil and structural engineering services. The company has specialized in complex market segments such as high-rise buildings, airports, tunnels and power plants. HOCHTIEF Construction is the management company of the group’s European corporate division, which employs over 9,000 people. In addition to its traditional construction business, the partnership-based business unit PreFair and the property development unit FormArt, HOCHTIEF Construction offers its clients comprehensive service packages such as building diagnoses. For further information, please log onto the website www.hochtief-construction.de/

Contact ORCO Germany
Sabrina Eilers
Head of Marketing & Sales
ORCO Germany
Kurfürstendamm 103/104
10711 Berlin
T +49. 30. 440 123 190
F +49. 30. 440 123 299
M +49. 170. 768 8802
E: seilers@orcogroup.com
www.orcogroup.com/

Contact Hochtief
Antje Meeuw
Senior Manager Kommunikation
HOCHTIEF Construction AG
Opernplatz 2
45128 Essen T +49 201 824 4262
F +49 201 824 4263
M +49 172 217 6809
E: antje.meeuw@hochtief.de
www.hochtief-construction.de/