The hunt for the first tenants of a large building project in a new Aarhus neighbourhood has commenced

Consisting of six retail leases and 367 rented flats, the new Triangle estate will open its doors to a large number of new tenants in May. An Open House event on Sunday, 10 February, launched the first stage letting.

The triangular building block is located in the streets of Søren Frichs Vej, Dirch Passers Gade and Otto Brandenburgs Gade, close to the Godsbanen cultural production centre in the new Godsbanen area, also known as Aarhus K, which is situated within walking and biking distance of midtown Aarhus. The Triangle was designed by Arkitema Architects and built by CASA A/S. The investor behind 196 of the rented flats is Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK), which is Germany’s largest public pension fund, while CapMan Real Estate manages the investment, and Cura Management handles the property management.

Allan Brandt is a project manager with CASA A/S, which also owns the commercial premises in the building. He highlights the central location of the building as a great quality, its being situated inside a street called Ringgaden, which encircles midtown Aarhus, and being only five minutes’ walk from Åen, the stream that runs through the centre of the city.

“It’s a very attractive location that fits right in with the trend of having all that the city offers within reach,” says Allan Brandt.

However, a central location close to the city’s many attractions is not the only unique feature of the Triangle estate. It is also located in an area steeped in history and creativity, where the Danish State Railways had its freight railroad yard until the year 2000 and the Godsbanen cultural production centre remains a hub for cultural activities like acting, visual arts and literature since 2012.

Considerable interest

CapMan chose Cura Management to be the estate administrator, giving the company overall responsibility for letting the flats on its behalf. In turn, Cura Management selected EDC Projekt Poul Erik Bech to let the flats because of its extensive experience in volume letting. Lars Frederiksen, CEO and a partner of Cura Management, explains:

“Of course we wanted to team up with the estate agents best suited for the job. The choice fell on EDC Projekt Poul Erik Bech, which has undeniably done this work a great many times before.”

Dennis Ankersø, the project sales manager of EDC Projekt Poul Erik Bech in Aarhus, is heading the letting of 196 of the rented flats. He reports that interest in the flats has been considerable.

“The Open House event surpassed all expectations. We had a turnout of more than 700 people for the Open House and have already let almost half of the first stage, which comprises 67 flats. We expect more to be added during the week, as more people decide on the type of dwelling they want,” he says.

“The considerable interest may also have to do with the fact that the Triangle offers a wide range of housing that appeals to many types of tenants. In fact, we can offer 24 different types of flats, which can be used by couples or as shared flats,” says Dennis Ankersø.

Retail premises are to invigorate the area

The Triangle has retail premises on the ground floor, which are to invigorate the area at street level. Frank Heskjær, retail manager of EDC Erhverv Poul Erik Bech, is in charge of letting three retail shops. He explains why the Triangle’s central location and the creative impulses from the Godsbanen cultural production centre may be attractive to several retail chains:

“Søren Frichs Vej has become a main thoroughfare, as this street runs from Thorvaldensgade to Ringgaden, which makes the Triangle a unique junction. The retail premises may also be an obvious choice for interior and lifestyle stores, which would interact well with the creative spirit of the area and fit well into the premises with their raw look, high ceilings and large glass facades.” Frank Heskjær also points out that the existing residents in the Åhusene estate, also located in the Aarhus K neighbourhood, already provide a solid customer base for establishing various types of retail shops.