Ihme-Zentrum

The Ihme center is a large residential, office and shopping center in Hanover in the Linden-Mitte district. It lies on the banks of the eponymous river Ihme against the Calenberger Neustadt. In the north it is bounded by the Spinnereistraße and the "Am Kitchen Garden ", on the west by the Blumenauer road. The south side is in the immediate vicinity of the place " Black Bear " and the event center Capitol.

• 2.1 Ownership angel
• 2.2 Ownership Carlyle
• 2.3 Current Situation

History

Concept

The Ihme center should be one of several high-density living, working and shopping centers that were planned in the 1960s for the city of Hanover. With these centers, the inner city was relieved and at the same time central residential space to be created. The Ihme center was the only one of these centers, which was actually built.

Was conceived the Ihme center as a "city within the city"; most necessary for daily living facilities should therefore be present even in the center. Framed the south and north of about 20 - storey residential high-rises are located between two five - and six-story bar with apartments. An integrated shopping mall by pulling the Ihme center. Are located on the outer ends of larger, multi-storey stores for anchor tenants, while in between is dominated by small shops. An almost the entire center unterkellernde two-story underground garage provides a large number of parking spaces.

One of the main sponsors of the project, city architect Hanns Adrian, later had an apartment in the Ihme center.

Construction

On the plot of the Ihme center was located Founded in 1837, the mechanical weaving mill, which had ceased operations in 1961. After the last factory buildings had been demolished in 1972, began the same year the construction of the Ihme center. The entire center was built in one piece, which made ​​it one of the largest construction sites with the largest poured concrete foundation of Europe. By 1975, a sales area of ​​60,000 m² and 58,300 m² of living space for about 860 flats have been built (about 2,400 people) and 8,000 square meters for around 450 students.

The building foundations and the arrangement of the high-rise towers in the area Ihmeplatz were designed so that subsequently a subway tunnel for the planned route of the D- Hanover Stadtbahn under the building could have been carried out.

Architectural problems

The Ihme center has to contend with several architectural issues:

• The building is in the style of brutalism and winding in many places and confusing.
• The shopping arcade is uncovered throughout. The supplemented in the 1980s and 1990s roof structures could not completely solve the problem.
• The proximity to Ihmeufer is not used: From the shopping arcade there is only some draughty passages on a hilltop promenade, which is not enhanced by a management or furniture.
• Most problematic is the self-imposed insularity: major level of Ihme center is located one floor above street level and is accessible only at a few places on stairs, escalators and bands or elevators, the pedestrian overpass the traffic intersection at the kitchen garden was not sufficiently accepted. The zero level at street level is exclusively management and delivery.

Use

Since its opening, the center Ihme had to contend with problems of acceptance. The rows of shops anchor tenant of the start time, Kaufhof in the north and the food market " more value " (later Huma ) in the south, were only a few years on site. Also the Huma - successor Allkauf and various follow- tenants could not keep up, so that since the mid- 1990s is empty the local two-story retail space. Mid-1980s was already a subsidiary of the Metro Group also owned electric chain Saturn Hansa from the Kaufhof department store. After their exodus in 2004, there was no wide-reaching customer magnet in the center Ihme what the decline of smaller stores (mostly textile and shoe shops in the lower price segment) accelerated again.

The state capital of Hanover rented the end of the 1990s in the northwestern part of the Ihme center office space of over 5,000 m². Among other things, the time, the building department of the city was moved from downtown offices in the Ihme center. 2002 more office space (approx. 5000 m²) were on extension of Norddeutsche Landesbank Hannover hired by the city for municipal offices, in conjunction with the obligation of the landlord to the rapid revitalization of the entire complex.

At present (2011) are empty almost all shops, because in 2006 the reconstruction of the entire shopping center has begun. The only relevant audience tenants are offices of the provincial capital of Hanover and Stadtwerke Hannover ( enercity ), the use of two high-rise buildings as an administrative building.

South area with Ihme and pedestrian bridge

Plans of the 1970s: crossing beneath the Ihme Centre as part of the D-line

Begun rebuilding

Angels owner

The early 2000s, took over the angel investor much of the retail space. This had been successfully rehabilitated in the past similar properties in Germany, including the Northwest Center in Frankfurt am Main. However, long time no particular anchor tenant in Ihme center could no new transactions can be obtained. After this had finally succeeded in 2005, in June 2006 was the start of construction for a fundamental reorganization, which includes the aforementioned architectural problems should be mitigated. The completion of the renovation was planned for early 2008.

Owner Carlyle

In July 2006, the shares of the group angels were adopted by the American Carlyle Group, which initially led to further conversion in a slightly modified form. The planned Linden Park was the first real estate development project, invested in the Carlyle with his second real estate fund, Carlyle Europe Real Estate Partners II, in Hanover. The heart of the plans was a new, planned with lots of glass and high quality building materials shopping arcade on the ground floor at street level. The renewal of the overlying arcade as mall was under construction. The project ran under the name of Linden Park and should be completed in the third quarter of 2009. As a result of the general crisis in the capital markets became the parent company of The Carlyle Group under financial pressure. In January 2009 there was a settlement freeze as a result of non-payment of contractors. Due to fire safety deficiencies in the largest part of the garage was locked. On 23 February 2009, the investor Carlyle applied for insolvency for its project companies involved in the reconstruction of the complex. The ownership interests of the Carlyle Group have since been managed by a receiver appointed.

Current Situation

Landesbank Berlin as the main creditor of the insolvent project companies is interested in a solution for the construction project. The Bank has in 2010 the U.S. property developer Hines charged with a concept planning ( pre-development ) of the complex. In addition, a modification of the deed and the Community legal order is sought with the aim of more legally separate the residential and commercial areas from each other, whereby the object for investors to be more interesting. For the approval of all 543 apartment owners is necessary. Until December 2011 the about 84 % had agreed. The collection of signatures to began in January 2011.

Trivia

In January 1978, the police discovered in Ihme center after pointing a residential neighbors a safe house to the left terrorist group RAF. After penetration noted the police that the apartment had already left. Material was found in addition to handwritten notes to build a Stalin organ. On the basis of fingerprints suspected the BKA that the apartment the RAF Knut Folkerts members, Silke Maier- Witt, Ingrid Siepmann and Monika Helbing had served until September 1977 as a retreat. RAF internally Ihme the center block was called, which is apparently referring to the block- like appearance of the building.