Existing buildings make a significant contribution to the increase – Frankfurt remains the frontrunner
In Germany’s major cities, the stock of certified office space is growing significantly. At the end of the first half of 2025, the DGNB, LEED or BREEAM-certified space totalled 16.6 million m². This is 2.91 million m² or 21 percent more than in the first half of 2024. The share of certified space in total office space take-up grew from around 30 per cent to 40 per cent. This is the result of the “Cesar 2025” (Certification and Sustainability Radar), for which JLL examined the office space stock and the demand for certified, pre-certified and registered properties.
The front-runner among the seven real estate strongholds continues to be Frankfurt. In the Main metropolis, the green building share of office space take-up in the first half of 2025 was around two-thirds (223,200 m²), as in the same period last year. This is followed by Cologne with 48 percent (51,500 m²) and Munich with 44 percent (114,700 m²). With a share of only ten percent (10,600 m²), Stuttgart is in last place.
The growth is mainly due to existing properties. For example, the quarter at Potsdamer Platz (built in 1997) in Berlin, the Access in Düsseldorf (built in 2015) and the Prisma office building in Frankfurt (built in 2001, revitalised in 2025) were awarded according to the DGNB’s “Building in Operation” system. The prism has also received BREEAM certification.
Frankfurt is also ahead in terms of the share of “green” office space in the total office space stock with 30 percent. This is followed almost equally by Munich (19 percent), Düsseldorf (17 percent) and Berlin (16 percent). Stuttgart is also at the bottom of the list here (eight percent).
“Before new leases, offices are thoroughly inspected and more attention is paid to the quality of space and sustainability – there is less and less room for compromise,” explains Daniel Bey, Head of Project & Development Services and Tetris Germany. The future lies in existing buildings: “Buildings such as the Potsdamer Platz quarter or the Prisma in Frankfurt prove that even older properties can become sought-after green buildings through certification.”
Commerzbank secured by far the largest deal in the first half of 2025 with the lease of 73,000 m² in the LEED Platinum-certified Central Business Tower office building in Frankfurt’s banking district. The other places are occupied by Siemens with 33,000 m² in the DGNB Gold-certified “Pandion beat” in Munich and KPMG with 20,700 m² in the Park Tower in Frankfurt, which is decorated with BREEAM Excellent.
In the top locations, certified office space is rented particularly frequently. Here, the rate of 52 percent is significantly higher than in second and third locations with 39 percent and 21 percent. In the industry statistics, banks and financial service providers hold the top position with 70 percent. “Financial institutions have traditionally played a pioneering role in the sustainability goals. But other industries have also committed themselves to ambitious goals. Companies from the transport, traffic and warehousing sectors are also placing a clear focus on office space in sustainable buildings, with a share of 60 percent,” emphasizes Helge Scheunemann, Head of Research at JLL Germany.
In his opinion, the trend towards sustainable and energy-efficient office buildings in prime locations will continue: “The demand for certified office space is already significantly exceeding the current supply. Therefore, increased investments in combination with certifications are required both in existing buildings and in planned buildings,” says Scheunemann.
