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Aroundtown, one of Europe’s largest real estate companies, has signed a new lease for approximately 5,600 sqm at Coolse Poort in Rotterdam. The new tenant is one of the largest grid operators in the Netherlands. It is responsible for the construction, management and maintenance of electricity and gas distribution networks, providing essential energy infrastructure to more than two million households and businesses.
Aroundtown has repositioned the former office building through a comprehensive redevelopment, extensively refurbishing the property and transforming it into a modern mixed-use asset. Following the conversion and technical modernisation of the property, several long-term leases have already been signed, including Numa, Workspot and SportCity. Further lease negotiations are ongoing
Coolse Poort occupies one of Rotterdam’s most prominent addresses, at the intersection of Blaak and Coolsingel, the well-known boulevard in the heart of the city. The building comprises around 28,000 sqm and offers bright, contemporary space with sweeping views across Rotterdam. Beurs metro station is located directly opposite the main entrance, providing excellent access to public transport.
With its distinctive architecture, Coolse Poort is a defining feature of the cityscape. In April this year, the brutalist building was nominated for the Rotterdam Architecture Prize for its redesigned, transparent façade, which forms part of the revitalisation. Modern amenities, including a newly designed skylounge, representative entrance areas, a flexible meeting center, roof terraces and parking facilities, enhance the quality of stay and support a wide range of use concepts. Retail space on the ground floor and flexible modern office space on the upper floors create ideal conditions for a vibrant mix of uses in a dynamic city-center location.
The revitalization of Coolse Poort has also significantly enhanced the building’s sustainability performance. Investments were consistently aligned with high sustainability standards and include heat pumps, modern ventilation and air-conditioning systems, LED lighting and electric boilers. These measures have substantially improved the building’s energy efficiency; its office, retail and sports areas meet the Paris Proof standard. The BREEAM framework was also applied to ensure strong building performance in energy efficiency, water management and waste reduction. Accordingly, the property is expected to achieve a BREEAM excellent certificate towards the end of 2026.
The new lease underlines the sustained appeal of Coolse Poort in Rotterdam and confirms strong demand for high-quality space in central city locations. The property gains an established tenant that plays an important role in the Dutch energy infrastructure. At the same time, the letting success confirms Aroundtown’s strategy of generating long-term portfolio value through active asset management, sustainable modernization and flexible use concepts.
JLL acted as advisor on behalf of Aroundtown in collegial cooperation with CBRE. De Mik acted as advisor on behalf of the tenant.
