AOK NordWest moves into the Dortmund Health Center
The Gesundheitshaus Dortmund will continue to live up to its name even after its conversion from an administrative building into a mixed-use complex: in addition to a hotel and a daycare center, AOK NordWest, one of Germany's largest statutory health insurance companies, will also move in and set up a modern customer center there. The corresponding lease agreement was recently signed, as announced today by Landmarken AG and AOK NordWest.
AOK NordWest will set up a modern customer center in the Dortmund Health Center, covering an area of around 900 square meters. Renovation work is already underway, with the opening expected at the end of 2023. Access to the AOK customer center on the first floor will be barrier-free and will be via the building wing on Kuhstraße/Eisenmarkt. With the move to the Gesundheitshaus, AOK will give up its previous customer center at Königswall 21. "With the redesign of our business premises in the Dortmund Gesundheitshaus, we will be establishing one of the most modern customer centers of AOK NordWest in Westphalia-Lippe. This will enable us to remain a reliable partner for the health of the people of Dortmund. We continue to place great importance on personal customer service, because proximity is and will remain our trademark," says AOK service region manager Jörg Kock.
"The fact that AOK NordWest, as a health insurance company, is now moving into the Gesundheitshaus fits in perfectly with the history of the building," says Sylvia Friederich, member of the Landmarken management board. "We are very pleased that this special building complex, which is of great historical value, has been so well received and that we have been able to gain AOK NordWest, a major player in the healthcare sector."
The main user is the prizeotel design hotel chain, which will operate a 155-bed hotel with a sky bar covering around 6,000 square meters in the largest part of the building on Hövelstraße. On Kuhstraße, the 50-place "Villa Luna" daycare center will open for the coming daycare year on 900 square meters plus outdoor space in the inner courtyard. Just under 1,000 square meters of office space is still available, and Landmarken is already in concrete talks with prospective tenants. In addition, ten residential units are being built in the complex.
The health center, designed by Will Schwarz, is an important witness to the architecture of the 1950s. "There is hardly a comparable treasure in our country," says Norbert Hermanns, Landmarken founder and investor, who will keep the health center in his portfolio for the long term. The striking ensemble of six buildings will be converted in close consultation with the historic preservation authorities in such a way that it will allow for new uses while retaining its special character with great attention to detail. In total, the health center has a gross floor area of around 12,900 square meters. The site covers approximately 4,500 square meters.
With its idea of converting the building complex, which had been used by public authorities for 70 years, into a vibrant mixed-use property, Landmarken AG won the City of Dortmund's investor selection process for the Gesundheitshaus in 2018. The concept of thoroughly renovating and completely reinterpreting this post-war icon in Dortmund has already won an award. In 2020, Landmarken AG won the coveted polis Award in silver in the Reactivated Centers category. Completion is scheduled for 2023, when all tenants are expected to move in and open their doors in the course of the year.
