sustainable real estateWhat makes a property sustainable

Time to read5 min.

updated at04/01/2026

CategoryNachhaltigkeit

Brown, modern building with several floors and windows, blue sky in the background.

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Sustainability is no longer a niche issue in the real estate industry. But what’s really behind it, beyond high-gloss brochures and certificates? We will show how we at Commerz Real are working specifically to make hausInvest’s real estate portfolio fit for the future.

When talking about sustainable real estate, energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions usually come first. This is very important. But it doesn't stop there. A truly sustainable real estate combines environmental, social and economic aspects. Four projects from the hausInvest portfolio show what this looks like in practice.

Practical example 1

Tucherpark Munich: Rethinking an entire neighbourhood

In the middle of Munich, between Englischer Garten and Isar: The Tucherpark is 167,000 m² in size, in the best location - and yet it was hardly used for years. Ten existing buildings, lots of untapped potential.

The area has been part of hausInvest since 2019. Our approach: not rapid demolition and new construction, but a profound transformation that combines environmental, social and economic aspects.

Plans include a hydroelectric power plant that uses the energy from the ice stream that flows through it to supply the district with electricity. Natural areas are revived and new relaxation areas are created. And Some of the areas are intended for subsidised housing.

Aerial view of a city with a river, surrounded by trees and modern buildings, in a clear sky.

Go to the bottom of the Tucherpark

Practical example 2

Schäfergasse Frankfurt: When an office building becomes a home

A former office building on Schäfergasse 33 in Frankfurt was vacant. We have decided not to convert it into expensive owner-occupied apartments - but into 64 social, partially accessible housing units for the hausInvest portfolio.

In cooperation with Caritas, housing was created here for people at risk of poverty and social disadvantage. The project follows the guiding principle of the federal state programme “Social City”: Develop districts not only structurally, but also holistically with a view to their social significance.

For us as asset managers, this means: Return and social added value do not rule each other out. They are mutually dependent - if you think long-term. The industry sees it in a similar way: In 2024, Schäfergasse was awarded the RealGreen Award by the German Energy Efficiency Initiative (DENEFF e.V.) - for its pioneering role in the sustainable transformation of existing assets.

A rainbow-coloured roundabout surrounded by modern buildings and shops on a city street.

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How we developed Schäfergasse 33

Practical example 3

2Amsterdam: The smart building as a learning machine

2Amsterdam in the Netherlands is BREEAM Excellent certified - proof that sustainability here doesn't start with operations, but with construction. The hausInvest office building demonstrates how this works in everyday life as a certified smart building: All relevant consumption values are recorded and controlled digitally: operating costs, CO₂ balance, air quality, temperature, lighting. Tenants see their own consumption in real time and can actively provide feedback.

This sounds like technology, but is above all a question of attitude. Our goal is to actively promote sustainability - together with our tenants.

The data from 2Amsterdam is incorporated into the strategy for other properties in the portfolio. This is how the entire portfolio learns.

Modern high-rise building with glass facade and “INNSiDE” lettering at dusk.

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How 2Amsterdam works

Practical example 4

Medikum Mülheim Forum: From shopping centre to utility infrastructure

The former shopping centre in Mülheim belongs to hausInvest and was faced with a simple question: Continue as before or rethink? We decided on the latter.

The Forum Medikum was renovated, rebuilt and reimagined from the ground up. Today, shopping spaces meet doctor’s practices, therapy rooms and nursing homes. A place that no longer only consumes, but supplies - and is therefore really needed again.

The small-scale rental to many different tenants also ensures stability: Rental income does not depend on a single large party. And the design follows the principles of healing architecture: lots of greenery, open spaces, a calming aesthetic. Because spaces where you feel good are simply used more.

People walk through a modern shopping centre with a glass roof and green walls.

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Get to know Forum Medikum

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From purchase to sale: Sustainability as a process

What 2Amsterdam shows in operation applies to every property in the portfolio and starts long before the first tenant. Already at the time of purchase, we check how emission-intensive a property is and how it affects our Net Zero target¹. In asset management, we systematically record consumption and emissions. Data that is not an end in itself, but rather the basis for concrete measures. And when selling, how the disposal affects the portfolio as a whole is taken into account. Three phases, one logic: Each decision is measured by its impact on the CO₂ footprint.

At Commerz Real, we are committed to achieving net zero by 2040 for our company's emissions and by 2050 for our portfolio. We describe our path to this in the ESG framework.

To the ESG framework

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If you are serious about real sustainability and avoiding greenhouse gases, you need to think about real estate and energy together.

Henning Koch

CEO of Commerz Real AG

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New opportunities for real estate funds

Investors are increasingly thinking of real estate and energy production together. With the Site Promotion Act, they now also have the legal basis for putting the plans into practice. For example, real estate funds can now invest up to 15% of their assets in systems for the renewal, storage or transport of renewable energies - even without a direct connection to a property.

More about hausInvest

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We can now finally use our years of renewable energy expertise to take advantage of these opportunities as quickly as possible.

Mario Schüttauf

hausInvest fund manager since 2007

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¹Net zero refers to a state in which, after all technically and scientifically feasible efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been made, an organization no longer has any calculated greenhouse gas emissions. Unavoidable emissions (see also residual emissions) may only be offset through CO2e removal measures (“Net Zero Guidelines,” published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference).

sustainable real estateWhat makes a property sustainable

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Tucherpark Munich: Rethinking an entire neighbourhood

Schäfergasse Frankfurt: When an office building becomes a home

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2Amsterdam: The smart building as a learning machine

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Medikum Mülheim Forum: From shopping centre to utility infrastructure

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From purchase to sale: Sustainability as a process

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New opportunities for real estate funds

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sustainable real estateWhat makes a property sustainable

Schäfergasse Frankfurt: When an office building becomes a home

2Amsterdam: The smart building as a learning machine

Medikum Mülheim Forum: From shopping centre to utility infrastructure

From purchase to sale: Sustainability as a process

New opportunities for real estate funds

Do you have any questions?