PRESS RELEASE , March 20th 2008

Urban design competition for a master plan to define the Wertheim site at Leipziger Platz in Berlin completed

The plot of real estate at Leipziger Platz generally referred to as the “Wertheim site” has come another step closer to development. It is one of the major properties in the heart of Berlin remaining to be constructed upon. In September of 2007, ORCO and the Berlin Senate Administration for Urban Development initiated an urban design competition for a master plan for this prestigious and well-known property. Yesterday, the jury awarded first prize to the design by the Berlin-based architectural firm Kleihues + Kleihues.

ORCO Germany S.A. purchased the undeveloped plot of real estate at Leipziger Platz in late 2006. Up until today, it was not possible to develop the site since its ownership status had not been resolved in legal terms. An urban design competition was begun in September of 2007. Its objective was to prepare an architectural concept as part of the urban planning context in order to obtain a master plan that can actually be used to build on this property at Leipziger Platz. In the course of the “diskursives Gutachterverfahren” procedure (meaning that participants are specifically invited by the organizers and are given the opportunity to present their designs in a colloquium), nine architectural firms known in Germany and abroad met with the members of the jury, the owner and with other experts involved to discuss the task at hand as well as the results of their work. In the course of several such colloquia, the project was subjected to review from many different perspectives. On Tuesday, March 18th, 2008, the jury and experts held one final meeting and then awarded first prize to the draft master plan submitted by Kleihues + Kleihues.

ORCO Germany is planning to provide for the following individual usages on the site: 55% for shopping and entertainment, 30% residential, 15% for office spaces and 760 parking spaces. Now that the competition has been concluded, the more specific plans for the new development will go forward, which will be done in cooperation by the owner and the Senate Administration. The construction is scheduled to begin in spring of 2009 and is planned to be completed in mid-2012.

The urban design competition was structured as a discursive procedure. Nine architectural firms were invited to participate. The following expert judges were present at the jury meeting: Prof. Christoph Langhof (Chairman), Langhof Architekten, Berlin; Thomas Baumann (revision phase), Berlin; Christoph Sattler, . The following acted as non-expert judges: Rainer Bormann, ORCO Germany S.A., Berlin; Regula Lüscher, Berlin Senate Director for Building Issues; Christian Köhler (revision phase), ORCO Projektentwicklung GmbH, Berlin; Kristina Laduch (revision phase), Berlin Urban Planning Authority.

Statements on the results of the competition:

Rainer Bormann, CEO ORCO Germany S.A.: "This is a project that is very significant to us, also on a purely emotional level: We are very proud to be involved at a location like this and to give it its design. The entire competition was characterized by a spirit of constructive collaboration."

Regula Lüscher, Berlin Senate Director for Building Issues: "The concept selected has real chances of being implemented and I believe we have come closer to realizing our urban planning objectives. After all, the most important factor is always the city."

Prof. Christoph Langhof, Langhof Architekten: "I hope a building will be constructed that compares with its elegant predecessor that once stood on the site. In its time, the Wertheim building truly set standards, and the objective must be to attain that benchmark with the new buildings."

Kleihues + Kleihues: "The site welcomes its visitors with open arms like a good host would do, and once it is developed, the Leipziger Platz ensemble will be completed. And more than that! We have submitted a design for an independent urban quarter within the city, which will imbue the co-existence of public spaces, residential units, retail and work with a truly metropolitan flair."

Excerpt from the minutes of the jury meeting on March 18th, 2008 (recommendation of the jury)

The jury unanimously declares the firm Kleihues + Kleihues to be the winner of the urban design competition. In addition to this evaluation by the jury, the following recommendation is made as regards the further work on the design: The objective is to guarantee that, to the greatest degree possible, people will enjoy spending time in the area demarcated by the frontage of the Bundesrat building, Vossstrasse and Leipziger Strasse, and this also during bad weather. This means that the task of the institutions involved in further planning the site consists of realizing these planning objectives to the greatest degree possible. In this context, it is to be investigated whether covering the area with a filigree glass roof, or by other means, will be suitable for achieving these planning objectives without destroying the public nature of the road area. In addition, it is to be ensured that along this axis, the set-off distances between the residential towers is increased significantly and that the entrances to the apartment

buildings in the publicly accessible area are given a premium design to represent their top-quality address. The jury advises the initiator of this competition to follow up on this recommendation by the jury and award a contract to Kleihues + Kleihues to work on a qualified master plan.

The prize-winning design submitted by Kleihues + Kleihues

Lageplan/floor plan

Grundriss Erdgeschoss / ground floor

Modellfoto/model

Perspektive Bundesrat

Perspektive Leipziger Platz

Perspektive Leipziger Platz, Nacht

List of the employees and consultants of the firm Kleihues + Kleihues working on the design during the revision phase (December 19th, 2007 – February 22nd, 2008)

Kleihues + Kleihues, 10587 Berlin Managing Director: Jan Kleihues Employees: Götz Kern, Philip Schreiber, Michael Slodowski, Gabriela Torres-Ruiz, Anja Bauer, Mirjam Müller-Holve, Soo-Jin Rim, Grützebach, Philipp Zora, Daniel Horn, Anna Liesicke Consultants: HL-Technik Engineering Partner GmbH, Munich - Prof. Klaus Daniels; HMI Hartwich / Mertens Ingenieure, Berlin - Joachim Hartwich; Schlaich Bergermann und Partner - Prof. Dr. Mike Schlaich; Freie Planungsgruppe Berlin GmbH - Martin Panhorst; ST Raum A Gesellschaft von Landschaftsarchitekten mbH – Stefan Jäckel

ORCO Germany S.A. is a real estate company that has its registered seat in Luxembourg and that is listed in the Prime Standard on the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The ORCO Germany group, which operates under the uniform registered trademark ORCO Germany, has been pursuing its activities in Germany since 2004 and concentrates on residential and commercial properties as well as on asset management and project development. ORCO Germany currently employs about 210 members of staff in Germany. In 2006, ORCO Germany strategically reinforced its project development operations by acquiring Viterra Development. Viterra Development was renamed ORCO Projektentwicklung GmbH at the beginning of 2008 and is one of the leading project developers and investors specializing in commercial and residential properties in the core German markets of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich. ORCO Germany expanded its portfolio of properties in Berlin in June of 2007 by taking over Gewerbesiedlungs-Gesellschaft (GSG); the company now manages more than 1 million square meters of developed and undeveloped areas in the German capital. GSG was established in 1965 and is the largest owner of commercial space in Berlin with about 850,000 square meters of office and multifunctional space. ORCO-GSG owns 45 so-called commercial courtyards and centers, as well as 235 residential units. Most of the properties are located in the city center with excellent connections to the Berlin public transportation network.

ORCO Germany S.A. is a subsidiary of ORCO Property Group, one of the leading Central European real estate firms holding a portfolio worth EUR 2.5 billion (as evaluated on June 30th, 2007). Established in 1991, the company has its registered seat in Luxembourg and is listed on the Euronext, Prague, Budapest and Warsaw stock exchanges. It operates primarily in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Croatia, the Slovak Republic and Germany. Orco Property Group is also sponsor of The Endurance Real Estate Fund, a Luxembourg–regulated closed–end mutual fund (fonds commun de placement - fonds d'investissement spécialisé) organised as an umbrella fund with six sub- funds focused on real estate acquisitions on office and retail, residential, industrial & logistic, and Health Care markets.

By switching from the Open Market, where ORCO Germany S.A. had been listed since 2006, to the Regulated Market (Prime Standard) in November of 2007, ORCO Germany has demonstrated that it is implementing a capital market strategy consistent with its rapid operating growth of recent years. By meeting the most exacting standards of transparency in place at the German Stock Exchange, ORCO Germany S.A. has improved its accessibility to capital market players even further.

Contact Sabrina Eilers Head of Marketing & Communications ORCO Germany T +49. 30. 440 123 190 E-mail [email protected] www.orcogermany.de