Light and Space Replaces 70s Charm

The conversion of the former department store "Kaufhaus am Brill" is now on the finishing straight. Next September will see it completed. The shopping and office property BRILLissimo will open its doors again after a veiling and renovation period of almost two years.

The conversion of the former department store "Kaufhaus am Brill" is now on the finishing straight. Next September will see it completed. The shopping and office property BRILLissimo will open its doors again after a veiling and renovation period of almost two years. Following its thorough renovation by Zechbau GmbH, the building at the entrance to the Bremen pedestrian precinct will now present itself in a new light. "The transparent facade will allow passers-by to look inside, while the employees and guest for their part will enjoy a view of - and over - the city of Bremen“, said Wolfrat Voigt, Managing Director of Zech Immobilien GmbH.

Based on a design by the winners of the architectural competition, Grüntuch Ernst Architects (Berlin), the three-storey winter garden is the highly visible heart of BRILLissimo. The free space above the restaurant area is composed by a glass facade on three sides stretching over three storeys, namely from the third to the fifth storey of the building. The extravagant double-glazed facade, with its opening and ventilation functions, not only ensures a pleasant climate, it also provides effective protection against noise. Apart from the winter garden an additional upper storey has been added to the former department store. With this, BRILLissimo has a basement, a ground floor and six upper storeys. The lease area extends to 6,700 square metres. A generously designed three-storey entrance hall facing onto Hutfilterstrasse welcomes the customers.

Wolfrat Voigt: "In BRILLissimo we have managed to attract two retailers with a high-quality and varied range of products. idee.Creativmarkt will move into the basement level. This company is Germany's market-leader for hobbyists' and artists' equipment. And on the ground floor we will have the chain store Strauss Innovation, with its exclusive range of goods in the fields of fashion, lifestyle and food.“ The bank Sparkasse Bremen is the main tenant and will occupy the areas from the second to the sixth upper storeys. Apart from the use for offices, the Sparkasse Bremen subsidiary nws service & catering GmbH will run the "brill“ restaurant.

The property was developed, converted and added to by a group of investors consisting of Zech Immobilien GmbH, Brebau GmbH, Justus Grosse Projektentwicklungs GmbH and the bank, Sparkasse Bremen. A joint effort was then made to enhance the image of the prominent location "am Brill" and to attract, again, more public life to the area of the inner city. The investment sum amounted to around 17 million euros.