Munich/Gelsenkirchen/Cologne, October 8, 2025. VIVAWEST continues to systematically expand its portfolio in the Rhineland: In Cologne, the Gelsenkirchen-based housing company is acquiring 120 turnkey apartments from the wvm Group to add to its own portfolio. Construction is officially scheduled to begin in December 2025, with completion of the new construction project planned for early 2028—as jointly announced by representatives of both project partners at Expo Real in Munich.
“Demand for housing in the Rhineland remains high, while supply is very limited. We manage nearly 5,000 apartments in Cologne and have invested here this year alone in several new construction projects that are set to begin soon. The turnkey acquisition of 120 apartments on Ostmerheimer Straße is the next building block in our growing portfolio,” says Bastian Brusinski, Head of Portfolio Management/Acquisitions at VIVAWEST. “The wvm Group is a reliable partner with in-depth knowledge of the Cologne real estate market, and we recently successfully completed a turnkey project with them on Herler Straße. I am therefore looking forward to our collaboration and to our new neighborhood, which will be built in Merheim by early 2028 and will provide a home for a variety of target groups,” Brusinski added.
“I’m delighted that VIVAWEST has once again placed its trust in us. For us as project developers with over 30 years of experience, building means responsibility. We create spaces that are more than just buildings—places that connect people and become a home. I’m confident that future tenants will feel right at home here,” explained Erika Werres, managing director of the project developer and land seller wvm Group. Now that the contracts have been signed and preparations are nearly complete, construction work will begin soon. In just over two years, the apartments and buildings will then be handed over to VIVAWEST.
On the approximately 5,300-square-meter site on Ostmerheimer Straße in the Merheim district on the right bank of the Rhine, a total of 120 apartments in four multi-family buildings will be constructed by the time of completion. In addition, the VIVAWEST neighborhood will feature an underground parking garage with 63 parking spaces for future tenants.
The 1- to 4-room apartments offer between 37 and 91 square meters of living space and are designed primarily for singles, couples, and small families. All apartments are modern and feature high-quality finishes, and each has a balcony or a terrace (ground floor) or a rooftop terrace (upper floors). All buildings comply with the GEG 2024 standards and are heated using district heating, a resource-efficient method.
Thanks to the prime location in the Köln-Merheim neighborhood (Kalk district), future residents will enjoy excellent amenities. For example, the Merheim Health Campus, currently under construction and scheduled for completion in the coming years, will be located in the immediate vicinity. Shops for daily necessities are also located right in the immediate vicinity. The A3 and A4 highways (Köln-Ost interchange) are just a few minutes’ drive away, and public transportation is within walking distance.
VIVAWEST currently manages over 4,800 apartments in Cologne.
