Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2024. Innovative, sustainable, self-sufficient: In the south-east of Berlin, the Behrens-Ufer project (BE-U) is being developed as one of the most modern and sustainable urban districts in the world on an extensive site between Ostendstrasse and the River Spree. It offers a total of 235,000 square meters of rental space in new and historical buildings and aims to accommodate business tenants, mainly from the life sciences, laboratory and light industry sectors. The plans also envision a comprehensive range of artistic, cultural and leisure facilities, riverside restaurants and retail outlets. The Berlin-headquartered developer, Deutsche Immobilien Entwicklungs AG (DIEAG), arranged an architectural competition for three modern high-rise buildings. The three winning entrants have now been decided. Drees & Sommer SE had been brought on board by DIEAG to conduct the competition. The experienced real estate and construction consulting firm is based in Stuttgart.
DIEAG CEO Robert Sprajcar commented: “The Behrens-Ufer project is designed as a forward-looking industrial estate with an international model character. The project was systematically planned as an industrial location and a space for social encounter which places the focus on what people actually need.” This was also the central element in the architectural competition which was held for the three high-rise buildings. “The goal was to create a well thought-out architectural concept for each building which would exploit the potential of the location and enhance the architecture of the Behrens-Ufer complex. We wanted to provide high quality architecture which would both fulfil the functional requirements and meet the demands for progressive trailblazing construction,“ he continued.
The three winning entries do more than justice to these goals:
The first prize for the solitary high-rise building A1.3, designated as a hotel – with a gross floor area of around 15,000 square meters – in an exposed location by the water, was won by MATTER Schmidt Fach Architekten und Stadtplaner (architects and urban planners) jointly with KUULA Landschaftsarchitekten (landscape architects).
Kleihues & Kleihues Gesellschaft von Architekten (architectural company) was awarded first place for the hotel and office block building with its highest point at A3.1 in the center of the quarter, which offers about 33,000 square meters of gross floor space including the base level.
The award for the block building with its highest point directly by the water, which offers vertical farming and supplementary laboratory space on approximately 28,000 square meters of gross floor area, was won by Architekturbüro HENN (architectural firm) and Landschaftsarchitekten Aplantis (landscape architects).
15 architectural bureaus were invited to take part, distributed between the three buildings. In their designs they were asked to take into account the ambitious targets for energy-efficient and sustainable construction and to integrate the buildings into the prevailing urban development concept and its requirements. The architectural competition was carried out simultaneously for all three high-rise buildings because this underlines the focus on creating a coherent urban industrial neighborhood. Drees & Sommer was commissioned to plan and organize the competition. “Due to the complexity of the competition and the number of entries, the meeting of the jury was distributed over two days. The jury's task was to examine the submitted designs and identify the best possible compatibility of the overall urban design requirements and recommendations in the high-rise building concept of the federal state of Berlin with the vision for the overall complex,“ explained Roman Rafikov, project head at Drees & Sommer. All buildings will also offer space for restaurants and food and beverage outlets.
The jury which awarded the prizes was made up of a subject prize jury (Sachpreisgericht) and an expert prize jury (Fachpreisgericht). Members of the subject prize jury were: Robert Sprajcar (DIEAG); Professor Regina Zeitner (HTW Berlin, University of Applied Sciences) as representative for Professor Stefanie Molthagen-Schnöring (HTW); Anina Böhme (Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing) as representative for Senate Building Director Professor Petra Kahlfeldt (Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing); Ulrike Zeidler (Head of the Urban Development Department in Berlin’s Treptow-Köpenick borough[MC1] ); and Till Ackers (ZÜBLIN). And these were the members of the expert price jury: Dieter Eckert (ENS Architekten BDA); Professor Silvia Malcovati (FH Potsdam, University of Applied Sciences); Professor Dogan G. Yurdakul (GfP - Gesellschaft für Planung); Reinhard Busch (Fugmann Janotta und Partner); and Professor Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir (Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Architekten).
Self-Sufficient Energy Supply, Sustainability and Innovation
“The Behrens-Ufer project is a flagship of urban planning in Berlin,“ Drees & Sommer expert Paula Cibis pointed out. The former industrial complex next to the River Spree will be revitalized as an open and modern urban industrial neighborhood. Particularity: the complex needs to be self-sufficient in its energy needs. This is to be achieved with the aid of resources such as geothermal energy, solar façade elements and rainwater retention. The location will also offer charging stations for electromobility.
In close partnership with GASAG Solution Plus, at Behrens-Ufer, innovative solutions are being developed for the energy supply of the future, using state-of-the-art technologies. Energy will be generated directly on the site in a systematically sustainable production concept. “One of the most sustainable and innovative locations worldwide will be created. This means that the BE-U will be largely self-sufficient in its energy needs in future and will offer a reliable supply of energy for production, research and development. The future-proof energy supply is also made possible by the highly efficient construction of the BE-U buildings,” Paula Cibis explained.
In addition to smart building services, technologies such as water-bearing clay ceilings in a sustainable timber structure will be used.
Buzzing Community Hub along the River Spree
About 12,000 people will work on the commercial site. The urban development concept envisages a mixture of listed historical buildings and modern new buildings with striking individual high points, new access routes and public plazas. With its attractive mixture of old and new buildings, the BE-U offers a total of 235,000 square meters of rental space comprising spacious and highly flexible business premises for companies. In addition to commercial premises for companies from the life sciences, laboratory and light industry sectors, the site will also offer extensive space for leisure time, arts and cultural events , and also restaurants next to the River Spree to ensure that the new urban district will be a lively attraction for visitors. This will be augmented by a 550-meter waterside promenade which will link with the path on the adjacent site of HTW Berlin – University of Applied Sciences, and thus establish a genuine promenade along the river.
“Vibrant companies in the technology and research sectors will find premises, with flexible use options, which they can rent for their operational needs,“ explained DIEAG CEO Robert Sprajcar. And there is already an anchor tenant: the Netherlands company ASML, which is a world market leader for semiconductor production systems, has reserved more than 10,000 square meters of space – in addition to production and laboratory space this also includes offices in the listed historical Peter Behrens building. In addition, the site will continue to be used by WIMA Innovations GmbH & Co. KG, a leading global manufacturer of high-quality film capacitors for use in electronics.
Trailblazing Transformation Project for a Former Industrial Site
Rojda Nevra Ucar, senior project head at Drees & Sommer, said: “The BE-U is a pioneering project which transforms a former industrial site into a technology location where research, development and production comes together with urban life, arts and culture.” The complex is being transformed from a former industrial site into a new enhanced lifestyle environment for the urban district of Oberschöneweide, with social life, cultural events and infrastructure. The BE-U will be accessible to the public at all times. In the design of the complex, the lines of sight to the River Spree were kept free, and the broad riverside promenade further underlines the attractive open concept.
In this sustainable and innovative modern urban industrial location, the central focus is on people and their actual needs. “The BE-U project aims to fulfil several roles – it will be a workplace, an urban quarter, an inner-city neighborhood, a living lab, an educational and cultural center, and an urban technology location for progressive and creative forward-looking enterprises from the information and communication technologies, life sciences and creative sectors, which creates connection and brings people together,“ says Rojda Nevra Ucar. In her view, the winning designs of the architectural competition reflect this claim because the ambitious vision for the BE‑U requires specialist knowledge, especially in architecture, to ensure that the innovative urban solutions are up to date and are constantly developed.
Located in the Booming South East of Berlin
The location of BE-U is attractive as well. The new quarter is situated in Berlin's commercial and technological borough of Treptow-Köpenick in the middle of the rapidly growing investment corridor of south-east Berlin, just 20 minutes away from Berlin’s BER Airport. Over a century ago, the extensive complex already saw the development and production of the first electric vehicles. During the Second World War it was the production site for radar tubes, and in the East German era it produced TV tubes. 9000 people worked there before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Now the site is to be revived – in a particularly sustainable way which is ideally equipped for the future. Robert Sprajcar commented: “With the Behrens-Ufer project we are making an important contribution to society by demonstrating that a concept for an ecologically and socially sustainable industrial location with a focus on light production industry can work and be accepted.” The central focus at all times is on people – and this is reflected in the high leisure and recreational value of the site and the improvement in the lifestyle quality for the whole of the urban district. “Bringing together science and business, education and innovation in a location which focuses on people and encourages innovation will enable the Behrens-Ufer project to meet the challenges of the future. The buildings designed by the three award-winning architectural bureaus will make an important contribution to this goal,” the Chief Executive Officer pointed out.
[MC1]https://www.die.ag/2024/03/27/dieag-startet-geschlossenen-architekturwettbewerb-fuer-die-drei-markanten-hochpunkte-am-be-u-%E2%94%82-behrens-ufer/
Laut dieser Meldung ist Frau Zeidler auf dem Bezirksamt Treptow-Köpenick und nicht dem Stadtentwicklungsamt tätig.