The urban quarter Marienufer in Berlin-Köpenick celebrates topping-out ceremony
The sustainably oriented urban quarter Marienufer is being built in the up-and-coming Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick and will be home to more than 2,000 people. The mature trees in the Bolle Gardens - copious fruit plantations which were created around 100 years ago by Carl Bolle – are being integrated into the current project. As a result, the entire area will be interwoven with kitchen gardens, bushes and flower beds and will provide the residents with appealing green surroundings. A further highlight is that the bank of the River Dahme will be made publicly accessible again, which will enable both residents and visitors to enjoy leisure time by the water.
Konstantina Kanellopoulos, co-CEO of Deutsche Wohnen, said at the topping-out ceremony, “With its extensive woodlands and waterways, Berlin-Köpenick is an extremely attractive borough. One can live an unhurried life here, without the hustle and bustle of Berlin. Moreover, Köpenick looks back on a past that is rich in history and ahead to a promising future. With our residential estate Marienufer, we are delighted to be realising one of our largest construction projects in Berlin and to be able to create housing for more than 2,000 people. At the same time, it is especially important to us to design the estate to be open and accessible – particularly by creating direct access to the bank of the River Dahme and restoring the historic Bolle villa.”
Henrik Thomsen, a member of the board of QUARTERBACK Immobilien AG: “With this exceptional urban quarter on the bank of the River Dahme we want to contribute to the design and further development of what is Berlin’s largest borough. In future, a new residential area in the midst of historic parkland awaits families, couples and singles of all ages. It will give them not only a modern home but also a wide variety of options for shopping, leisure and enjoyment. That we are creating this quarter in an ecologically responsible way is part of our company’s philosophy.”
The streets full of greenery and the different building sizes with their recessed upper floors and courtyards characterise the Marienufer quarter. And an open and low-key approach to enabling the residents to use the open spaces intensively, e.g. with urban gardens, adds to its appeal. Alongside the two- to five-room flats with their different floorplans, the social centre of the quarter is being created in one of the generously proportioned courtyard buildings – with a care home for the elderly and a kindergarten. The official marketing of the residential and commercial units in the quarter will begin in summer 2022. It will then start to be filled with life as early as the first quarter of 2023 and will be completed by the end of 2026.
Johannes Kreißig, managing director of the German Sustainable Building Council, explains, “With its decision to systematically develop all of its new builds in accordance with the council’s gold standard, Deutsche Wohnen is demonstrating that it has a long-term interest in building residential estates that are fit for the future. We are delighted that we are able to accompany the Marienufer project along this ambitious path.”
The dynamic surroundings combined with the green estate design concept means that the Marienufer is also an ideal commercial and office location. Close to nature, ecological and energy-efficient with a sustainable mobility concept and a regional focus, Marienufer stands for the workplace of tomorrow – with a work-life-water balance. The entire neighbourhood is growing and undergoing major changes. And this is one of the reasons why the demand in this area for good-quality, sustainable local amenities and services is on the increase. To meet this demand, there will be several spaces for offices and commerce in the Marienufer quarter.
With its commitment to new builds in cities, Deutsche Wohnen is responding to the high demand for housing. Together with its strategic partner QUARTERBACK Immobilien AG, it will build around 12,000 flats, particularly in the metropolitan regions of Berlin, Dresden/Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart, during the coming years. And in Berlin, Deutsche Wohnen, together with Vonovia, will build around 13,000 flats over the next few years.
In Treptow-Köpenick Deutsche Wohnen manages holdings of just under 5,000 flats. Moreover, the Köpenick cable works is another major new-build project in the borough by Deutsche Wohnen that will be developed over the next few years.
Deutsche Wohnen
Deutsche Wohnen is one of the leading publicly listed property companies in Europe and is part of the Vonovia Group. The business focus of the company is on managing its own portfolio of residential properties in dynamic metropolitan regions and conurbations in Germany. Deutsche Wohnen sees itself as having both a social responsibility and a duty to maintain and newly develop good-quality and affordable housing in vibrant residential neighbourhoods. As at 31 December 2021, the portfolio comprised a total of around 154,000 units, of which 151,000 were residential and around 3,000 commercial.