A neighbourhood for all ages

A new development is emerging at Marienhain in Berlin’s Köpenick district. Deutsche Wohnen is building “Marienufer” – a new neighbourhood that will offer a new home to people of all generations. The property is right on the banks of the Dahme at Wendenschloßstraße and offers a few special features that will benefit the general public, as well as future residents: a small woodland that will be home to a public garden, the listed Villa Bolle, a park with play facilities and a riverside promenade.

_{Photo: Philipp Kirschner}

On the historic site, over 150,000 m² in area, around 1,200 apartments are taking shape, split between 63 different blocks. A range of listed buildings, including the historic Villa Bolle, which was largely destroyed by fire in 2008, will be rebuilt in line with conservation principles. The development will also be home to a nursery and there will be spaces for drugstore, pharmacy, cafés, medical practices and offices. The project will also have a special impact beyond its own borders: a publicly accessible tree-lined avenue will cross the site from Wendenschloßstraße to the river.

A neighborhood with many facets

For this new-build development, Deutsche Wohnen has set itself the goal of meeting the requirements for DGNB Gold certification* and the KfW Efficiency House 55 standard*. Achievement of the certification and confirmation of compliance with the standard are subject to successful assessment and verification by the relevant authorities and certification bodies.

As part of this process, a wide range of criteria is assessed. In addition to ecological and economic factors, as well as sociocultural and functional aspects, the technologies used and the underlying processes are also evaluated.

_{*Information on targeted certifications and standards:}
_{The Marienufer neighbourhood is currently being planned and developed with the aim of meeting the criteria for DGNB Gold certification and the KfW Efficiency House 55 standard. These objectives relate to the specific development project and do not constitute a general statement on the environmental performance of the company as a whole. Whether the specified certifications and standards are ultimately achieved will depend on the outcome of independent assessments and verification by the relevant authorities and certification bodies. Planning assumptions and targets may be adjusted over the course of the project.}

A brief look back at a long history

The historic Villa Bolle is named after Carl Andreas Julius Bolle. The famous owner of the Meierei C. Bolle owned a milk business and was mostly known to locals as “Bimmel-Bolle” – “Jingle Bolle” in English. He got this nickname from the bells his team of milk sellers used to attract custom on the Bolle milk floats. In 1910, 250 of these milk floats could be found on the streets of Berlin. He built a villa at Marienhain that he used as a summer home. Fruit and vegetables were grown and cattle were kept there. Later, a dairy was built. After the end of the Second World War, the Humboldt University and its Institute for Floriculture took over the site. In recent years, it fell into disuse and the Villa Bolle burned down.

All that remains are parts of the historic paving stones of the “Marienhainallee”, the main road that led across the site. They will be restored as part of the construction works and fruit trees will be planted along the edges – recalling the former use and history of the site.