Deutsche Investment is moving ahead with the building works of its infill densification projects at Uhlandstrasse 107A and 112 in Berlin. The project involves the parallel construction of two multi-family homes with a combined total of 70 residential units in the inner courtyards of two separate sites located close to Kurfürstendamm in the City West locality of Berlin. Together, the buildings will have a gross floor area of around 5,050 square metres. The planned buildings are designed as two new stand-alone structures of five full storeys, each dividing into 35 residential units of 1 to 3 bedrooms. Every apartment comes with a private outdoor area in the form of a generously proportioned balcony or patio. A dedicated mobility concept was developed for the project which includes, in addition to a bicycle repair shop, innovative bicycle balconies that are accessed via a bicycle lift, and that permit secure, sheltered bicycle parking on every floor.
What makes these property developments stand out is their special type of construction. They represent modular timber structures whose building sections are assembled from individual room modules. Even the balconies are delivered as prefab components that are added according to a similar principle. The very high level of prefabrication shortens the time to completion considerably. Lead consultant is purelivin, a subsidiary of Kaufmann Bausysteme GmbH, one of the leading providers of timber module construction in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). “Infill densification in inner courtyards, especially in very busy inner-city locations, always poses major challenges for all stakeholders. In timber modular construction we have now found a way to circumvent some of these hurdles. By using room modules that can be hoisted over the perimeter block houses on Uhlandstrasse and lowered into the courtyards with a mobile crane, we will disrupt the road traffic only for short and predictable periods of time. The same goes for construction noise and construction dust above all, most of which is limited to the module production plants,” explained Adrian Bochynek, Property Development Manager at Deutsche Investment Kapitalverwaltung AG.
Cigdem Yildirim Klippert, authorised signatory and Director of Property Development, added: “It fills us with pride to be able to execute property developments of this scale on our own, in this case involving two new buildings, and thereby to adopt a strong sustainability stance.
When seen in the context of a circular economy, and given the use of timber as a renewable building material, we are actively reducing carbon emissions, retaining them permanently in our infill densification projects. On top of that, it mattered a lot to us to cut back energy consumption rates on all levels, and at the same time to enhance biodiversity through additional measures. We are using our innovative mobility concepts to demonstrate that we take a holistic approach to sustainability and its structural implementation. Large, sealed parking areas in inner courtyards are making way for sustainable new-build housing construction that is on top of the times. In addition to serial infill densification, we are thinking ahead and simultaneously reviewing options for a serial refurbishment of the existing buildings at the same sites. We are employing our property development competence in impact investing to translate our investors’ desire for sustainability into a built reality.”
In addition, the project on Uhlandstrasse is taking the next step toward the full digitisation of the real estate industry. In addition to digital door entry and intercom systems, the residential units will feature moisture sensors for monitoring humidity in bathrooms, as well as comprehensive building automation.
“Construction is now under way, and it definitely qualifies as a milestone for us, meaning for the track record of Deutsche Investment: In the heart of Berlin, our property development team is realising its first residential infill densification project using sustainable timber modular construction. So, the coming months will surely be an exciting time both for us and for our investors. We are full of high hopes and anticipation, and see enormous potential for all stakeholders in the interaction of sustainability and digitisation. It presupposes the courage to tread new ground and a proportionate sense of enthusiasm for quality-minded optimisation and continuous development in the best interest of our investors and tenants,” summarised Enver Büyükarslan, Director for Transaction Management at Deutsche Investment Kapitalverwaltung AG.
