The award is presented by the Climate Alliance for Urban Development – an initiative of the Brandenburg Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Planning (MIL), the Association of Berlin-Brandenburg Housing Companies (BBU) and the Berlin/Brandenburg regional group of the German Association of Local Public Utilities (VKU). The aim of the state competition is to recognise outstanding and innovative approaches to climate protection and draw attention to them. The projects submitted are to combine diverse aspects of climate-friendly development such as CO2 reduction, energy efficiency and renewable energy use. At the same time, objectives such as affordability, social compatibility and the built environment are to be considered as well.
The jury has now presented the “CO2-neutral Development” award to the Krampnitz urban development project as one of three Brandenburg-based projects and recognised the sustainable development, in which climate-friendly housing, the mobility transition and social aspects are taken into account and integrated into a mix of subsidised, cooperative and privately financed housing. Daniel Riedl, member of the management board of Vonovia responsible for BUWOG operations in Germany and Austria, is also delighted about this: “This award as a CO2-neutral development shows that neighbourhood development can succeed at large-scale residential construction combined with the sophisticated refurbishment of existing buildings and new, sustainable qualities. The commitment of our teams is just as essential for this as the excellent coordination with other private and public project sponsors – united for the common aim of developing an entirely new part of the city.”
Krampnitz: Pioneering new urban quarter
Residential space for around 10,000 people as well as 3,000 jobs will be created on the site of a former barracks by the time the urban development quarter is completed in ten years. Add to this the necessary infrastructure, from local amenities and green spaces to daycare centres and schools – a large-scale project in which private, municipal and cooperative players are working hand in hand.
As the largest private investor, BUWOG alone is planning to invest around EUR 1 billion by 2032. Approximately 1,450 rental apartments and condominiums are slated for the BUWOG Lillestad development, some of which will be publicly subsidised rentals. There will also be around 34,500 m² of commercial space, two car parks for the development as well as an underground car park and the creation of an urban square to the east, including a local supermarket. Lillestad is borrowed from colloquial Swedish and means small town. The name is inspired by the Nordic names of the paths and avenues that surround the BUWOG building sites in Krampnitz.
Preserving architectural heritage: Monument restoration in Krampnitz
In the initial phase of construction, BUWOG is presently refurbishing the historic and listed buildings in the Klinkerhöfe ensemble, where 186 one- to four-room rental apartments and sizes ranging from 32 m² to 124 m² of floor area are currently under construction. The apartments are to be ready for occupancy and handed over to BUWOG’s parent company Vonovia for letting as early as summer 2025. Additional refurbishments of listed buildings will follow, such as the former staff building, which will form the centrepiece of the new urban square to the east, as well as new buildings with residential space of varying sizes and layouts and diverse commercial spaces along Schwedische Allee.
Sustainability: New standards in energy supply
The development will be pioneering with respect to its energy supply, ensured by a central low-temperature local heating grid based on renewable energies. Groundwater geothermal energy, ambient air and renewable electricity generation will be utilised. These technologies will help to achieve the goal of a CO₂-neutral urban development. Furthermore, the seven-hectare central green area, the so-called “Grüne Mitte”, will offer future residents ample space to unwind and socialise. The mobility plan ensures a reduction of motorised private transport and promotes climate-friendly means of transport with a dense network of cycle paths and footpaths as well as excellent access to public transport. Krampnitz – a model for forward-thinking, climate-friendly urban development in which social and ecological sustainability are put into practice.
Find out more: Further information on the project can be found at krampnitz.de (only in German)
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