From the idea at its inception to completion, new construction and neighbourhood development are often long-term undertakings that require a great deal of patience and creativity. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So the joy is all the greater when new apartments reach the finish line – as is now the case in Berlin with the BUWOG HELLING HOF project.
A completion is being celebrated on the southeastern edge of the 52° Nord development, where 105 new two-to-six-room apartments have been built. The last residential unit has just been handed over to a new owner. A true milestone. And most of the new residents have already moved in. The majority of the owners use the apartments themselves, including couples and families who have fulfilled their dream of owning their own property.
Life is moving in, balconies are being planted, neighbourhoods are being created, and people are living side by side. BUWOG spent at least three years building the BUWOG HELLING HOF ensemble. There is space for three buildings on the approximately 9,000-square-metre site between the ALDI supermarket and the banks of the Dahme. This includes sufficient underground parking and bicycle parking, 280 spaces in all.
Project manager Juliane Holtmeyer: “With the large four-, five- and six-room apartments, we were able to create suitable living space, especially for families. Demand was particularly strong in this respect.” Almost all of the apartments have a balcony, terrace or rooftop terrace. Some have window seating, where you can sit comfortably in the living room on the knee-high windowsill with a book or a drink and through the glass observe the ships leisurely sailing past.
Three new builds and an historic shipyard house
With the architectural firm Aukett + Heese, BUWOG HELLING HOF engaged a renowned architectural firm that is quite familiar with the location and was already active in the 52° Nord development: completed in 2020, HAUS AN DER DAHME was also designed by the Berlin-based architects.
The three new buildings border a nature-filled courtyard area in which another highlight stands out: a 100-year-old brick building that BUWOG has meticulously refurbished and upgraded for new residential space. The so-called Werfthaus now houses four apartments and captures the eye with its historic façade and the distinctive small turrets on the rooftop.
Refurbishment: also a contribution to sustainability
The path to this result was not a foregone conclusion, BUWOG Managing Director Eva Weiß reports: “The building is not a listed building and, to be honest, it would have been cheaper to demolish it. But refurbishing, securing and converting it for the benefit of new residential space has created an exciting mix of old and new at this location. Most of all, the preservation of such buildings is also a contribution to the built environment.” And certainly desirable in terms of sustainability, for every building contains CO2 and grey energy – aspects that are becoming increasingly important for planners and builders. Eva Weiß: “Wherever the structural and economic situation allows, we try to preserve old buildings and find an optimal solution when building neighbourhood developments.”
Commensurate with the new development’s sponge city concept, a clever green-blue infrastructure also plays an important role. The green courtyards with plantings that are typical for the region have more than just a decorative function, project manager Juliane Holtmeyer explains: “Rainwater can seep away and evaporate here. Some of the rainwater is stored in an underground infiltration trench and then released into the ground – so it returns to the natural water cycle,” the project manager explains.
Keeping water on site and returning it to the natural water cycle: having already been successfully applied to the other construction sites of the 52° Nord development, it was on the basis of this principle that BUWOG won the German Housing Award in 2020 and was named the winner of the “Regenial!” award by Berlin Rainwater Agency in 2024.
“Rainwater can seep away and evaporate here – so it returns to the natural water cycle.”
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