From Hildburg Bruns
Cheers to the record! This experiment could also become an export hit in other federal states.
Plate to the power of 3: The 22 new apartments on Franz-Schmidt-Strasse in Buch will be available from October 15th. Client Howoge did not use up any building land for them, but added three floors to a five-storey low-rise building (type WBS 70).
“We have to go up to save space. I hope that the model will be widely used,” said Berlin’s governor Franziska Giffey (44, SPD) during her visit to the northern outskirts.
Franziska Giffey (right) with the Federal Minister for Building, Klara Geywitz, and Howoge boss Ulrich Schiller on the balcony of a raised apartment Photo: Charles Yunck
On the first floor, on the other hand, tenant Heidemarie (70) complains from the balcony: “Two years only noise and dirt! And we have none of it.” Her daughter had already advised her to move out – after 41 years.
Tenant Heidemarie (70) sees no advantages for herself by adding more. She moved in in 1981 and pays 508 euros per month including heating for her 3-room apartment (70 m²). Photo: Charles Yunck
Howoge lists advantages for all tenants: newly designed basement with aluminum boxes (4-6 m²), a new playground, covered bicycle parking spaces.
In the 45 to 102 m² apartments, the new tenants have district heating, underfloor heating under the linoleum in a floorboard look, and an elevator to their arcades. You pay 6.50 to 11 euros/m².
In the living rooms there is linoleum in a floorboard look Photo: Charles Yunck
So that there are no static problems, most of the heights were increased with wood. This is lighter than concrete, binds the climate killer CO2, but is currently very expensive. The construction costs were therefore 4000 euros/m² even without a plot of land, otherwise Howoge builds for around 3600 euros/m².
For such an increase to be worthwhile, it should have at least two floors – but not higher than the high-rise limit (23.5 meters or 8 floors). From there, the fire protection regulations increase, the stairwells have to be larger and the insulation no longer flammable.
Glance into the bathroom of an apartment with a floor above: a brightly tiled bathroom Photo: Charles Yunck
At the end of November, a second project, a six-storey building on Seefelder Strasse (Hohenschönhausen) with 28 apartments, will be completed. Howoge alone sees potential for 500 to 2000 additional apartments. However, one district is currently boycotting the building permits for the next two projects – too high!
“We contradict each other,” says Howoge boss Ulrich Schiller (46).