EUROPACITY: the new
ambitious project in Berlin
The project foresees a division in sub areas with different characters and uses,
allowing more flexible development activities at different times or simultaneously.
By Sigrun Prahl
“Europacity” is the ambitious
name of the quarter around
Heidestraße in Berlin-Moabit,
which currently is considered
one of the most important central development areas of the
city. Located north of the main
train station, it is bordered by
railway tracks to the west, by
the Nordhafen and Perleberger
Straße to the north and by the
Berlin-Spandauer shipping
canal to the east.
After the reunification of the
city and after the development
of the area to the south, this
location has changed from a
peripheral one to a central location in close proximity not
only to the main train station of
Berlin, but also to the government area of Germany in the
central park Tiergarten and to
one of the most important art
exhibition spaces in Berlin, the
muse-um of contemporary art,
Hamburger Bahnhof. At present, parts of the area are unused, underused, or they are
used temporarily.
An EU-wide urban design competition was carried out in April
2008. Architects, urban designers and landscape architects
had to apply for participation,
and a selection of teams was
then invited to develop plans
for a lively city quarter with an
urban mix of living and working
considering sustainability and
climate pro-tection. The winning urban and landscape design concept was the basis for
the official master plan and
land use plan. The area was
divided into sub areas with
different characters and uses
to allow more flexible development activities at different
times or simultaneously. The
master plan identifies the following six sub quarters:
1. “Am Hauptbahnhof” (by the
main station)
A triangular square is planned
north of the cen-tral station to
compliment the existing square
in front of the station. The
planned building mass east of
the square consists of three
major building blocks including
high rise buildings. The first
one of them is currently under
construction. It will mainly contain offices.
2. “Am Kunst-Campus” (art
campus)
North of the museum of contemporary art “Hamburger
Bahnhof” several existing galle
-ries and studios are incorporated in the master plan. More
cultural entrepreneurs are expected to move here. In addition to studio apartments this
area will be the location of future exhibitions and art trade
fairs and of outdoor restaurants in the summer. Art is
seen as an identity-creating
factor for this location.
3.
“Boulevard
SüdWest” (south
west boulevard)
Along the central Heidestraße,
existing building blocks will be
incorporated in the planned
block structure. In this area
50% to 80% offices and ser-
vices and 20% to 50% residences are planned. The
ground floor areas towards the
street will house retail and restaurants.
4. “Am Stadthafen” (near the
city harbour)
A new water body is being
p l a n n e d
c a l l e d
“Stadthafen” (city harbour) and
will be surrounded by a mainly
residential development. Along
the street res-taurants and services are planned.
5. “Boulevard West”
The area between Heidestraße
and the still functioning railroad
tracks is called “Boulevard
West.” It consists of block
structures towards the street
and of a long and closed slab
building towards the tracks that
blocks the railroad noise from
the new development. Flexible
floor plans will allow for residential and office use.
Volume 2, Issue 12
1 December 2011
6. “Am Nordhafen” (near the
north harbour)
The northernmost part of the Highlights
new development area is close
to the historic Nordhafen (north
harbour). Typical core area
 EUROPACITY in
utilization with a focus on ofthe heart of unifices and services will be found
fied Berlin
here. A new metropolitan railway stop will serve this area
and link it to the rest of the city.  BATO Group for
Reuters
(continues on p. 2)
 BATO Group goes
new online: more
user friendly,
personal and
transparent
Page 2
EUROPACITY: the new ambitious project in Berlin
(Continues from p. 1)
The strategic master plan was
developed in close cooperation
among the property owners, project
developers, plan-ners and
authorities. Vivico and DB (Deutsche
Bahn) AG own approximately three
quarters of the area, they are
responsible for the overall
development management. The
state of Berlin implements the
measures needed for the change of
the area utilization plan and the
associated cooperation processes.
Further competitions and other
competitive measures will give more
detail to the specifications of the
master plan. Different open space
typologies will give the resulting
quarters unique addresses and
identi-ties. The design of compact
building structures and open spaces
includes a network of pedestrian and
bicycle paths.
The area encompasses 40 hectares
allowing for a total gross ground
area development of approximately
610,000 square metres. The official
guidelines divide the uses into 58%
offices, 34% residences, 5% retail/
gastronom y and 3% culture.
According to the senate department
for urban development this means
planning for the diversity of uses
(working, living, shopping, culture
and leisure). But in comparison to
other Berlin inner city
neighbourhoods, the percentage of
office buildings is rather high. This is
not necessarily due to the demand of
office space in Berlin, but to higher
rents of business property in
comparison to residential property.
In Berlin, however, the demand for
residential space is currently higher
than the demand for commercial real
estate.
The implementation of the master
plan will require ten to fifteen years
from now on. It is envisioned that the
construction of the “Europacity” will
then be complete, but this process is
hard to foresee. It is possible that
only parts of it will be built due to
investment strategies and market
demands. But the combination of
m ix of us es , m ark eting as
sustainable design, attractive open
spaces, close vicinity to the water,
the government district, the park and
the museum and gallery district has
the potential to create a diverse and
attractive lifestyle quarter in an innercity context.
BATO Group in front of the camera of Reuters
09-11-2011, BATO Group.
You can get to know more about the increasing trend in investing in real estate in Berlin by Andrea Barbato, CEO
and founder of BATO Group Real Estate Investments GmbH, in front of the camera of Reuters. The video is to be
seen on the most important media in Germany such as Stern, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Handelsblatt, Welt,
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost and others. To see the interview follow the link: http://www.stern.de/
wirtschaft/immobilien/immobiliengeschaefte-in-der-euro-krise-die-griechen-zieht-es-nach-berlin-1743878.html
B AT O G r o u p R e a l E s t a t e I n v e s t m e n t s G m b H
Bato Group Real Estate Investments is an international, full-service asset and
fund Management Company. Our aim is to build asset value through
acquisition, development, management, financing and disposition of innovative
real estate investments in Berlin.
Voßstr.22, 10117 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0) 30 33 93 59 40
E-mail: [email protected]
www.batogroup.com
To check our current offers and receive more information about the latest
investment opportunities in the city do not hesitate to contact us. We will be
happy to give you personal advice and set of investment options fitting your
individual criteria.
BATO Group goes new online: more user friendly,
personal and transparent
01-12-2011, BATO Group.
After 5 successful years of the Berlin
market BATO Group decided that it is
time to redevelop its corporate identity as
a sign of our constant strive to grow. The
biggest task of the rebranding process
was the transformation of our website in
a much more user-friendly and
informative space. Our homepage now is
not only the first impact with the potential
partner or customer, but soon it is going
to be the first point of reference of all our
existing customers as well. To improve
transparency and empower our existing
customers to have the full control over
their investments we are developing a
personalized secured area on BATO
Group’s website. Everybody will receive
a user name and a password so to login
at any time and find all the
documentation
regarding
their
investment from their start up to their
current status. A simplified navigation,
clear design and extensive overview of
the company’s products and services are
just part of the concepts that describe
our new online presence. But why talk
about it so much, you should check it for
yourself.Visit us at: www.batogroup.com.
We welcome your questions and
requests for further information and
discussion regarding new partnerships
and/or investment opportunities in the
Berlin real estate market.