A Quality Location – Recipe for Success

Adlershof – developed into a successful science and technology park within the space of only a few years – today stands as a model of location development, thanks to a forward-looking approach to planning and a targeted realisation. But what were the preconditions and challenges that needed to be met in order to encourage businesses to relocate to this location? Two current projects provide an insight into the complex tasks tackled by Adlershof Projekt GmbH. On behalf of the Federal State of Berlin, this agency coordinates the location’s development and marketing, all the while keeping a keen eye on both investor or user requirements and the goals specified in the urban master plan.

South-Western Core Area

The master plan divides Adlershof into individual areas with different utilisation profiles; one of these is the so-called core area. For this urban quarter, Adlershof Projekt focuses on attracting service companies. In line with the area’s profile, the architecture here is of high-end quality, with buildings rising higher than elsewhere in Adlershof and their design emphasising features such as the street frontage and urban ambience of Rudower Chaussee, which runs through the core area. At the southwestern end of this road, construction works for an Audi AG flagship store are scheduled to begin soon.

“As a result of this investment decision, the adjoining sites east of the Audi plot are now becoming increasingly attractive”, says Ute Hübener, Adlershof Projekt’s Head of Sales. Two newly built roads will allow for a further partitioning of the plot, should this be required. Hübener knows: “Some investors are very interested in smaller, centrally located and well connected parcels of land. Where possible, we aim to meet these requirements in a flexible manner.”

Reliable planning and building laws, a good transport infrastructure, high visibility, an attractive overall environment and developed parcels of land are key aspects of a location’s quality. Indeed, they are decisive factors when it comes to relocation. First, however, potential obstacles need to be overcome and a plethora of details have to be resolved. Some of these go far beyond such classic tasks as road construction and plot development. In the case of the Audi plot and the adjoining sites, for example, a highvoltage overhead powerline had to be moved under ground. A difficult task, the completion of which took time. Once this was achieved, however, sales activities could, at last, gather momentum.

Adlershof’s North

Demand for parcels of land in Adlershof continues to grow. In 2008, the Federal State of Berlin purchased a 22 hectare-site from a private owner. This site is intended to form the core of a commercial area, offering spaces for technology-oriented production businesses. In order to allow for unrestricted traffic flow, previous development activities included the expansion of Groß-Berliner Damm and the construction of Hermann-Dorner-Allee as a fast connector road to the inner-city motorway. What is more, the planning of Groß-Berliner Damm took account of the fact that the tram, the tracks of which already run along Rudower Chaussee, will some day be extended along Groß-Berliner Damm.

An additional task of Adlershof Projekt, here as elsewhere, is the clearing and development of the site prior to commencement of sales. Work on this particular site started at the end of 2008 and activities range from clearance and demolition of existing buildings to soil de-contamination. In the southwest, the available parcels of land border on Groß-Berliner Damm. In view of the fact that their layout is relatively deep, successful sales will depend on the construction of an additional access road, the planning of which is under way. Businesses wishing, for instance, to construct an office building with adjoining production
facility will find an ideal location for their projects here. “As far as types of businesses are concerned, we are looking for companies that will both profit from the synergies already available on site and generate new synergies”, says Hübener.

“To date, a number of companies from the photovoltaic sector have relocated here, but we don’t want the place to become too homogeneous.” In fact, Adlershof Projekt deliberately opts for targeted diversity in order to create an economically sound basis that will benefit the location as a whole. For this, too, is an essential aspect of Adlershof’s outstanding quality of location – and a key to sustainable growth.

Barbara Woithe