Germany’s first sustainable life science property as a timber hybrid construction
DRIVEN has built the “FUHUB”, Germany’s first life science property in timber hybrid construction, and handed over to the tenants. In addition, 2,670 square metres in the property in Berlin-Dahlem were let to the Federal Institute for Real Estate (BImA). The areas are used for laboratories of the Federal Environment Agency. This means that the FUHUB is 80 percent let. The other tenants are Freie Universität with the Scale Up Lab, SimpliOffice, a provider of coworking and event spaces, the Zuse Institute Berlin with the Modal research campus, and UNDKRAUSS, which will conduct research on innovative technologies for the construction industry at the FUHUB.
“Without optimal conditions, there is no world-class research – and these optimal conditions also include a modern space in a good location and neighborhood of the FU Berlin,” says Ingo Weiss, Managing Partner of DRIVEN.
“With the completion and the next rental step, we have succeeded in contributing another building block to the modern infrastructure of the Berlin science location,” says Johanna Klingsöhr-Scheel, Development Manager at DRIVEN.
The property is aiming for the DGNB sustainability certificate in platinum. Part of this sustainability concept is a photovoltaic system, an exclusively electricity-based energy concept, green roofs to promote biodiversity and heat pumps and storage systems with the help of geothermal probes.
The FUHUB is being built on the grounds of the innovation campus “FUBIC” (Business and Innovation Center next to Freie Universität Berlin Campus) developed by WISTA in the Dahlem district of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district. Like FUBIC as a whole, the building is intended to provide space for technology-oriented start-ups, young and established companies – especially from the life sciences, healthcare industry and information and communication technologies sectors. Biological as well as chemical and physical laboratories can be located in the laboratory areas. The FUHUB will be built on one of six sub-plots located in the immediate vicinity of the future FUBIC main building (former US military hospital). This main building is currently being converted by WISTA into a sophisticated innovation center.
In addition to the FUHUB, DRIVEN is currently developing another life science property in Berlin-Moabit. By the first quarter of 2027, the modern life science & tech property “CHARLOTTE” with 7,000 square meters of rental space will be built not far from the Technical University.
