Greystar, a global leader in the investment, development and management of rental apartments, has officially opened the Momento Berlin quarter in the Neukölln district. In the presence of residents, project partners, neighbors and representatives of the city, the company celebrated the completion and handover of the 758 new rental apartments yesterday. Among the guests was Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner.
Momento Berlin is part of the new quarter on the site of the former BLUB leisure pool. After around two years of construction, a total of 860 apartments have been built on the almost 30,000 square metre site, supplemented by a daycare centre with more than 100 places as well as green, recreational and communal areas. 758 apartments are rented and operated by Greystar under the Momento Berlin brand. A further 102 apartments belong to Berlinovo and are rented out at a rent-controlled or subsidised rate.
Mark Kuijpers, Senior Managing Director Central Europe at Greystar, says: "Momento Berlin is an important milestone for our growth in Germany and a great success for all those who helped get this new quarter off the ground. We see how quickly life is changing and with it the requirements for housing. Households are getting smaller, people are becoming more mobile and their own homes are now also being used for working. Our experience from different markets helps us to identify such changes at an early stage. At the same time, housing is always local. It is therefore crucial to combine this international perspective with the knowledge of our teams, partners and residents here in Berlin. In this way, we create rental apartments that meet today's needs and at the same time learn what will be important in the future."
Momento Berlin includes studios as well as one- to three-room apartments, which are offered furnished and unfurnished. In addition, residents have around 1,450 square meters of common areas at their disposal. This includes co-working areas, a gym and sports fields, a roof terrace and rooms for meetings and leisure activities. A team on site takes care of the operation and is also directly available to the residents for technical concerns.
Momento Berlin was realized together with the project developer Bauwens and the construction company Goldbeck. Serial and industrially prefabricated elements were used in the construction. Among other things, wall elements were used in which windows, pipes and cabling were already integrated. The size of the project and recurring building elements enabled economies of scale. At the same time, different floor plans and individually designed common areas could be implemented.
Michael Stapf, Managing Director Development at Greystar Germany & Austria, says: "Germany needs more apartments. To ensure that they are built quickly and to the necessary extent, we have to build efficiently and plan projects reliably. Momento Berlin shows how we can implement large residential projects faster through standardized and prefabricated components without compromising on diversity and quality. A project of this magnitude can only succeed together. That's why I would like to thank Bauwens, Goldbeck, Berlinovo, the city and all those involved for the good cooperation. We will not solve the housing shortage with a single solution. This makes it all the more important to learn from successful examples such as Momento Berlin, to transfer proven approaches to other locations and to advance further projects together with our partners. In this way, we can contribute to the creation of more apartments."
The long-term operation of the quarter was also taken into account in the energy supply and the outdoor areas. Heat from the sewer supports the heating and cooling of the buildings, while photovoltaic systems on the roofs generate electricity on site. Green retention roofs store rainwater and help to improve the microclimate. Trees, shrubs as well as play, sports and recreational areas connect the individual houses and create spaces that can be used together.
With the completion of Momento Berlin, Greystar is continuing its activities in the Berlin housing market. Together with Ten Brinke, the company is developing around 428 rental apartments in Marzahn. Greystar is also working with PRIMUS on several projects in the capital. The joint pipeline includes around 1,400 planned apartments in Pankow, Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg.
Michael Stapf, Managing Director Development Germany & Austria at Greystar, Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin, and Alf Aleithe, Managing Director of Berlinovo, at the opening of Momento Berlin.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner with young musicians from the Neukölln Brass Orchestra at the opening of Momento Berlin.
