Die Macherei Berlin – Kreuzberg

The former administration site of the German Post Office was used for commercial purposes after their privatization in the 1990s. Now, on the basis of the master plan by Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, the site is being developed into an urban quarter for living and working, retaining the striking 23-story high-rise building. In the spirit of climate-friendly construction, a comprehensive revitalization is to be realized.

On the three northern construction sites, Degewo AG, as the municipal housing developer, is building around 310 apartments in six 7 to 8-story structures, including a kindergarten with 40 places. On the southern construction sites, which include the M40 and M50 projects that are also managed by SMV, privately financed housing (approx. 80 apartments) as well as office and commercial space will be developed on approx. 75,500 m² GFA.  

The intended certifications LEED, WELL and Wiredscore ensure both the sustainability and the digitalization aspect of the buildings as well as the well-being and satisfaction of the users. A key decision for the sustainability of the neighborhood development was made with the preservation of the existing tower of the former German Post check office. The 23-story tower will be preserved in its shell and the facade will be refurbished in an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art manner, including an integrated photovoltaic system.

The high-rise building will be given a one-story base with public accessibility, with the goal of making it a neighborly urban building block. A landscaping of the base roof with sports facilities strives for amenity qualities and makes this social space visible to pedestrians at street level.

A timber hybrid building is being constructed in the M40 development area. Here, too, the planning process is accompanied by energy consulting for the implementation of ambitious sustainability goals.

The quarter will be equipped in large areas with single-story underground parking garages, which will relieve the stationary traffic in the area with approx. 250 parking spaces. The circulation in the quarter is primarily reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. Over 1,000 parking spaces are planned for bicycles, both above ground and in the basements. The neighborhood also benefits from the direct BVG connection to Möckernbrücke.

A media supply system based on the latest technology is being designed for the Macherei quarter: The power supply will be based on photovoltaics and green electricity. The local heating supply will be provided by a biogas-fueled combined heat and power plant located in M40 in combination with an equally biogas-fueled condensing boiler and absorption chillers, to which all southern construction sites will be connected.

Project M50 - The Design Tower (revitalization of a high-rise building) M40 - The Holz Carré (new construction of a commercial building with underground parking) Project location Hallesches Ufer 40-60, 10963 Berlin Client Art-Invest Real Estate Management GmbH & Co. KG Architects M50 – Eike Becker_Architekten, M40 – Robertneun Architekten GmbH  Gross floor area approx. 75,000 m² (M50 ca. 31,500 m²; M40 ca. 29,000 m²) Construction costs Confidential Services SMV Project management, construction management Project term from 2019 to 2024 Responsible contact person at SMV Bernd Hullmann