Building construction
Landwehr Canal living
100%
Completed
Germany

Maybachufer 36 residential project, Berlin Neukölln

Text Melanie Splichal

PORR Deutschland GmbH has completed a turnkey construction with 71 residential and two commercial units in the trendy Neukölln district of Berlin.

The construction of the new complex of four buildings next to Berlin’s Landwehr Canal was marked by difficult foundation conditions and a complex façade design, which varied from building to building.

Project data
  • Employer
    Cross Jeanswear GmbH
  • Contractor
    PORR Deutschland GmbH . ZNL Berlin
  • Architect
    Patzschke und Partner Architekten
  • Order type
    Main contractor
  • Project type
    Building construction . Residential building
  • Project scope
    Planning and construction of a six-storey apartment building with grocery store and day care centre
  • Order volume
    16 million euros
  • Construction start
    04/2017
  • Construction end
    03/2019

Overview

The Maybachufer 36 project is a building complex comprising four buildings, situated right next to Berlin’s Landwehr Canal, with a gross floor area of around 11,000 m², accommodating a supermarket, a day care centre and 71 residential units in different sizes and configurations.

The client is Turkish jeans manufacturer Cross Jeanswear, which expanded its business to the rest of the European market in the early 1990s. Berlin was selected as a central location in this expansion strategy and an old glassworks was purchased for use as warehouse and office space and as a factory outlet.

As the space available no longer meets its requirements, Cross Jeanswear relocated its warehouse and offices and decided to construct a residential complex with a supermarket and day care centre on the site of the old glassworks.

The renowned architectural firm Patzschke und Partner did the planning; it had previously received international acclaim for the renovation of the Berlin Grand Hotel Adlon. PORR was brought on board as the main contractor. PORR completed the project in March 2019, after less than two years of construction work.

The real challenge was the intricate façade design with different structures in the different buildings.
Melanie Splichal
Project manager, PORR Bau GmbH

In harmony with the urban landscape

The residential complex comprises four buildings. The supermarket extends through all four buildings; buildings 1 and 2 are also home to the day care centre as well as premium rental apartments. In addition to the supermarket space, building 3 contains mid-scale rental apartments, while building 4 has simple micro apartments.

The complex has a classical style on the outside, tastefully complemented by modern elements. The inclusion of features of the historical architecture of the immediate surroundings ensures that the new building blends into the cityscape. The real challenge was the intricate façade design with different structures, depending on the configuration of the building in question and combined with the copper roof dome.

The Maybachufer 36 residential complex uses classical elements inspired by late 19th to early 20th century architecture with a modern twist. Source: PORR/Markus Löffelhardt
The groundwater conditions on the site made dewatering necessary. Groundwater reduction measures were planned and executed with a soldier pile wall for shoring.
Melanie Splichal
Project manager, PORR Bau GmbH

Difficult foundation conditions

The building complex includes a basement level with a garage, technical and storage rooms, a ground floor and five or six higher storeys depending on the building.

The high groundwater conditions on the site made dewatering necessary. Groundwater reduction measures were planned and executed using a soldier pile wall for shoring. A trench embankment on neighbouring land was possible on one site boundary. The entire basement level was constructed in waterproof reinforced concrete. The ceilings over the ground floor in the areas not built on and the passageways were also planned and implemented with waterproof concrete.

The load-bearing vertical components were designed in reinforced concrete and brickwork; the ceilings are also made of reinforced concrete. The roofs were constructed as warm roofs with bituminous sealing. The roofs of the internal courtyard and all other roofs outside of the roof terraces have a green roof.

PORR handed over the day care centre to the client as an extended shell for the work to be completed by the operator. All other areas were handed over by PORR on a turnkey basis.

Conclusion

The confined inner-city location of the construction area with a directly adjacent building and a car park required a high level of care, consideration and precision from the experts at PORR. For example, during the excavation work, the soldier pile wall was installed directly on the car park boundary. The team had to ensure that use of the rest of the car park was not obstructed during the work. 

Thanks to a strong project team that worked passionately to implement our PORR principles in collaboration with the subcontractors and all involved in the planning process, the project was handed over to a happy client in March 2019.

Technical data

2,222 m²
Plot area
7,200 m³
Amount of excavated material
  • Gross floor area
    10,961 m²
  • Excavation pit depth
    3.50 m
  • Car parking spaces
    33
  • Steel incorporated
    682 t
  • Concrete incorporated
    3,600 m³

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