Opened: Green business campus "The Unique" at BER

On May 11, 2023, Unique Invest GmbH and the serviced apartment operator ipartment celebrated the opening of "The Unique" together with project participants and representatives from politics and business. The building ensemble with a total GFA of around 19,500 sqm is located in the growing business park Kienberg and includes a large office building, gastronomy and an aparthotel. As a campus, it offers a green 'oasis' for living and working. On schedule, the major project was completed after two years of construction and officially started marketing in April 2023. Both buildings are also certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) with the green seal of approval in gold. A generous green area designed by star landscape architect Rainer Schmidt and the adjacent woodland provide natural and recreational spaces. The mobility concept also includes e-scooters, e-bikes and e-charging columns, including for passenger cars. The building ensemble remains the property of the development company Unique Invest GmbH & Co. KG and will also be managed by the same. The investor is Peter Kolb. Since the end of April, there has already been a tenant for the restaurant business on the first floor of the office building. The experienced gastronomy company Tony's from Steglitz will soon be offering upscale European-Italian cuisine here, including breakfast, business lunch and an evening menu, as well as catering and conference services. The restaurant will thus become the central meeting point in the business park and is the first catering outlet on the site.

Milestone for neighborhood development

With the newly created infrastructure as well as green spaces, children's playground, outdoor fitness trail and gastronomy, which are open to residents and guests alike, the opening of The Unique is a milestone for further neighborhood development at BER. Thanks to its location at the airport, the Schoenefeld site is very well connected both nationally and internationally, in particular by public transport, Deutsche Bahn and the proximity to the Waltersdorf freeway interchange (A 113, A 10 and A 117). This makes the business location interesting for 'newcomers' as well as established companies. Rents starting at 15 €/sqm in The Unique are in the moderate range.

ipartment starts with high booking rates - fully booked at the end of April

The aparthotel operator ipartment offers temporary serviced apartments between 25 sqm and 50 sqm at the location. ipartment is present at many central locations in Germany and has established itself since 2022 with soon three houses in Berlin and Brandenburg. At the beginning of April 2023, ipartment started the pre-opening phase for The Unique and already reached a high occupancy rate of 65% in the opening month. By the end of April, the property was fully booked. Serviced apartments help relieve the regular housing market of corporate housing. Guests can stay between 1-3 days and up to six months in the fully equipped design apartments. ipartment offers special services tailored to the needs of business guests, such as laundry and cleaning services, high-speed WLAN, reception, 24h-MailClient, digital booking, bicycle and e-scooter rental, and an in-house guest lounge. Other highlights at BER include the new 'breakfast boxes', a digital kiosk for snacks and drinks, and a conference service. The airport can be reached within a few minutes by e-scooters or bus. A private neighborhood shuttle, initiated by the business operators, runs at favorable conditions between 4:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. and will thus - in addition to the three bus lines and another shuttle connection - strengthen the constant transfer between the airport and the business park. ipartment provides the corresponding shuttle schedule.

With art - and people at the center

The concept as a "Human Centered Office" focuses on the needs of those who work and live here: through high-quality furnishings, short distances, digital working indoors as well as outdoors, through art objects, recreational spaces, urban gardening and views of the countryside. In the spacious courtyard, which architecturally connects indoor and outdoor space, there is a sculpture in the style of Alexander Calder, and in the newly opened distribution rooms modern art by the Berlin artist Peter Lindenberg is exhibited, who will continue to shape the Unique campus with paintings and vernissages. ipartment displays street art in its building and, together with its Hamburg business partner fritz-kola, has commissioned the two Berlin artists Bennet and Vanessa Dartmann via Studio Auckz from Münster to create an upcycling art collage, a wall design "under the aspect of sustainability and uniqueness". 

Christian Hentschel, Mayor of Schönefeld 

"We are very pleased that Schönefeld is developing so positively around the international airport BER. The Unique is an asset for the location and, with the Kienberg Business Park, will attract further companies, create jobs and offers that everyone in Schönefeld can benefit from. There needs to be a strong local economic force, because the profits generated and tax money flow not least into the social infrastructure that is so urgently needed."

Peter Kolb, Managing Director Unique Invest / Kolb + Partner 

"Our vision of a forward-looking, green office landscape in an international location where people feel comfortable is becoming a reality. We are delighted about this - and especially about the sharp increase in leasing inquiries since the project was completed."

Matthias Rincón, Managing Director ipartment  

"We are surprised by the sensational start occupancy around 65%. At the end of April we were even fully booked and May is expected to close with about 80 % monthly occupancy. Our target is 90-95 % in order to be able to react flexibly to short- and midstay requests. We are also pleased that the long-stay segment in particular has been so well received, i.e. stays from 1 month to 6 months. Here, too, we are already at 80% - similar to our first airport location in Frankfurt am Main."

Jasmin Samiri, Managing Director Unique Invest 

"Our office concept offers a 'home' for companies, SMEs, creatives and startups of all sizes and allows for a very good work-life balance. We look forward to filling this special location with gastro and cultural offerings, art - and above all, life."

For further information about the growth industries, economic development, business and technology support for companies, investors and scientific institutions in the Airport Region Berlin Brandenburg please contact:

Sandra Koletzki ​​​​​​ | sandra.koletzki(at)airport-region.de

(Source: Irmelin Ehrig, Redaktionsbüro Ehrig & Partner, 05|12|2023 | "Opened: Green business campus "The Unique" at BER")