From gas tank to think tank: EUREF AG celebrates laying of cornerstone for renovation and reconstruction of Schöneberg Gasometer

The Gasometer is both a Berlin landmark and the structural symbol of the EUREF Campus energy location. EUREF AG is now giving this architectural monument a new function by renovating it in line with the requirements of a listed building and by adding a modern extension. The laying of the cornerstone was celebrated on Tuesday together with Michael Müller, Governing Mayor of Berlin, Ramona Pop, Senator for Economics, Energy and Operations, Angelika Schöttler, District Mayor of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, and Jörn Oltmann, Deputy District Mayor and District City Councillor.

Already since 2009, the green steel base of the gasometer, which was shut down in 1995, has been operated as a multifunctional venue for the EUREF Campus, a real laboratory of the energy transition and model quarter for the climate-neutral, resource-saving and smart city of tomorrow that is unique in Germany. This central conference area will again be used as the campus forum after the expansion. On the top, however, a twelve-story office building with around 28,000 square meters of usable space will be built from a height of 16 meters upward. From 2023, around 2,000 people will work here for the Deutsche Bahn's "Digital Rail" project. The Gasometer will thus be transformed from a gas tank into a think tank.

"With the expansion of the Gasometer, the EUREF Campus is once again living up to its role as a location of the future," says Reinhard Müller, CEO of EUREF AG. "The approximately 2,000 new Deutsche Bahn work places that will be created here will further advance the transportation turnaround in terms of climate protection and thus create synergies with the projects and companies that have been working here for years on future mobility with very different approaches. This innovative diversity is what makes the EUREF Campus so attractive and it is not a coincidence it has now become a Berlin export product and that a second Reallabor will soon be opened in Düsseldorf."

Michael Müller, governing mayor of Berlin, was also enthusiastic on the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone for the internal expansion of the Gasometer: "When EUREF AG took over this site in 2008, many Berlin politicians did not believe in the success of this visionary project. I am glad that together we seized the opportunity that was offered to our city here. Not only in terms of the EUREF Campus's role as an innovation location, but also in terms of the intelligent reuse and addition to existing architectural monuments, which is once again demonstrated with the Gasometer project."

Renovation in line with the requirements of a listed building and innovative use
In the course of the construction work that has now begun, the interior of the Gasometer with the newly designed conference center and the new office building on top will be extended up to and including the penultimate ring with a respect distance of one meter from the magnificent historic steel framework. The steel structure, restored to its original 1910 appearance, will thus act in future as a visual frame for the round office building. EUREF AG is thus continuing its concept of supplementing the energy-restored listed buildings of the former Schöneberg gasworks with modern, energy-efficient buildings certified as "green buildings" and putting them to a new use at the interface between ecological-technological research and economic implementation.
"The future of rail mobility will be developed in Berlin in the future. I am excited about Deutsche Bahn's decision to locate its digitalization division in the capital. Berlin offers the best conditions for this with its cutting-edge research, international talent and startup landscape," says Ramona Pop, Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Operations. "The 'Digital Rail' finds an excellent location at an outstanding site, the Gasometer, and at the high-profile future location EUREF."

New landmark for Tempelhof-Schöneberg
The architectural plan to place the round new building centrally in the steel framework of the gasometer is also innovative, in order to recall the telescopic tank that once went up and down here. The predominantly glass facade will ensure a high degree of transparency of the building. In addition, a skylounge with a publicly accessible terrace will be created on the top floor, including a view over Berlin from a height of around 66 meters. The restoration of the surrounding steel structure to its historical appearance is being carried out in close consultation with the responsible historic preservation authorities and under scientific supervision. 

"I am delighted that the landmark character of the Gasometer will not only be preserved for our district, but literally filled with new life," says Angelika Schöttler, district mayor of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. "This shows how a wise approach to architectural monuments can also advance the city economically."
Jörn OItmann, Deputy District Mayor and District City Councilor, added: "By continuing to use the Gasometer as a commercial space, no new area in our district needs to be sealed and no trees need to be felled. The jobs will also be created on an existing commercial site - in a city where commercial space is notoriously scarce."

The EUREF Campus: Leading location for energy transition
The EUREF Campus Berlin is the leading location for the energy transition in Germany. More than 150 companies, start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises from business, science and research are located on the 5.5-hectare site and work with their approximately 5,000 employees on the topics of the future such as energy management, mobility and climate protection. The latest technologies are developed here and their use researched. As an international showcase for the energy and mobility transition, the EUREF Campus has already been meeting the German government's CO2 climate targets for the year 2045 since 2014. At the same time, the EUREF Campus is a reference site for the Smart City strategy of the State of Berlin.


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