The hotel developer MQ Real Estate will construct the world's first modular hotel on top of a shopping centre in Berlin. For this, a new story containing a hotel will be added to Ring-Center 2 shopping centre in Berlin. Two-thirds of the ECE-managed shopping centre is owned by a closed real estate fund of Deutsche Asset Management.
By pursuing its SKYPARK hotel concept, the developers embrace the trend of urban densification and a future-oriented urban development. With this project, a currently unused parking level will be revitalized by the cooperative effort of the project partners. The entire hotel is planned to be constructed with wooden modular units, which were prefabricated in a factory in Germany, and to meet sustainable, energy-efficient German KfW 55 standards. The hotel will be operated by NOVUM Hospitality and become a hotel of its new niu brand.
The preparations for the 151 hotel room modules, which will be constructed in a row and form a complete hotel, have already started. This one-story hotel will be constructed on the 8,000 m² parking level within only a few weeks’ time. In order to lift the prefabricated rooms onto the parking deck, the project requires the service of one of the largest revolving tower cranes available in Germany. It will be built directly onto the building and promises a spectacular construction period.
“We are the first team in the world that consistently specializes in the modular extension of existing buildings, mainly on parking garages. Therefore, we are now entering unchartered territory in many respects. We are very proud to be able to team up with such strong partners and break new ground with them,” said Dr. Nikolai Jäger, founder of MQ Real Estate.
ECE not only provides the appropriate infrastructure for this innovative hotel concept. As a specialist for multi-use properties, the company was immediately inspired by the concept: “Being a centre operator, we are always on the search for innovative offers and services for our visitors. We often integrated apartments, offices, or hotels into newly-built properties. The concept of constructing hotels on top of buildings immediately inspired us,” explains Joanna Fisher, Managing Director Center Management at ECE. “This is a great example for densification in a sought-after location in a metropolitan city. In addition, the hotel guests will bring additional footfall for the centre.”
Deutsche Asset Management is happy to support this project. “This trend-setting concept will make the shopping centre even more attractive. It is important to give new ideas room to breathe,” said Ulrich Steinmetz, Managing Director of Deutsche Asset Management, who is, among others, responsible for closed real estate funds.
The turnkey hotel on the parking deck of Ring-Center 2 in Berlin is slated for opening in autumn 2018 and will bear the name of the millennial brand niu. The urban densification concept using the modular construction method immediately inspired David Etmenan. “The SKYPARK hotel concept perfectly matches our niu requirements: sustainable, innovative, and urban. Moreover, parking garages are ideal for the project. They are located close to the hotspots of a city and they suit our business strategy,” explains David Etmenan, Chief Executive Officer and owner of NOVUM Hospitality.
