Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN)– At the former “Tegel” airport on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany, workers continue to discover bombs.
Remnants of the Prussian army, and two world wars still exist at the 495-hectare site, which became home to the city’s main airport during the 1970s before losing popularity and closing in 2020.
When the airport was built, the land was used as runways, and about three meters on both sides were cleared, while other areas were left untouched. Since May 2021, more than 10 tons of explosives and ammunition have been safely removed or detonated from 20 hectares.
And unlike antiquated munitions, Tegel Airport won’t lie dormant for long, and its facilities have already found a new target, as the airport is on track to become one of Europe’s most ambitious smart cities thanks to a $7.9 billion investment.
The project, dubbed ‘Berlin TXL’, is designed as a climate-friendly community filled with sustainable technologies, with a university campus and innovation hubs.
The project’s developer, Tegel Projekt, is collaborating with the public sector, private companies as well as investors in a pedestrian community of nearly 5,000 homes called the Schumacher Quarter, an area of 5,000 students, and up to 1,000 businesses called The Urban Tech Republic. .
Tegel Projekt’s director of design and development, Nicholas Nowotny, told CNN that the project has been in the works since 2012.
“We anticipate different challenges in the 21st century, such as resource shortages, climate change, energy crises, and urbanization,” Nowotny explained.
To meet these requirements, the project sought solutions in the areas of energy, transportation, water, recycling, materials, and communications.
Inside the “Schumacher Quarter”
In this residential area, the houses will be made of local wood, and feature roofs covered with plants.
The venue will also be home to schools, daycare centers, shops, sports spaces, restaurants and bars, making it more than just a simple residential property.
The streets will be devoid of cars, and the project encourages the use of bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters.
urban technology republic
The innovation campus, which will be nearly four times the size of the residential area, and the industrial park, dubbed “Urban Tech Republic”, have even greater ambitions.
Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology will take over the former airport’s iconic Terminal A, Terminal B will become a startup hub, with a conference center and exhibition halls, and Terminal D will become a laboratory hub.
The goal of this site is to provide spaces for the development of students’ ideas once they have finished studying.
A “gem” in Berlin
Dr. Joanna Zunenberg, an urban development consultant and partner at the Center for Large Cities Studies at the Technical University of Berlin, notes that the project was stalled for years while work was being completed on Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, a Tegel alternative.
Although the ideas of “Berlin TXL” are innovative, they “are not as modern as they were when they were developed 10, 8 or 5 years ago because this area (of sustainable development) is very fast”.
The academy sees integrating Berlin TXL into the city as another challenge. “Tegel is not well connected,” the academy said.
Sonnenberg pointed out that the old airport does not have a railway, and that only the “Schumacher Quarter” will have a link with the underground.
Nevertheless, Sonnenberg describes the project as a “jewel” in the crown of Berlin’s infrastructure projects.