Siemens tower at the Kaiserlei: demolition or new city quarters?

Siemens tower at the Kaiserlei: demolition or new city quarters?

The future of the Siemens tower on the Offenbacher Kaiserlei faces a crucial turn. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , the Penecken Group, which originally participates in the revitalization was back from the project. This opens up new perspectives for the area, because the Frankfurt ABG Holding is in negotiation on the acquisition of the property from the Adler Group.

In the ongoing sales negotiations, the price for the area has reduced to 60 million euros, which is considered acceptable. However, the first planning draft of the ABG shows significant differences to urban ideas. Offenbach strives for a mix of student living, business as well as funded and free living space. Mayor Felix Schwenke underlines the importance of quality of living and a high quality of stay in a planned residential and commercial area.

urban requirements and setbacks

Originally, 1,500 student apartments were intended for the area. However, these plans were rejected; The ABG is now planning a maximum of one fifth of this number, which is only to be realized in one of four blocks. The urban planning contract regulates that different plans have no building law and that the requirements of the city of Offenbach are difficult to achieve for subsidized housing construction. The urban guidelines require 30% of the new living space to be promoted, which is considered challenging.

A planned new location for an existing hotel and a parking garage on Strahlbergerstrasse are part of the ABG planning. Commercial space is intended to graduate to Goethestrasse, while no residential development is planned on Strahlbergerstrasse. After all, the overall project should offer living space for 2000 people. In addition, the construction of a daycare center remains planned, while the originally intended swimming pool was painted.

uncertain future of the towers

The discussion about the demolition of the Siemens tower picks up speed. The Becken Group had originally intended to convert the towers into a student dormitory. But Jörn Stobbe, Managing Director of Hamburg Becken Holding, has left the company after four years and will turn to other projects in the future. According to media reports, the plans for the student apartments failed due to a lack of funding, which leads to the uncertainty about the future of the towers. The ABG plans to develop a mixed city district with various uses in the background after being demolished by the high -rise skeleton.

Frank Junker from the ABG expects the work that could begin in 2025 or 2026, depending on the outcome of the agreements. He emphasizes that revitalization of the existing towers is not possible because the load -bearing capacity of the concrete construction is insufficient. Demolition and new building seem more economically sensible.

long -term development perspectives

parallel to the developments related to the Siemens Towers, the city of Offenbach am Main, together with Offenbach offensive, is planning a cooperative master plan process. This is to advance urban development over the next 15 years and focus on special areas of action on the fields of action and business. An open and innovative participation process is intended to involve all relevant actors in the design of urban development, in particular also citizens with a migration background who already make up 55% of the Offenbach population, such as the National Urban Development Policy emphasized.

The master plan is developed by a planning office and is intended to offer recommendations for action for the spatial level as well as strategies to optimize organizational and cooperation structures. The city of Offenbach endeavors to create an attractive environment for residential and economic offers and to support the growth goals of the municipal protective shield of the State of Hesse.