Townscape: topping-out ceremony for MiKa-Quartier

MiKa-Quartier GmbH & Co. KG celebrates a topping-out ceremony for the first 179 residential units
Residential construction as an important contribution to Dresden as a successful business location: ‘Living space for skilled workers is urgently needed’
The investor is confident that building rights for a further 550 apartments will be granted before summer 2019
The planning application for the second construction phase is scheduled for January 2019

Dresden/Berlin, 29 November 2018. A new city district is growing in Dresden. Today the project company MiKa-Quartier GmbH & Co. KG celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the first construction phase of the MiKa-Quartier south of the Elbepark shopping centre. The first 179 apartments and two commercial units will be available to residents in August 2019. Leasing activities will enter the critical phase in February 2019.

The project company, a partnership between Sassenscheidt GmbH & Co. KG and the Townscape Group, is investing more than 200 million euros in one of the largest housing projects in the state of Saxony. ‘The plan is to complete a good 900 apartments on the three lots by 2023’, reports Erik Sassenscheidt, managing director of the MiKa-Quartier. ‘Together with the city, we are making excellent progress: the second construction phase will follow from summer 2019 and the plans for the two neighbouring plots are increasingly taking shape too.’

Supporting housing developments also supports business development

‘Dresden is growing, and Mickten in particular is becoming an increasingly popular residential district’, states Dresden’s Senior Planning Officer, Raoul Schmidt-Lamontain, emphasising the positive development taking place in the north-west of the city. ‘With investors who feel a close bond with the city of Dresden just like that of the MiKa project developers, we can successfully advance our city so that it is fit for the future. The MiKa-Quartier marks the start of the transformation of a long-standing “greenfield site” into an attractive place to live and enjoy life.’

The apartments being created also play an important role for Dresden as a business location, reports Frank Bösenberg, Managing Director of Silicon Saxony: ‘Dresden is delighted to welcome large companies locating to the city such as Bosch. It’s important to remember that new major employers need skilled workers. Whether these experts come to Dresden not only depends on an interesting job offer but also where and how they can live with their families. As a result, attractive living space is an essential location factor that should be just as important to a thriving business location like Dresden as an intelligent settlement and growth strategy. As the high-tech network for Saxony, we therefore welcome a strong commitment to new construction projects like the MiKa-Quartier.’

Subsidised housing and a new childcare centre for Mickten: the basic points for the development plan for neighbouring lots have been confirmed

For the two neighbouring lots, a new development plan (3013B) has been coordinated with the municipal authorities and is currently under public review. ‘We are confident that and expect that the development plan will be officially adopted before the summer break in 2019. Thanks to the cooperative and constructive support provided by the City Planning Office, we are already making excellent progress’, states Erik Sassenscheidt.

One aspect of the plans specifies that 10 per cent of the total floor area of approximately 57,000 square metres should be used for subsidised apartments and the construction of a new municipal childcare centre for 100 children on the corner of Sörnewitzer Straße/Pieschener Straße. These objectives are the result of intensive negotiations between the investor and the multi-party City Council (comprised of members of the Social Democratic Party, Left Party, Greens and Pirate Party) during the creation of the development plan. ‘Private building owners play an important role in facilitating the successful construction of subsidised housing in Dresden’, explains city councillor Dr Martin Schulte-Wissenmann (Pirate Party). ‘In this project, we have been in intense dialogue with the project managers right from the start and have contributed our ideas for urban development. We are pleased that we were able to work together to conclude our negotiations with such a successful result for the people of Dresden.’

The next step: 180 more apartments in the second construction phase

Building rights (development plan 3013A) have already been granted for the second construction phase of the MiKa-Quartier. The urban development design for this phase is the result of a two-stage workshop procedure in which representatives from Dresden City Council and the municipal authorities were involved. Three renowned architecture firms were ultimately able to impress the developer: RKW Architektur +, which was also responsible for the first construction phase, msm meyer schmitz-morkramer and Stefan Forster Architekten are now implementing their ideas. ‘Work on the second construction phase will start in summer 2019. It will involve the creation of another 180 compact residential units that will later be offered for lease’, reports Philipp Grabianowski, managing partner of the Townscape Group. The new building will harmoniously fit in with the buildings that have already been completed. The planned mix of apartments mainly includes three-room or four-room apartments with an average size of 75 or 95 square metres. Approximately 20 per cent of the apartments are designed to be two-room apartments with an area of approximately 50 square metres. ‘Our projects always focus on sustainability and family friendliness’, explains Philipp Grabianowski. This is not only reflected in the buildings and the inclusion of balconies and underground parking spaces but also clearly demonstrated in the first construction phase, in which a great deal of care went into the exterior design of the inner courtyards and public square.