Berlin turning its old airport into bustling e-city

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Berlin authorities have launched the Berlin TXL project to repurpose and transform the closed Tegel Airport. As part of the project is worth EUR 8 billion, Berlin plans to transform the airport into a residential area with roughly 5,000 homes, a business hub for up to 1,000 businesses and a university campus for approximately 5,000 students.

The airport in the northwest part of the city headed by Governing Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey was decommissioned in May last year and is to be repurposed by the end of 2030s.

Berlin authorities will cooperate with private companies and investors to implement the project on publicly-owned land, stressing that it is designed to produce and consume its own power. Power utility E.ON will develop new cooling and heating systems for the project, largely focused on solar and geothermal energy.

Designers planned a car-free residential area with plants on rooftops and other features aimed at attracting local species including swifts and kestrels to nest there.

The business zone and campus areas will cover an area roughly four times larger than the residential part, with the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Technology to take over the iconic hexagonal main terminal building.

Other terminals will be repurposed to house showrooms and conferences as well as startup centres and laboratories. Berlin previously repurposed he Tempelhof Airport, one of the first airports in Berlin that closed in October 2008, transforming it into the city’s largest park in 2010.

(Photo credit: Berlin TXL / Instagram)