Press Room

On March 21, 2022, at the first meeting of the Supervisory Board of Tempelhof Projekt GmbH after the elections to the House of Representatives, the company's eight-member Supervisory Board elected Senate Building Director and State Secretary Petra Kahlfeldt as the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Tempelhof Projekt GmbH. Torsten Puhst, Head of Department at the Senate Department of Finance, remains Deputy Chairman.

The new Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board expressed her gratitude for the trust placed in her and described the direction of the Supervisory Board and her intentions for the coming months and years:

"I am looking forward to my new task. There is a lot to do to bring the launched project of the development of the huge Tempelhof airport to the necessary flight altitude with a lot of energy and perseverance. Securing the issues of planning and construction financially is just as important as the further strategic orientation for uses in the arts, culture and creative industries."

Senate Building Director Kahlfeldt is considered an experienced architect with proven expertise in historic building design and preservation. Her years of membership in the City of Berlin's State Monuments Council have also been instrumental for the understanding and successful conversion of the demanding and challenging property of the Tempelhof airport.

Jutta Heim-Wenzler, Managing Director of Tempelhof Projekt GmbH, is looking forward to the cooperation and is certain:

"With Prof. Kahlfeldt, the THF site gains a Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board who, with her deep professional and practical knowledge of the issues, will represent the development of this important major project in the political arena. The company is looking forward to a partner who understands the specifics of the renovation and revitalization of one of the world's largest protected monuments and thus also stands behind the necessary equipment of the company for the growing tasks."

The Supervisory Board acknowledged the constructive cooperation with the predecessor in office, Sebastian Scheel, and thanked the members of the Supervisory Board, especially those who resigned from office with the new formation of the government. For the Board and the development company, they were reliable and committed partners in Berlin's state politics.

Members of the Supervisory Board:

• Torsten Puhst, Senate Department of Finance, remains Deputy Chairman,
• Dr. Torsten Wöhlert, State Secretary of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe,
• Heidrun Rhode-Mühlenhoff, Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Operations,
• Dr. Severin Fischer, Head of the Senate Chamber
• Dr. Uwe Lissau, former President of the District Court of Bremerhaven and Vice President of the State Court of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
• Adrienne Goehler, Senator (ret.), Publicist and Curator
• Jörn Oltmann, Mayor of the Tempelhof-Schöneberg District

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The airport will make a substantial contribution on the way to a climate-neutral metropolis Berlin 2050. The building is to become climate neutral! This will first require a complete renewal of the central technical systems in the building. For this scope, Tempelhof Projekt GmbH is developing the Technical Infrastructure 2030 (TI 2030) project.

Jutta Heim-Wenzler, Managing Director of Tempelhof Projekt GmbH

"Climate change presents us with enormous challenges and forces us to act quickly. At the Tempelhof airport, we are making a significant contribution to achieving Berlin's climate targets. To this end, the Technical Infrastructure 2030 project aims to save around 12,000 t of CO₂ per year in the future, which will reduce the monument's energy consumption by 44%. This will be enabled by the renewal of the inefficient technical infrastructure, some of which is 80 years old. The tender marks the start of specialist planning for the future innovative, energy-efficient, smart and monument-compatible infrastructure consisting of centralized and decentralized systems. This is the mandatory basic prerequisite for the climate neutrality of all future uses in the Tempelhof airport monument."

The TI 2030 project was developed from the holistic technical supply and disposal concept (VEK) created in 2019. It includes all media, i.e. water, wastewater, heat, indoor air, power supply and telecommunications technology. The tender for the specialized planning specifies the various technical measures and ensures their interaction. The plant installations are scheduled to be completed by 2028. The focus of the planning is on energy supply by utilizing the potential from wastewater, air and waste heat and the conversion of solar energy and its efficient use.

Photovoltaic systems on the roofs can cover a large part of the electricity demand with about 4,100 MWh annually after approval by the monument authorities. Two heating and cooling networks will be created to meet the needs of different parts of the building. Heat is generated 76% by heat recovery from wastewater and air-water heat transfer. Bio-gas and green electricity are used with the integration of further low-temperature generators and new storage technologies. This opens up opportunities for a major e-mobility site in the city.

THF thus actively contributes to the European Green Deal - i.e. the "green transformation" of the economy, climate protection and the transition to a modern, resource-efficient and circular economy. Tempelhof Projekt GmbH is committed to strengthening the ecological economy, and the resilience of the site and the city. After all, THF is today, as it will be in the future, a significant emergency fallback site for energy supply, especially for downtown Berlin.

The project combines historic preservation, innovation and technology on a unique scale - TI 2030 is a model infrastructure project for Berlin.

The costs for the planning and implementation of the Technical Infrastructure 2030 project amount to around € 94 million gross, just under € 8,000 per ton of CO₂ equivalent saved for each coming year. After full implementation of the "Technical Infrastructure 2030" project, the Tempelhof airport will thus achieve the climate protection target of the state of Berlin in 2050, an unbeatable argument for this investment.

Future development of the Tempelhof airport.

In Summer 2020, the Berlin Senate adopted the strategic development goal for the Tempelhof airport. The adopted concept provides the framework for the future use of the building, which is to become Berlin's central location for art, culture, office and creative uses in the coming years. In addition to mixed office space, which is also to be suitable for creative uses, there will also be temporary events as well as permanent cultural uses. There are plans to open the ground floor of the airport building to the public.

The feasibility study for the heat grid system is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the "Heat Grid Systems 4.0 Model Project".

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