The former Berlin-Tegel Airport is making room for Berlin. On its 500-hectar grounds, Berlin TXL – the Urban Tech Republic, a research and industrial park for urban technologies and Schumacher Quartier, a new residential district will be developed; as well as a 200-hectare landscape zone which will be developed by Grün Berlin.

In the Urban Tech Republic as many as 1,000 large and small businesses with 20,000 employees will work in research, development, and production. And more than 2,500 students will move into the former terminal building along with the prestigious Berliner Hochschule für Technik University. In total around 5,000 students will populate the Berlin TXL campus. Berlin TXL will focus on what keeps the 21st century’s growing major cities alive: the efficient use of energy, sustainable construction, eco-friendly mobility, recycling, networked control of systems, clean water, and application of new materials. Berlin TXL – The Urban Tech Republic is a unique initiative in Europe at the present time, if not in the whole world.

These new blueprints for future city living will become available in the neighboring areas from now on: In Schumacher Quartier there will be upwards of 5,000 homes for more than 10,000 people in a vibrant urban district with daycare centers, schools and shopping facilities. Here forward-thinking solutions are explored for providing climate-neutral energy and high standards of energy as well as new models for mobility. Technologies will be researched and developed right next door – in the Urban Tech Republic. A further 4,000 homes are planned for the neighboring districts of Cité Pasteur and TXL Nord.

The State of Berlin has commissioned Tegel Projekt GmbH with the development and management of Berlin TXL – the Urban Tech Republic, and of Schumacher Quartier. The state-owned business employs 76 people. Their tasks include planning for the construction of buildings and for the technical, transport and energy infrastructure, construction and site management, as well as space marketing and communicating with the general public about the project.

The grounds were handed over to Tegel Projekt GmbH in August 2021. When the preparatory actions are complete, excavation and restructuring work will be able to begin in 2022. The finalization of the first construction phase In the Urban Tech Republic and in the Schumacher Quartier is planned for 2027 as is also the case with the completion of a major portion of the building refurbishments.