Interview with building contractor Christoph Gröner: Does he soon build in Berlin?

Interview with building contractor Christoph Gröner: Does he soon build in Berlin?

Christoph Gröner, prominently known as the client in Germany, has his business seat in Berlin, but has not been building in the capital for two years. Although he described himself as a convinced Social Democrat, he supported the Berlin CDU financially in 2020, which could surprise in view of his political point of view.

The enormous costs of building, especially with regard to the rapidly rising property prices, are a central obstacle to the creation of affordable living space. Gröner made it clear that the total costs for living space in cities such as Munich or Hamburg are considerably higher than a few years ago. Regarding Berlin, he emphasized that the purchasing power of the residents cannot keep up with the increasing rental prices, which is increasingly untried in the capital.

Despite previous construction projects such as the Lichtenberger Lofts or an apartment building in Charlottenburg, Gröner has greatly reduced his construction activities in Berlin in the past two years. This results from the exploding property prices that make it increasingly difficult to implement profitable construction projects in the city.

A central problem in the discussion about affordable living space is the ideologization of the topic by politicians from all parties. Gröner emphasizes the need to put ideological disputes aside and to develop a master plan for faster housing construction. He warns that in view of the ongoing lack of housing, politics runs the risk that citizens out of desperation will tend to support extremist positions.