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Cost explosion and delays: Tegel campus for Berlin university in danger!
Report on the delayed move of the Berlin University of Technology to Tegel, cost explosion and political reactions.
Cost explosion and delays: Tegel campus for Berlin university in danger!
The move of the Berlin University of Technology (BHT) to the newly designed site at the former Tegel Airport has been significantly delayed. This reports rbb24, according to which the renovation work on the former Terminal A should now last until 2035. A completion date of 2030 was originally planned.
Cost estimates for the project have increased dramatically due to these delays. Instead of the initial 450 million euros, the total costs could rise to up to 833 million euros. However, a spokesman for the Senate Administration described these new figures as a “worst case scenario”. Building Senator Christian Gaebler (SPD) did not inform both Science Senator Ina Czyborra (SPD) and the university in advance about these changes. Both sides were informed of the new forecasts through a query from the Tagesspiegel.
Financial bottlenecks and expansion plans
The delays are partly due to tight budget resources in the Senate Department for Urban Development. This has postponed the renovation of the historic Terminal A and the conversion into a university campus. Loud Berlin newspaper Only limited funds are planned in the budget for the years 2027 to 2029: 15 million euros for 2027, around 20 million euros for 2028 and almost 40 million euros for 2029. The majority of the financing will only be made available from 2030.
The BHT move was originally planned for 2027. But physical renovation is being held back primarily by dismantling work and the removal of pollutants, which should be completed by early 2026. The actual renovation process or further renovations only begin gradually afterwards. BHT Vice President Hans Gerber has expressed his displeasure at the lack of strategic reliability and emphasizes the need for faster completion.
Long-term perspective for the Tegel campus
Despite the challenges, Gerber remains optimistic about the Tegel campus's potential for Berlin. Plans for the project have existed since 2008, but have been repeatedly delayed by the late opening of BER, the use of the terminal as an arrival center for refugees and ongoing financial constraints.
In a broader context, it can be seen that Berlin has handed over state-owned properties with a total area of around 1.4 million square meters to the state universities for their own management. Maintenance and management issues are therefore the responsibility of the universities. The demand for teaching and research space is constantly changing, which requires additional construction projects to cover the need for renovation and energy optimization, such as Berlin.de reported.
The Sustainable Building Rating System (BNB) and existing agreements to reduce CO₂ emissions are further factors that influence Berlin's construction policy. The federal government also participates in nationally important construction projects, which can further promote the financial opportunities for universities.