Kreuzberg in need: GSG converts empty offices into expensive micro-apartments!
Kreuzberg in need: GSG converts empty offices into expensive micro-apartments!
Kreuzberg, Berlin, Deutschland - in Berlin there is an alarming increase in vacancies in office space. The commercial area provider GSG is particularly confronted with the situation in Kreuzberg, where more than 20 % of the offices are unused. The vacancy rose from 676 square meters in 2022 to 1.6 million square meters in the first quarter of 2025, which is partly due to the trend towards the home office. A solution to combat the housing shortage could be the conversion of these areas.
GSG already has concrete plans for conversion around 5,000 square meters of empty office space in micro-apartments. Managing Director Sebastian Blecke has emphasized that these apartments are not designed for the regular rental market, but should be furnished and should be rented for three to six months, which makes rental prices higher than with conventional apartments. GSG plans a total of 8,000 and 10,000 square meters of “a temporary living”.
political and legal hurdles
The Berlin Tenants' Association expresses concerns about these conversion plans and instead calls for the creation of indefinite, impossible apartments to be socially acceptable. A legal conversion of office space into regular rental apartments is also complicated, especially in pure commercial areas. Blecke therefore calls for a simplification of bureaucratic hurdles to facilitate the creation of living space.
Other developments in Berlin, such as the renovation of a former department store on Karl-Marx-Straße in Neukölln, show that the possibility of converting office and commercial space as a solution for the large housing shortage is regarded. The necessary political will to support such projects is crucial. Citizens' initiatives have already urged the requirements to enable a mix of living space and other uses instead of just creating new office space, as is planned in the large-scale development project "Spree Coast", which almost exclusively provides for new office and commercial properties.
The chances of conversion
A study by Bulwiengesa on behalf of Berlin Hyp emphasizes that up to 150,000 new apartments could be created in peripheral locations by the conversion of vacant office space. This development is particularly important because the lack of living space in the metropolises becomes increasingly noticeable, while demand for office space decreases. Collections could contribute directly to the upgrading of monostructured areas and promote the creation of living quarters.
However, the challenges should not be underestimated: economy, technical and legal aspects as well as long approval processes are often in the way of faster implementation. Nevertheless, the fact that some old office properties in Spandau, Pankow and Schöneberg have already been successfully used to be able to use that it is possible.
In summary, it turns out that the conversion of offices into living space can be a promising but more challenging way in order to counteract the housing shortage in Berlin. However, a clear political engagement and the willingness of the owners are needed to rethink and reprogram in order to enable new forms of living. For more information please visit: rbb24 href = "https:// development city.de/lestehendende-bueroimmobilien-als-lesung-fuer-berlins-Wohnungnungnot/"> Development city and DetailsOrt Kreuzberg, Berlin, Deutschland Quellen
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