Starting signal for ecoPARK Gelsenkirchen: ecoPARKS GmbH is building a particularly sustainable business and multi-user business park on part of the former Schalke club site. The symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for the three new hall buildings including offices with a gross floor area of around 12,000 square meters has now been celebrated on Europastrasse.
"We were happy to take on the challenge of this property because we are absolutely convinced of this location," said Wilm Schwarzpaul. The managing partner of ecoPARKS GmbH thanked the city of Gelsenkirchen for the good cooperation with all the authorities involved and added: "We are delighted to be able to provide sustainable and versatile production, storage and craft space for tradespeople in Gelsenkirchen at this location in the future."
The city of Gelsenkirchen had previously spent over ten years trying to find a successor use for the site, which had been used for industrial purposes in the past. "Now a forward-looking business park is being created here as a further step on Gelsenkirchen's way to becoming a green industrial city. The ecopark Gelsenkirchen is part of the initiatives and projects in the city to do without fossil fuels and replace them with innovative solutions. In this way, we are securing and creating industrial jobs and meeting the requirements of climate change in equal measure," said Gelsenkirchen's Lord Mayor Karin Welge. As further examples, the mayor mentioned the Gelsenkirchen climate port and the Hydrogen Industrial Research and Training Center. This will be built at the Uniper power plant site in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven and will focus on testing hydrogen technologies on an industrial scale. "I am delighted that a former problem area is now being transformed into a sustainable business park with great potential and would like to thank everyone involved for their constructive cooperation," said the Mayor.
Now that the demolition of the dilapidated existing buildings on the site and their foundations has largely been completed, the ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of the civil engineering and earthworks, which will then be followed by the shell construction. The business and industrial park could be completed as early as mid-2024. Talks are already being held with prospective tenants.
Because ecoPARKS GmbH, a sister company of Landmarken AG, specializes in sustainable commercial and logistics properties, ecoPARK Gelsenkirchen will be able to operate entirely without fossil fuels. To this end, a photovoltaic system will be installed on the entire roof, producing electricity for the park's own use and for feeding into the local grid. The use of heat pumps is planned for heating and cooling. The roof structures of the new buildings will be constructed using timber. The building will be designed according to the KfW 40 standard. Façades and roofs will be constructed using recycled building materials and then greened, which will help to improve the microclimate and reduce particulate matter.
"Our development connects the city center to the west with the Schalker Verein business and industrial park. That's why we are focusing on high quality in the architectural design, which will also be reflected in the common areas for employees," says Jörg Kunz, also Managing Partner of ecoPARKS GmbH. Located on Europastrasse, ecoPARK Gelsenkirchen marks the start of the new industrial, commercial and logistics park from the west. The 27,400 square meter site is the former site of a metal processing factory with an adjacent area that was acquired last year.
