Berlin, Germany, June XX, 2025. The Havelufer quarter in Berlin’s Spandau district is nearing completion: all 16 new buildings with a total of 1,300 apartments are ready for occupation. The integrated project delivery (IPD) method played a decisive role in the timely completion of the project within budget. The innovative procedure focuses on the collaboration between all project members in a spirit of partnership. IPD is primarily characterized by multi-party contracts that are concluded instead of traditional bilateral contracts. The multi-party type of contract needs a minimum of three parties. Special feature of the Havelufer quartier project: four multi-party contracts were concluded for the new buildings, taking account of the project complexity. The development represents the first multi-IPD project in Germany. Drees & Sommer SE specializes in advice on construction, real estate and infrastructure issues. The company’s expert teams comprehensively assisted the clients, PATRIZIA and KAURI CAB Development, and provided project management and consulting services in all phases and areas of performance. Other IPD contract partners included Berlin-based JWA Jan Wiese Architekten GmbH and Zech Bau SE with headquarters in Bremen.
Felix Speetzen, Head of Fund Management Value Add Living at PATRIZIA, comments: “The Havelufer quarter has been an ambitious project. The project’s size and the high ecological and social standards, as well as the diversified offer of housing solutions, required extensive expertise and coordination work during the planning phase and the successful execution of the project. There is a purposeful mix of housing types, including solutions for singles and families, senior-friendly apartments, co-living flats and state-subsidized social housing. Our target is a harmonious community.”
A total space of 130,000 square meters, 19 new and existing buildings, and a large number of project participants: the Havelufer quarter on the historic Hertlein site in Hakenfelde is one of the largest construction projects in Germany.
Despite factors such as the scale of the project, the start of construction in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, development, planning and construction of the new buildings took only four years. Integrated project delivery (IPD) – an innovative handling method for complex construction projects – played a crucial role.
Success Despite Difficult Circumstances
“We have broken new ground with IPD. It was the first construction project of this size, with multi-party contracts, to be successfully completed in Germany. We finished the project on budget and on schedule. So our decision was right. Without IPD, we could not have secured, at an early stage, the contracts, capacities and raw materials that we needed. These factors cannot be taken for granted in the current economic situation, and in these times of scarcity of raw materials and skills shortages,“ says Luca Bauernfeind, Managing Partner at KAURI CAB Development Berlin GmbH.
The basis for the project was very challenging: a former industrial site, which is also a landmarked area, was to be converted. This involved a high level of complexity and entailed additional risks. “Difficult circumstances in particular show how important it is to find pragmatic solutions based on partnership. This was put into practice through IPD right from the start by everyone involved, and was crucial to the success of the project,“ says Moritz Schöbel, who is responsible for the project at Drees & Sommer.
With its origins in the Anglo-American sphere, the integrated project delivery model is becoming more widespread in Germany in recent years. According to the annul IPD report of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology’s Institute of Technology and Management in Construction, 25 IPD projects had been completed or were in progress in Germany in 2024. Now there is another one: the Havelufer quarter.
Clear Advantages over Classic Project Management
Drees & Sommer’s IPD expert Dr. Selim-Tugra Demir adds: “Unlike conventional delivery models, in which complex projects, such as this one, quickly reach their limits, integrated project delivery creates a fair framework of conditions right from the start. All parties share the risks, and they meet cost and deadline agreements more closely. As a successfully completed IPD project, the Havelufer quarter makes these benefits more tangible and helps to further establish the integrated project delivery method in Germany.“ In addition to shared risk management, further value is added by collaborative working methods, such as lean management, and a bonus/penalty system that creates a structure of financial incentives.
The fact that not only the planning but also the construction work benefits from these advantages is also confirmed by Jörg Richter, Technical Director and Head of Subsidiary of ZECH Bau SE: “It was very useful to participate in the planning process right from the beginning. This allowed us to define, together with all partners, the planning steps in a transparent and efficient manner, and to effectively prepare the construction work. The result: during the entire planning and construction period, there was not a single obstruction notice or report of any delay.“
Innovative Quarter with a Green Soul
Work will continue on two other existing landmarked buildings until the end of 2025, as well as on the underground infrastructure and outdoor areas. The former officers' mess, which is also a landmarked building, has already been modernized and now accommodates a child care center, food and beverage outlets and co-working spaces.
The Havelufer quarter will offer a total of 1,700 apartments once it is completed – from one-room to five-room flats through townhouses and senior-friendly housing solutions to co-living apartments.
Besides the feeling of community, the focus is on sustainability and innovation: the Havelufer quarter is set to meet the Gold standard of the German Sustainable Construction Council (DGNB). A large part of its electricity requirements are covered locally via photovoltaic systems on the roofs. A dedicated neighborhood app is available to all neighbors. This smart tool also serves as a digital neighborhood forum. A total of around 4,000 people will live in the Havelufer quarter after completion.
Watch the video for more details on this exciting project: [link to the video]