Außenansicht der ehemaligen Bötzow-Brauerei Berlin nach Sanierung, rot-gelbliche Backsteinfassade

HousesLife and growth at Bötzow

The Bötzow site

Located centrally in a residential district – just a few hundred metres from Alexanderplatz Square – the Bötzow site is surrounded by townhouses which exhibit the typical historicist architecture of the Gründerzeit era. Numerous amenities are within easy walking distance of the site. On Senefelder Square, which is just 300 m away, you will find not only a large LPG organic supermarket, but also a tube station for one of Berlin’s most important lines, the U2. If you’re travelling further afield, the station at Alexanderplatz offers connections to the airport and the main railway station. Friedrichshain Park is close by for those who fancy a morning run, while nearby Museum Island is an ideal destination for those who enjoy walking.

Buildings 1–5 are fully tenanted, buildings 6–7 are finished and rented and the new buildings are currently in the planning phase. New and existing buildings © David Chipperfield Architects

In order to turn Bötzow Brewery into a public space in future, the site is being opened up to the surrounding neighbourhood at various points around the perimeter. The postal addresses for the various tenants are derived from these new entrances. Development © David Chipperfield Architects.

In January 2018, Ottobock Human Mobility moved into building 3. This building, in which the historic workshop character has been preserved, is now home to the product developers on Ottobock’s Human Mobility team. Here, in the open-plan workshop on the ground floor of the building, they design and develop the next generation of customised smart wheelchairs. The project managers are based upstairs on the first floor – as close as possible to the development process. A special feature of this building is the long corridor on the lower of the two basement floors. This is used as a test track for new models.

Halle der Ottobock Human Mobility, Arbeitsplätze, Rollstühle — © Copyright vitra – Fotograf Eduardo Perez

Weiße Skulptur mit Beinprothese auf einer Bank vor bläulichem Hintergrund mit Leuchtschrift "Ottobock" — © Christoph Neumann

Ottobock, a medtech company which operates on a global scale, moved in to buildings 1–4 in August 2018, thus expanding its presence in Berlin. The family-owned company aims to break new ground in highly topical and relevant areas such as digitising orthopaedic technology. To this end, it also aims to grow its team and recruit more talented and creative professionals. Offering plenty of space for creative ideas, the listed buildings of the former Bötzow Brewery currently house Ottobock’s Digital Marketing team, the Corporate Communications department and the researchers and developers from the Ottobock Future Lab. Their common neighbour is startup Matterway in building 4, in which the historic office architecture has been carefully preserved. Here, the young software company develops intelligent software applications which enhance the productivity of everyday business processes.

The individual listed buildings are grouped together around an inner courtyard which was landscaped by Belgian garden designer Peter Wirtz. The courtyard is designed not only as a place where employees and visitors to the site can relax and enjoy some fresh air, but also as a protected environment where patients can take their first steps again. The garden was landscaped for therapy purposes, with various surfaces and terrains including grass, gravel and paved areas. It also includes small inclines so that patients can practise walking up and down slopes.

Patientengarten auf dem Gelände Bötzow Berlin — © Bernd Blumrich

Außenansicht Gebäude Sartorius auf dem Bötzow-Areal — © mintdesign – Fotograf Yves Sucksdorff

Sartorius, a company which is active in the life science sector, is the new anchor tenant for Bötzow Berlin GmbH & Co. KG and its owner, Ottobock’s CEO Professor Hans Georg Näder. Sartorius is listed on the MDax and TecDax stock indexes and is now a tenant in one of the seven historic buildings on the Bötzow site. The company will develop technology and engage in business development activities here for innovative life science and biopharmaceutical applications. The Sartorius startup LabTwin already moved into office space in the Bötzow site in summer 2018.