Construction Minister Hubertz: Empty office space should save living space!

Construction Minister Hubertz: Empty office space should save living space!

The housing shortage in Germany is on everyone's lips, and now there needs to be a rethink: Building Minister Verena Hubertz (SPD) sees the use of vacant commercial space as a decisive step towards solving this problem. In a recent podcast, she announced that the government's upcoming draft budget will allocate money for the Business to Housing program to advance this approach. She particularly keeps an eye on the many empty offices that have arisen as a result of working from home and changing shopping habits. Free spaces should not only be used for apartments, but also as innovative solutions for creating living space, such as on supermarket roofs, as Welt reports.

A look at Berlin shows that the problems are not just abstract: GSG, a leading provider of commercial space, is struggling with considerable vacancies, especially in Kreuzberg, where over 20% of the space is unused. GSG is now planning to convert some of this office space into micro-apartments that will be rented out as temporary furnished living. Managing director Sebastian Blecke confirms that discussions are underway about converting 5,000 square meters. Although the micro-apartments are more expensive than regular rental apartments, they could be an attractive option for temporary accommodation and show how flexibly the housing market can react, as rbb24 highlights.

Challenges in rezoning

However, a lot of patience is required when converting office space into apartments. The layout of former offices is usually not suitable for living space, and bureaucratic hurdles such as fire protection and accessibility must be overcome. There are also legal complications, especially when it comes to commercial use in shopping areas. In many municipalities, living space and business are still strictly separated, which makes more flexible handling difficult, experts criticize. Steps towards a more uniform approach are urgently needed so that the many empty offices can finally become living space, as Tagesschau states.

Hubertz is therefore appealing, especially to supermarket chains such as Lidl and Aldi, to use their roofs more for residential projects. These ideas, coupled with the vision of a “construction turbo,” could help significantly reduce construction costs. A target of up to 5,000 euros per square meter should be reduced to 2,500 euros in order to create affordable living space. The “rent cap” is an important instrument that she would like to extend and implement more consistently. A new group of experts will also look at the regulations for furnished living and examine how more flexibility can be created here.

Overall, there is a clear trend: the conversion of commercial space into residential space must be accelerated in order to counteract the housing shortage in many cities. The discussions and concepts are promising, but the challenges do not go unmentioned. Only by working together, including on the part of municipalities and companies, will it be possible to create living space in the future that not only meets needs, but also contributes to cities worth living in.