When 220 homes are built
Published in the Rhein-Neckar Zeitung by Christina Schäfer
Weinheim. 400 homes are currently under construction on the former GRN complex on Viernheimer Straße. The site is shared by two investors, one of which is UNMÜSSIG Bauträgergesellschaft Baden GmbH from Freiburg. On three building sites, the company is constructing total living space of 22,400 m², divided between terraced houses and nine apartment blocks, all of which will have four storeys plus a penthouse floor.
“It just goes to show what we can achieve when municipal authorities and the business community pull together,” said Mayor Manuel Just, praising the “outstanding urban development project” during a spring festival at the site on Saturday. The Rhine-Neckar district made the development possible after relocating its care facility to the site next to the GRN hospital.
70 percent of the terraced houses sold
Weinheim town council had defined the regulatory framework and subsequently sat on the jury for the specially organised investor selection process. According to Just, the UNMÜSSIG Group impressed the jury with an urban development concept that included sustainable redensification. “They emerged victorious against 17 competitors,” said the Mayor of Weinheim, pointing to the vigorous interest in the site.
UNMÜSSIG is planning 220 residential units in total, 34 of them as terraced houses. The units in the four-storey apartment buildings (plus penthouse floor) are planned as a mix of owner-occupied and rental units, 48 of which will be price-controlled or social housing. This arrangement reflects the company’s social responsibility, said company director Hans-Peter Unmüßig. Most of the apartments will be one- and two-bedroom units, explained project manager Christian Wurth to the RNZ. All apartments have loggias or roof terraces; all parking, including for the terraced houses, is in underground car parks. More than 50 additional parking spaces are located above ground in public areas and intended for visitors. Energy will be supplied via a district heating network, as Malte Glück from Wärmekontor Freiburg, a subsidiary of UNMÜSSIG, explained.
The shells of the terraced houses are all complete as part of the first phase of construction. 70 percent are already sold. Unmüßig was in no doubt that owners will be found for the remaining houses very soon. “It is a very nice place to live,” he said confidently. He went on to describe the architect-designed building in which the company is also offering highly individualised homes that are a cut above the standard off-the-peg models. “We are doing justice to the location,” said Unmüßig about Weinheim, a town of which he is evidently fond. Just what Mayor Just wanted to hear. “You have arrived in the most beautiful town in Baden-Württemberg,” he joked to the guests from Freiburg. But his welcome address also included some serious words. UNMÜSSIG is tackling the project in difficult times, said Mayor Just, pointing to the significant rise in the cost of construction. It was no surprise that he was full of praise for the company. “They have been reliable partners from day one. We always knew that they are a company that keeps its word.”
The collaboration is set to continue for a long time. The company is only now starting the second phase of construction, which will involve building the apartment blocks. The final housing units are scheduled for completion in summer 2026.
