Degewo

degewo Aktiengesellschaft
legal form	Corporation
founding	May 9, 1924
Seat	Berlin , Germany
management	Sandra Wehrmann (Management Board) and Christoph Beck (Management Board) Volker Halsch ( Chairman of the Supervisory Board )
Number of employees	1200
sales	approx. 409 million euros
Branch	Housing industry
Website	www.degewo.de
As of December 31, 2012

The Degewo Aktiengesellschaft (proper spelling: degewo ) is a German housing company based in Berlin .

Today's company, which emerged from the DEGEWO German Society for the Promotion of Housing Construction , founded in 1924 , manages over 75,000 apartments and 1,500 commercial units in Berlin. This makes it the largest state-owned housing company and the second largest overall in the capital. For several years she has been committed to the holistic development of urban districts. This includes in particular the maintenance of the buildings, the design of the living environment, the improvement of neighborly contacts and the leisure activities.

Degewo includes the subsidiaries degewo Köpenicker Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH (formerly KÖWOGE), degewo Marzahner Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH (formerly WBG Marzahn), gewobe Wohnungswirtschaftliche Beteiligungs GmbH and degewo netzWerk GmbH.

history

1924-1933

Degewo high-rise Innsbrucker Platz

Five years after the end of the First World War and one year after the inflation , there was a great housing shortage in Berlin in 1924. Hundreds of thousands sought their happiness in the capital and thus an affordable apartment. The city decided to act to resolve the small housing issue. She founded the German Association for the Promotion of Housing (DEGEWO) along with other municipal housing associations with the aim of solving the housing issue socially and creating affordable accommodation for the general public.

In 1925 the first project with 300 residential units began in Britz in what is now Fritz-Erler-Allee. The early construction projects included a further 422 apartments, which were built from 1926 in what is now Aroser Allee in the north of Berlin. Degewo also built new living space in Pankow and Prenzlauer Berg . A good two thirds of the company's apartments built in the Weimar Republic had a district heating connection . A prime example of modern architecture from the 1920s was created on Innsbrucker Platz on behalf of degewo.

1933-1945

Like many other organizations was degewo 1933 into line . The bombing of Berlin by the Allies in the last years of World War II destroyed a large part of degewo's housing stock. The severe damage particularly affected residential complexes in Lankwitz, Steglitz and Tempelhof. The destruction of both the Degewo headquarters in Innsbrucker Strasse in 1943 and the alternative quarter in Kurfürstenstrasse in 1945 had serious economic effects.

36.9 percent of the housing stock was destroyed and a further 11.6 percent could no longer be used. The demolition rate of degewo's existing buildings thus exceeded the overall loss of Berlin's residential development, which was around 35 percent.

1945-1970

Funds from the Marshall Plan contributed to the start of reconstruction in the western sectors of Berlin. Due to the political situation in the Eastern sector, nothing corresponding could be done there. degewo began building the new skyscraper on Innsbrucker Platz in 1950, which was followed by other new building programs. Publicly funded social housing began in 1951. By 1961 degewo had built 8,832 apartments. The largest inner-city development area in the 1950s was the Bavarian Quarter in Berlin-Schöneberg. The first eight to twelve-story high-rises were built in Lankwitz - a novelty for Berlin. Degewo had many new housing estates built in Britz and in the north of Berlin, for example the Schillerhöhe settlement, which was sold to Gesobau in 1966.

After the construction of the Berlin Wall, the planning and realization of the Märkisches Viertel , a new district with almost 50,000 inhabitants, began together with Gesobau . From the perspective of the planners in the 1960s, the prototype of a modern city was created in the north of Berlin. Also shortly after the Wall was built, the construction of Gropiusstadt in Neukölln began in a campaign by several housing companies . With the construction of around 4,500 apartments, degewo made a significant contribution to the realization of the new estate.

In the 1960s degewo began to renovate the area in Wedding . Here 40,000 people lived in 16,000 apartments under outdated conditions. A large part of the former tenements was demolished and replaced by new buildings.

Schlangenbader Strasse (2012)

1970-1989

Many degewo projects were completed or in full swing in the 1970s. Still, it was difficult for young people to find affordable housing in the city center. Building land was particularly scarce there. Any possibility of building without damaging Berlin's “green lung” was fine with the planners, for example by building over highways. The junction between Wilmersdorf and Steglitz offered the opportunity for a project that is unique in the world: the currently listed motorway overhang, Schlangenbader Straße . Over a length of 600 meters, the buildings followed the route linearly. The up to 14-storey, pointed terrace house soon received the nickname Snake by the Berliners. On the one hand this had to do with the fact that the building is located on Schlangenbader Strasse, on the other hand it is also due to the shape of the building.

1989 – today

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, degewo also expanded its commitment to Brandenburg. In 1991 degewo took over GSW's shares in the sales company gewobe. The foundation stone for 1,400 new residential units in Parkstadt Falkensee was laid in autumn 1993. In the following year, degewo received 1,400 apartments in the eastern part of Berlin as part of transfers back.

In 1995 the Köpenicker Wohnungsgesellschaft (Köwoge) became a subsidiary of degewo. The development of the project locations for property measures in Berlin-Hellersdorf , Berlin-Treptow and Berlin-Köpenick began in 1998. In 2002 degewo acquired the Marzahn mbH housing association as a further subsidiary.

The decline in the population in East Berlin, especially in Hellersdorf and Marzahn, led to the decision to demolish apartments or residential buildings as part of the Urban Redevelopment East program from 2002, which was initially very controversial. degewo was referred to in this context as "Platten-Plattmacher". However, the development showed that this path was the right one to make the large Marzahn estate fit for the future. In 2010 the Urban Redevelopment East project was completed. During this period, degewo demolished around 3,500 apartments in Marzahn and converted and upgraded 1,160. A total of 61 million euros have been spent by private and public authorities to develop the housing stock in this district.

In 2003, the company began to be restructured as part of the group with the subsidiaries Köpenicker Wohnungsgesellschaft , Marzahner Wohnungsbaugesellschaft and gewobe . In spring 2008, the merger of the municipal housing companies Köwoge and WBG Marzahn in degewo was successfully completed. The companies appear uniformly on the market under the name degewo. The new logo, an open ring, should symbolize both security and protection, as well as openness to new things.

In 2004, the renovation of the Harz district in Berlin-Charlottenburg with 344 residential units was completed. In December 2007 degewo bought 1,129 apartments around Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg. In March 2009, she expanded her portfolio by 227 apartments in the Berlin-Friedrichsfelde district .

Alexa , Berlin's second largest shopping center, opened on September 12, 2007 . Gewobe took on the development and development of the 4.5  hectare area between Alexander-, Voltaire-, Gruner- and Dircksenstraße. It has also won over the Portuguese investor Sonae Sierra (see also: Belmiro de Azevedo ), a specialist in shopping centers, who, together with the French investor Foncière Euris, invested around 290 million euros in Alexa .

Starting in 2009, the existing buildings in the southern Gropiusstadt were extensively energetically renovated, new playgrounds were built, green spaces were upgraded and modern shopping opportunities were created with the local supply center Wutzky . In total, degewo invested more than 92 million euros in the Neukölln district by 2016. For the 50th birthday of Gropiusstadt in 2012, the only municipal housing company with holdings in this district organized an exhibition. Under the title Heimat Großsiedlung - 50 Years Gropiusstadt , the past, present and future of the quarter were presented. At the same time, a symposium took place at the beginning of November 2012 under the title of the exhibition. Architects, urban developers, politicians and stakeholders discussed the future prospects of large housing estates for two days at the invitation of degewo.

In 2012 and 2013, the press became aware of asbestos in the inventory of many housing associations; among others in the inventory of degewo. At the time of the housing shortage and the resulting development of land, asbestos was long considered a safe and inexpensive refractory building material. The damage to health that asbestos can cause was not yet known at the time. According to degewo, it is mainly buildings in western Berlin that are affected. The buildings and apartments contaminated with asbestos are currently being renovated accordingly.

In 2013, after more than ten years of dormant construction activity, degewo was the first municipal housing company to start a new construction program with the construction of an apartment building. The apartments in Marienfelde (recently called "Mariengrün" by degewo due to investments in the green spaces and upgrading of the quarter) were ready for occupancy in spring 2014 after only 14 months of construction.

As part of an internal restructuring, several degewo subsidiaries were dissolved at the turn of the year 2013/2014 and integrated into new, existing subsidiaries. As a result, degewo AG, as the parent company, only holds a small proportion of apartments, most of which has been outsourced to the regionally active subsidiaries. This made a more customer-oriented way of working possible.

On May 13, 2014 degewo organized a specialist conference under the title “City 2050. A look into the future” in Berlin. The occasion was the company's 90th anniversary on May 9, 2014. The conference dealt with questions about the future of cities. The speakers included political scientist Benjamin R. Barber from the USA , urban researcher Charles Landry from Great Britain and Canadian journalist and author Douglas Saunders .

On October 1, 2014, Kristina Jahn succeeded Frank Bielka on the Board of Management. She left the company in March 2016. Sandra Wehrmann was appointed by the Supervisory Board as her successor on January 1, 2018. The real estate economist was previously managing director of Wohn + Stadtbau GmbH, the municipal housing company of the city of Münster. At degewo, Sandra Wehrmann is primarily responsible for the operational area.

Others

degewo has included the German Corporate Governance Code ( DCGK ) in the articles of association and the rules of procedure of the supervisory board and the management board.

Memberships of Degewo

Like other Berlin real estate companies, degewo is a member of numerous umbrella organizations. These include some associations whose concerns particularly concern social issues. In addition, degewo was recognized as one of the best German employers in 2012.

See also

• Housing supply Berlin - public law institution
• GSW real estate

literature

• Constantly changing. Urban redevelopment in Marzahn and Hellersdorf, Marzahn-Hellersdorf district office of Berlin (ed.), Self-published by the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district office of Berlin, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-00-022338-9 .
• We are building - 75 years of Degewo. For the 75th anniversary of Degewo, German society for the promotion of housing construction, non-profit public limited company (publisher), Berlin 1999.
• The twenties in Berlin. A guide through the city, Michael Bienert, Berlin 2005.
• Bauwelt Berlin Annual 1999/2000. Chronicle of the structural events 1996–2001, Martina Düttmann and Felix Zwoch , 2000.
• Frank Bielka, Christoph Beck (2011): Responsibility for the city. Contributions for a new togetherness, B&S Siebenhaar Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-943132-16-8 .
• Frank Bielka, Christoph Beck (2012): Heimat Großsiedlung - 50 years Gropiusstadt. Nicolai Verlag, Berlin, ISBN 978-3-89479-738-6 .
• Udo Gößwald, Barbara Hoffmann (Ed.): The end of the idyll? : Horseshoe and Krugpfuhlsiedlung in Britz before and after 1933 , Berlin: Museum Neukölln, 2013. ISBN 978-3-944141-01-5 .
• Degewo (Ed.) (2014): 90 years degewo. More city. More life. Special edition tenant magazine.
• Degewo (Ed.) (2014): Berliner Fliesenbilder. Children design their urban space, reading books and documentation.

Web links

• Degewo Aktiengesellschaft website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Consolidated Financial Statements 2012 of degewo Aktiengesellschaft, bundesanzeiger.de, accessed on May 23, 2014.
2. ↑ Brigitte Schultz, Sandra Bartoli, Mathias Heyden, Jörg Stollmann: Gropiusstadt's role model? . bauwelt.de. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved on February 23, 2016.
3. ↑ Your degewo apartment - information on maintaining the quality of living (PDF) degewo.de. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 23, 2016. 
4. ↑ Construction prices in a new light . In: taz.de . January 7, 2013. Accessed February 23, 2016.
5. ↑ Scope of consolidation as of January 1, 2014 (PDF) In: degewo.de . Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 23, 2016. 
6. ↑ http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/berlin/degewo-chefin-kristina-jahn--im-zweifelsfall-kom-das-gruen-aufs-dach--1028764
7. ↑ http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/vorzeitiger-abgang-wirft-fragen-auf-berlins-degewo-chefin- geht/ 13319620.html