The Wiesbaden urban development company SEG starts an unusual housing project on the former barracks site in Kastel.
An eight-storey residential tower with a total of 21 apartments measuring between 56 and 102 square meters will be built there by mid-2023.
Nine of these are in subsidized rental housing.
Another special feature: In the future, three new crèche groups will be set up on the ground floor as an extension of the neighboring municipal facility "House of Education and Meeting".
In addition, a multi-purpose room is planned as a meeting place in the "Kastel Housing" residential area.
The first phase of construction on the site, which SEG and the municipal housing association GWW are tackling together, also includes the renovation, conversion and expansion of an unused barracks building.
The topping-out ceremony for this GWW project had already been celebrated in November.
"Lighthouse project in terms of climate protection"
The foundation stone for the residential tower has now been laid on a 2,500 square meter site, although construction actually began in October.
According to the SEG, it is about “a pilot and lighthouse project in terms of climate protection”.
The residential tower, which costs 12.5 million euros and has a gross floor area of 4000 square meters, will be the first eight-storey residential building to be built using a hybrid timber construction in Hesse.
Hybrid wood construction means that not only the facades but also large parts of the supporting structure are made of solid wood.
This construction reconciles the advantages of mineral construction in terms of fire protection with the ecological advantages of timber construction.
The large mass of solid wood binds large amounts of carbon dioxide.
In 20 years of operation, the building will cause as many emissions as a conventional building in the first year of its construction.
In terms of primary energy requirements, the residential tower also meets the requirements of a "KfW 40" house, and the day-care center meets those of a "KfW 55" house.