GUTE UTA: Converting Commercial Sites into Residential Use – New Housing for Munich

A new urban quarter takes shape at Rappenweg on previously sealed land

• In the GUTE UTA quarter, urgently needed housing is being created through land conversion
• Through sustainable de-sealing and revitalisation of the land, the site is being upgraded for everyone in the area
• The site’s owners are thereby taking up the city’s objectives for creating housing.
• The forward-looking conversion process will be presented at EXPO REAL in Munich

With the GUTE UTA quarter, a new district with around 2,700 homes, workplaces and social infrastructure is taking shape in Munich’s east. Living up to its name, the quarter does good for the city: instead of a commercial estate that has grown haphazardly over many years, a vibrant, sustainable living environment is being created at Rappenweg. The site, which has largely been sealed until now, is being reorganised, refurbished and de-sealed. Where gravel and asphalt dominate today, publicly accessible green spaces and parks will emerge in the future. In this way, the GUTE UTA quarter creates urgently needed housing without taking up valuable open land on the edge of the city.

Making Use of Existing Land for Housing

The majority of the planned area of the new urban quarter is earmarked for housing, complemented by commercial and mixed-use space. This includes space specifically designated for skilled trades and small businesses, which contribute to the vibrancy and sense of community in the GUTE UTA quarter. In addition, the site is being sustainably de-sealed and ecologically enhanced as part of the reorganisation.

Conversion as a Future Challenge for the Real Estate Industry

The project thus takes up an urban objective that Lord Mayor Dominik Krause already emphasised during his election campaign and is now pursuing, among other things, through the city’s conversion agency (Umbauagentur): making greater use of existing, primarily commercial sites to create new housing. The conversion and reorganisation of existing sites is one of the central challenges facing growing cities. Particularly in tight housing markets, it is essential to make use of existing potential rather than taking up additional open land.

A Model Transformation Process

The question of sustainable solutions to the challenges of housing provision will also be a central theme at EXPO REAL, which takes place from 5 to 7 October in Munich. The owners of the GUTE UTA quarter will be on site and taking part in the international trade fair. They are convinced that the GUTE UTA quarter sets an example of how such a transformation process can succeed. The development combines housing provision, appealing architecture, high-quality open spaces, sustainable mobility and ecological enhancement, and turns a previously hard-to-access business park into a vibrant new part of the city.

Conscious of Social Responsibility

Seven owners stand behind the project, united by a shared sense of social responsibility: the City of Munich (Landeshauptstadt München) and six private owners, who are all pulling together. The six private owners and owner representatives have joined forces in the R6 cooperation group, which comprises the joint venture of ALP.X Group with Gingko, KM Wohnbau GmbH, the Oswald family, Wertcontor GmbH, ZAR Real Estate GmbH and Periskop Development GmbH. The R6 cooperation group is represented by Büschl Unternehmensgruppe Projektentwicklung GmbH, through Caroline Scharifzadeh, who is also acting as spokesperson at the EXPO.

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