OFB starts construction work for technology campus “BioSquare Leipzig”

OFB Projektentwicklung has started the first construction phase of the “BioSquare Leipzig” on an area of ​​around 11.600 m² of construction site 6a on the “Alte Messe” street. The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony on September 1, 22 took place in the presence of Thomas Dienberg (Mayor for Urban Development and Construction of the City of Leipzig), Dr. Marc Struhalla (CEO of c-LEcta GmbH) and Dr. Christoph Wiechmann (Leipzig Office Manager of OFB Projektentwicklung). The ceremony marks the start of a modern, multi-building campus for biotechnology and life sciences. The excavation of around 2022 m³ of earth should be completed by mid-November this year.

As early as February 2022, a facade competition for the project took place with five architects' offices and a jury from politics, architecture, science, the tenant c-LEcta and OFB. The Leipzig office KLM Architekten und Ingenieure GmbH has now been commissioned to design the facade for the first construction phase.

The first construction phase consists of two separate buildings above ground with a total rental area of ​​around 1 m². Five floors are planned for building A, which will be used in the future by the biotechnology company c-LEcta GmbH and will have around 18.500 m² of rental space above ground.

c-LEcta has been represented on the “Alte Messe” site since it was founded in 2004, and in 2012 it moved into its headquarters in the BioCube. Since then, the company has changed significantly: What began as a university spin-off with five employees has now developed into a leading, globally active player in industrial biotechnology. In 2021, c-LEcta worked with over 400 customers from more than 40 countries in the food and pharmaceutical industries and once again significantly increased its sales compared to the previous year. As a result, the number of employees has also increased rapidly over the years. Since 2018 alone, this has doubled to 120 employees. Further growth in the workforce is also planned for the coming years, so that the office and laboratory space available in the current building will become too small.

The neighboring Building B in the direction of Prager Strasse has seven floors and will therefore offer a view over the old exhibition center after completion. The slight offset of the second building creates a forecourt that creates an inviting entrance to building B with a quality of stay. There will also be a shared underground car park with around 110 parking spaces.

The construction work for the new company headquarters of c-LEcta should be completed in the first half of 2025. In the second building of the first construction phase, another 1 m² of rental space will be created. With storey heights of four meters and a modern construction grid, both buildings offer maximum flexibility in terms of use, so that both office and laboratory space can be realised.

The Bürgermeister and Alderman for Urban Development and Construction of the City of Leipzig, Thomas Dienberg, says: “The BioSquare project development underscores the importance of Leipzig as an innovation center for biotechnology and life sciences. We want to keep innovative companies in these future-oriented sectors at the location and gain new ones. Of course, we are particularly pleased that with c-LEcta, a Leipzig success story is moving into the first construction phase.”

“The groundbreaking ceremony for our new headquarters in Leipzig is of course a very special moment. In 2025 we will move into a high-tech building with state-of-the-art workplaces and laboratories. In this way, we not only secure enough space for further development in the long term, but at the same time implement a highly modern design concept for our employees. Cooperation, concentrated work and regeneration go hand in hand. We are happy to be able to continue writing our history at our home location," emphasizes dr Marc Struhalla, the CEO of the tenant c-LEcta.

dr Christoph Wiechmann, Office Manager of the OFB in Leipzig is pleased: "It's nice to see that the excavators are now turning and the realization phase of the BioSquare has begun. The 'Alte Messe' has made a name for itself as a location for innovative companies. On our campus, we offer research institutions and technology companies completely new development opportunities and perfect framework conditions.”

The project site is within sight of the well-known double M at the Leipzig Sample Fair. The neighboring S-Bahn station "Völkerschlachtdenkmal" and several tram and bus lines offer very good connections to public transport. The ring road can also be reached in less than five minutes. In recent years, several innovative research institutions and companies such as the Fraunhofer IZI, the Max Planck Institute, the Bio-City or the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) have settled at the "Alte Messe" site.

OFB: WE CONTINUE DEVELOPING.

OFB Projektentwicklung GmbH has been in the real estate business for over 60 years. And still as committed as on the first day. As a subsidiary of the Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen and part of the Helaba real estate group, high-quality and sustainable large-scale real estate is our passion. Project development, project management and real estate management our passion.

At our headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in our branches in Berlin, Erfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Leipzig, around 140 employees implement successful real estate projects throughout Germany. In doing so, we want to achieve more than others - and therefore already take into account the interaction of economic, ecological and social components when planning our projects. The goal: to further develop our projects, and also ourselves.

www.ofb.de

About c-LEcta

c-LEcta is a global biotechnology company specializing in the development, production and sale of enzyme products. The company uses world-class enzyme engineering and manufacturing technologies to provide its partners in the food and pharmaceutical industries with superior biotechnological solutions for innovative industrial applications. The product development is based on the proprietary enzyme technology platform ENESYZ® and is carried out both in-house and in close cooperation with industrial partners worldwide. c-LEcta supplies its products to more than 400 customers in over 40 countries. c-LEcta currently employs more than 120 people at the company headquarters in Leipzig.

c-LEcta is part of the Kerry Group. Kerry is the world's leading flavor and nutrition partner for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets. Employing 22.000 people at over 150 locations, the company leverages its wide range of ingredient solutions to partner with its customers to innovate and create great-tasting products with enhanced nutritional value and functionality, while also having a better impact on the environment.

www.c-lecta.com

Source: Press release OFB project development from September 22.09.2022, XNUMX