After its opening in 2016, the ZAL TechCenter quickly reached full capacity, and additional space has been in high demand ever since. In order to meet the ongoing needs, the ZAL is being expanded in two steps.

Just in November, the foundation stone was laid for the 8,000 square meter extension. Now, a little over six months later, construction workers and researchers are celebrating the traditional topping-out ceremony together. There is great anticipation and excitement among all parties involved. The progress of the construction now clearly reveals what will soon be completed: new hangar space and laboratories for collaborative research, conference rooms, and offices. The two DLR institutes, System Architectures and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, are particularly pleased with this milestone. In just a few months, their approximately 200 employees will be able to move into the new workspaces. The lease duration is agreed upon for 25 years.

Airbus also extended its ZAL lease agreement last year, for 20 years. However, since the two anchor tenants already occupy a large portion of ZAL’s space, the demand for rentals remains high, or even continues to rise, despite the expansion. Because major anchor tenants promise major projects. And the fact that Finkenwerder is a great place for research has long been recognized. For this reason, in addition to the ZAL extension, a new building is planned on the other side of the street, where sustainable mobility topics and start-ups will be located. New work concepts, such as the introduction of Flex Offices and the so-called Open Hangar Space, will also enable more flexibility in research. Therefore, office or hangar spaces can also be rented on a short-term and shorter-term basis in the future, in order to simplify project-related work.