Construction of the public areas at the Offenbach Innovation Campus gets underway

"The Innovation Campus is of particular importance to us in terms of economic policy," emphasizes Mayor Schwenke. "It offers a historic opportunity, and that's no exaggeration. With the establishment of Samson AG, we are bringing large-scale industry back to Offenbach for the first time in decades, as the construction activities on site impressively demonstrate. And with BioSpring, a major company in the highly crisis-resistant biotechnology sector is coming to Offenbach for the first time. When BioSpring has also built its new production facilities, more people will be working there than in the heyday of the chemical industry in the 1970s," explains Schwenke, Head of Economic Affairs and Lord Mayor of Offenbach. "The business park combines competitive production and innovative products from both industry and biotechnology. At the end of the day, there is a real opportunity for long-term growth. This growth trend is already evident today with just over 52,000 jobs in Offenbach - that's more than 50,000 jobs for the first time in 30 years. This growth in Offenbach is happening in the middle of a recession in Germany."

"We have been commissioned by the City of Offenbach to develop the site on the basis of the realization contract and development plan," reports Božica Niermann, INNO Managing Director and Head of the Office for Economic Development and Real Estate. "The contract contains all the necessary regulations for the development of the project, such as the framework redevelopment plan, mobility, green and rainwater concept. The quality of life in the public areas, the permeability of the district, connections to the adjacent districts and to the Main also play an important role here." The thoroughfare, including cycle infrastructure, is being expanded with north-south and east-west connections, and the Innovation Campus is also well connected to public transport.

The water purified in the groundwater remediation plant is discharged into the River Main, and investigations are currently underway to determine whether the purified water can be used to irrigate public green spaces in Offenbach, for example. There is an innovative concept for rainwater. The requirements in the framework remediation plan rule out direct infiltration in order to avoid groundwater recharge on the partially contaminated site. Nevertheless, private and public green spaces are to be used for "rainwater management": Among other things, this involves collecting the water in cisterns, allowing it to run off again in a targeted manner or using it as irrigation water. On private properties, green roofs are planned wherever possible, unless they are excluded by other regulations, and solar panels should also be installed wherever possible. In public spaces, trees in integrated infiltration trenches collect the water. These measures contribute to Offenbach becoming a "sponge city". In this way, the natural water cycle is also more closely integrated into urban planning.

If rainwater remains in the area for as long as possible, cooling effects can also be achieved - in line with the climate concept. The climate report states that the area is currently heating up due to its high level of sealing and that the new development can counteract this with simple measures: For example, the innovation strip and other streets are to be greened to support the formation of cold air. In total, more than 200 additional trees will provide shade after the development measures. Existing basements will continue to be used where possible to store rainwater and contribute to cooling. Sustainability is also a focus in other areas on the innovation campus: land recycling on the former industrial wasteland avoids new sealing in the city and region. In addition, the connection to the district heating network directly on site ensures that the energy supply can be almost CO₂-neutral. Samson AG is also contributing to the goal of reducing CO₂ emissions and is planning to use photovoltaics and electrical energy storage systems to make production as CO₂-free as possible.

The fact that progress is already being made on many levels has long been visible on site: Samson AG began work on its new company headquarters on the Innovation Campus at the end of 2023 - the electronics production facility of the global industrial company in the field of measurement and control technology is scheduled to go into operation there in the fall of 2025, with full completion planned for the end of 2026. With its "factory of the future", the company is investing around 400 million euros in buildings, machines and systems. According to Samson, this represents one of the largest privately financed investments in industrial production in Germany.

"The master plan originally outlined a smaller-scale innovation area. After we succeeded in reaching an agreement with Samson AG to relocate its headquarters to Offenbach and acquire 14.3 hectares of land here, we had to virtually start our planning from scratch again from 2021 onwards for this pleasing reason," explains Offenbach's Lord Mayor. "Municipalities normally spend two to three years preparing the planning for such a site. Only then do they start marketing the previously fixed areas. In order to be successful, we have done everything differently than usual here. We first marketed the sites that best suited the companies and then planned them. For example, the two building applications for the Samson plant were each approved by the city in just 10 weeks, so that they were able to start implementing their project as quickly as possible. To ensure that this works, we have also promised that all of the companies' projects, above all Samson AG, which will be completed first, will be able to operate and reach their plant with us at any time. We are keeping this promise by creating interim closures," says Mayor Schwenke.

Those responsible agree: the implementation of the upcoming development measures on the Innovation Campus have absolute priority until the complete relocation of Samson is completed, probably by the end of 2026. The work during the new construction activities - and not before, as is usually the case - is of essential importance for the site and the entire city. Schwenke and Niermann are convinced: "We will find good solutions in the interests of everyone involved." The city of Offenbach is working closely with Samson to play its part in this courageous entrepreneurial success story. Just in time for Samson's planned start of production in Offenbach this fall, temporary developments from June 30 will ensure the accessibility and supply and disposal of the Samson AG site.

In the future, the site, which used to be hermetically sealed, will also be made accessible to the public at other points. "In order to plan this safely on a former chemical site, we need a lot of capacity that is still tied up elsewhere on the Innovation Campus," says the mayor, making it clear that things will happen step by step and not all at the same time. Therefore, for pure capacity reasons, further planning, such as for the Grüner Haus and the Dreibogenhalle as well as for the planned Niederwiesen, can only be pushed ahead after Samson has moved and the Innovation Belt has been completed. "The timetable for this will be made when the development priority is successful," says Schwenke.