Smart entrepreneurial park - Metroloq gets off to a smart start

Our partner Metroloq, a brand of the Metropol real estate group, has implemented a project in Brauweiler that combines smart building and business park - a smart Metroloq entrepreneurial park. Based on the concept of the "local hero", young companies are also supported here alongside medium-sized companies by offering them a place where their company can be established and further developed. In order to provide young entrepreneurs with the best possible support, the concepts were implemented as modularly as possible and equipped with sustainable, future-proof and efficient digital technologies from ROCKETHOME.

For our Customer Story, we visited the site and asked Metroloq what makes a successful entrepreneurial park and what digital components this project includes.

"We wanted to create an entrepreneurial park that was ready for all circumstances." - René Schmitz, Project Manager Smart Building at Metropol

Which functions of a smart building were installed?

• Smart access solutions, digital lighting control, motion sensors and temperature displays
• E-charging stations and parcel station
• Control of features for tenants via the ROCKETHOME app, in which additional digital functions are offered (e.g. inbox messages and service forms)
• Efficient management of rental spaces, accesses and wallboxes as well as simple communication between tenants and management via the ROCKETHOME Property Manager.

What can you imagine by an entrepreneurial park and what are the focal points?

• Flexibility: office and storage areas combined and flexible in use - XS and S halls containing only a storage area, through M halls with an additional office area, to L halls containing a large storage area and several offices
• Variety: 56 tenants:inside, a plot of 31,100 m2, of which 18,000 built on
• Transparent price structure: fixed basic rents that provide a clear and reliable basis for calculation

All advantages at a glance

• Future-proof and innovative infrastructure: digital control of various components for tenants
• Efficient management of space and easy two-way communication
• High demand due to an attractive working environment characterized by diversity and digitality
• Maintaining and increasing the value of buildings

The park gives tenants from a wide range of sectors a place to realize their businesses. The concept offers a choice of halls of different sizes and leaves room for change requests, such as combining two XS halls if available. The digital equipment in the park includes smart access solutions, digital lighting control, motion sensors, temperature displays, e-charging stations, parcel stations and the management of these functions in an app, which also enables other functions such as inbox messages.

"For Metroloq, the professional and meaningful digitization of our entrepreneurial parks is as much a matter of course as it is a central quality feature. To this end, I am pleased to have ROCKETHOME, an experienced digitization partner for Metroloq, at our side" - Michael Buchholz MRICS, Managing Director Metroloq Unternehmerparks

René Schmitz, Smart Building Project Manager at Metropol, reports that leasing went smoothly and the offer was very well received. Nevertheless, there were some challenges in the implementation, especially of a structural nature, since it is a combination of new and old buildings. But problems also arose with regard to the digitization of some components, such as the warehouse gates, some of which were not designed for digital locks. Thanks to constant exchange and clear project structures, all problems were successfully solved, resulting in a fast and successful completion of the innovative project.

"ROCKETHOME is our partner for digitalization and takes over the consulting as well as the implementation of our Smart Use Cases. Here we have found a cooperative and reliable partner in ROCKETHOME for conceptual design and implementation." - Johannes Koza, Head of Smart Building & Sustainability at Metropol

Tenants:inside of the Entrepreneur Park

Of course, we are most interested in how tenants accept and use the services offered by the Unternehmerpark. To find out, we spoke to three tenants: Annika Collin from Terre de Provence (food retail), Max Hübner and Yusuf Sabuktekin, the founders of the fashion label YFM, and Mr. Dou from Goblin GmbH (logistics services) are available to answer our questions and give us an insight into the premises. This selection of tenants in the Unternehmerpark demonstrates the versatility of the location based on the diversity of the companies.

Terre de Provence - The store for French delicacies

Annika Collin from Terre de Provence sells French specialties together with her husband. For this, a central location was needed where the food could be stored, partially also cooled, delivered and shipped. With the Unternehmerpark, she has now found a place that combines these things. Annika Collin tells us in conversation that the room temperature monitoring in the app is helpful for storing food. In addition, she uses the hall as a place to take photos of her products and to welcome customers personally. Accordingly, her rented hall is set up similar to a small store. Directly in the entrance area are small, mint-colored shelves on which various wines, oils and other French specialties are displayed. She finds the Inbox message feature particularly useful, allowing Metropol to easily send her information. She shows us the latest Inbox message on her phone, informing her of the new parcel station in the park.

YFM - The fashion label

The different functions of the warehouse can be seen here at first glance from the furnishings - the hall contains an office corner with a desk and chairs and a kind of photo studio with a curtain and clothes rails. Max and Yusuf from YFM wanted a digital system for their company that combined an office and a warehouse. Max describes the Unternehmerpark as the "perfect mix" for YFM.

The two previously ran the company from a garage - so the entrepreneurial park has made things a lot easier for them. Now the label has a place where they can shop, store clothes and send parcels easily. Max highlights the smart access solutions as a major advantage, with which gates and doors can be easily opened from anywhere for suppliers or employees without anyone having to be on site for a delivery. This is particularly practical for the two entrepreneurs, as they travel a lot and are therefore not always on site when a delivery arrives.

Goblin GmbH - The logistics service provider

Communication with Mr. Dou, the warehouse foreman at Goblin GmbH, is somewhat limited due to a language barrier, but this does not stop him from enthusiastically demonstrating the digital functions of the warehouse to us. He needed a very large warehouse for the large number of boxes and packages containing heaps of kitchen appliances, such as cooker hoods. Controlling the many entrances to the hall, such as multiple gates for delivery by truck, in the app and managing all the lights are very practical here, saving long walks through the large hall.

The concept is working: The modular design of the park and the digital networking of various components of the property have been well received by the tenants. The fact that none of the tenants have left yet and that the users have gratefully accepted the functions also shows that this is the right step. The increasing demand for digitization in all asset classes shows that this is a decisive, forward-looking factor in the planning of new projects.

"There will be no new building without Smart features. Smart is not an add-on for us, but part of the Metropol standard. Subsequent projects are also already being planned and implemented on the basis of the experience gained and with corresponding use cases. The development of new features is part of the process and ROCKETHOME plays an important role here as an innovation partner." - Johannes Koza, Head of Smart Building & Sustainability at Metropol

A brief outlook on the future plans of Metroloq and ROCKETHOME is also promising: the current equipment is to be retained for future projects due to the positive feedback. In addition, other projects are to be digitized at a later date. Other features, such as the installation of photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the park, are also being considered for future projects.

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