Distinguished visitor at our O-WERK | Campus in Bochum: In August, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited to learn about the successful transformation of the former Opel factory site, now known as MARK 51°7. At the invitation of the Regionalverband Ruhr, the Chancellor visited companies and research institutions, including the Maker Space of the Ruhr University Bochum at O-WERK. Olaf Scholz praised the development of the site as a holistic concept for how economic, ecological, and social change can be successfully achieved.
The success of the transformation is demonstrated by the fact that over 3,500 new jobs have already been created, around half of which are at O-WERK | Campus der Landmarken, arguably the hottest hotspot of the transformation in the Ruhr region. A real magnet for modern business and science: in addition to the university and specialist retailer babymarkt.de, O-Werk has also attracted Viactiv health insurance and young tech companies VMRay and Physec, among others.
They all feel at home in the new "Ideenschmiede" building, whose third section on the ground floor houses the heart of the new quarter: the Service Point operated by our sister company The Urban Village, which also serves as a showroom demonstrating what digitalization is already capable of today. Community Manager Sahra Mühlaus passionately takes care of tenants' needs and the leasing of flex office spaces. Interested companies can experience firsthand how smart building technologies are revolutionizing the efficiency and sustainability of working environments.
New to the campus is the BG RCI professional association, which has moved into the recently completed Spirit Office building BrainFactory.