Berliner Volksbank is today holding its topping-out ceremony in the heart of Potsdam for its new representative office at Yorckstraße/Friedrich-Ebert-Straße. Around a hundred guests have been invited. The new construction began with the groundbreaking ceremony on 14 August 2015. The construction work is progressing as scheduled, with completion scheduled for autumn 2016. The regional cooperative bank is investing over six million euros in its new construction project. With a floor space of around 1,600 square metres, the five-storey building will be home to about 40 employees of Berliner Volksbank in Potsdam, who have thus far worked at three different locations in Potsdam.

The new representative office of Berliner Volksbank now stands where Frederick the Great once started the revolution of the postal service with the construction of the Old Post Office, and where in 2009 the prefabricated high-rise known as the House of Travels was demolished. The historical-looking façade of the building, based on designs by the Potsdam-based architecture firm Axthelm Rolvien, is reminiscent of the Old Post Office, but "its interior will surprise with a new look and modern service," said Dr. Holger Hatje, Chairman of the Board of the cooperative bank, at the groundbreaking ceremony. What matters to him first and foremost is the opportunity to "finally bundle the competence and expertise of our consultants into a single location."
The bank spent three years looking for suitable premises that would allow it to meet diverse and growing client requirements. But there is more, as Dr. Hatje explains: "The building is to be a reminder of our own history and symbolise our connection with Brandenburg in general and Potsdam in particular." After all, it was 25 craftsmen from Potsdam who founded the predecessor of the bank in 1899.
According to Beate Fernengel, president of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Potsdam, "the new construction fills another gap in the historical city centre, which is a win for the state capital of Potsdam and thus also a win for the economy. Regional presence is a recognised means for corporate success and represents sustainable business," says Ms Fernengel.
And the managing director of the Chamber of Trade of Potsdam, Ralph Bührig, adds, "Berliner Volksbank is an important partner for us and for trade in western Brandenburg. We expressly welcome the new Potsdam location and look forward to the opening of the building, which has a combination of traditional and modern elements that is a perfect fit for skilled crafts and trades."
The five-storey building has a surface area of 1,600 square metres, with the bank using 1,270 square metres for its own purposes. The third floor is to be leased. Forty bank employees, who have so far worked at Charlottenstraße, Wilhelm-Staab-Straße and Brandenburger Straße, will in future handle all manner of financial transactions for retail, business and corporate clients at the new location: investments, pensions, funding, wealth creation and start-ups. There will also be safety deposit boxes.
Tonio Davideit, project manager for the responsible project controller WITTE Projektmanagement GmbH, is "confident that staff will be able to make the move in autumn as planned. We are well on track. We are happy that we have been able to award most of the contracts to local companies."