Yesterday, on October 23rd, the construction of MVRDV’s Grüner Hügel reached its highest point. The ceremony was attended by the mayor of Mannheim Christian Specht, project developers GBG with their managing director Karl-Heinz Frings and 3iPro with their managing director Davut Deletioglu, and Achim Judt, the managing director of MWSP, the developer responsible for the Franklin district as a whole. Also in attendance were MVRDV senior associate Christine Sohar, representatives from MVRDV’s co-architect for the project, Schneider Schumacher, and the construction companies Implenia Hochbau and Diringer & Scheidel.

Image © Felix Krumbholz

Located at the heart of Franklin Mitte, the green hill will act as a central landmark in the MVRDV-designed masterplan, providing an identity to the neighbourhood and offering a crucial hub for meeting the needs of the residents. Part commercial centre, part park, the structure is topped by a balancing residential block that will soon add 34 apartments to the neighbourhood. Providing a supermarket, bakery, drugstore, pharmacy, and restaurant on its ground floor, with offices and the aforementioned apartments above, the hill will become a central place for the neighbourhood to meet their essential needs, from meeting and relaxing to working and grocery shopping.

The “hill” itself is approximately square in plan, rising to four storeys at its peak. It will provide a green space at the centre of Franklin Mitte, where people can relax on the shallow slopes of the southern corner and children can play in the flatter areas on the north side. Paths and steps will criss-cross over its slopes, leading to various key locations, including a lookout point at the summit. The hybrid structure which supports this greenery, mainly made up of glued laminated timber beams atop concrete columns, is already visible. This timber structure will remain visible above the commercial spaces, bringing a special quality to the interiors.

Image © Felix Krumbholz

“The project, with its accessible hill and the residential building on top, will shape the image of Franklin”, said Mayor Christian Specht. “And with the centralised local amenities, it will contribute to making Franklin a compact neighbourhood for all residents. That's why I consider this building so important for the district and its people. It's great to see what has already been created here in the past year and a half – I look forward to celebrating the opening here next year.”

Construction of the Grüner Hügel project is expected to be completed in June 2026. The project is also positioned between two other MVRDV projects currently under construction. Neighbouring to the south-west is The 'O', which is approaching completion, while to the north-east is the first building of the two Franklin Timber Hybrids, which celebrated its own topping out last month.

Learn more about the design of Grüner Hügel here.