VLB INSIDE
“We have utilized this time of crisis…” – a VLB status report, October 2021
The New VLB Building and Site Development The VLB moved into its new building in 2017. How are things looking after the first four years? Fontaine: The entirety of the new building project, including the relocation and commissioning in October 2017, was very challenging for all of us. But today, we are all very happy that this historical opportunity for the VLB presented itself to us, and that we were able to implement it successfully. Naturally, there were a few kinks we had to work out with the new building in the beginning, and it took a while until everything was actually running according to plan. There were also some employees who took a while to get used to the new work environment at first. But now, after almost four years, I can say that our whole team feels at home here, and we are all proud of the new VLB and rightfully so. Schreiber: On the other hand, we’ve also had to learn that running and maintaining a new building like this, with all its complex laboratory and systems technology, demands a considerable amount of effort. And simply having a new building doesn’t automatically bring in all the new customers, contracts, and projects you need to make it worthwhile! This meant that we along with the support of our president Ulrich Rust and the whole Administrative Board, had to react quickly while pushing our strategic development further along at the same time. The Seestraße 13 site is still being used by the Charité University Hospital and the Technical University
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Photos: ew
The past one and a half years have been very challenging for the entire brewing and beverage industry. Like so many other organizations, the VLB Berlin was unable to completely avoid getting caught up in the general developments of the pandemic. Nonetheless, VLB utilized the time to expand its range of products and services and optimize the internal processes. In this interview, the Managing Directors of VLB, Dr. Josef Fontaine and Gerhard Andreas Schreiber, provide some insights into the developments in Berlin.
Dr. Josef Fontaine, VLB Managing Director (CEO) since 2003 of Berlin (TUB). What’s happening there? Fontaine: A whole lot – despite the lockdown! The property that’s been home to the VLB for around 130 years covers a total of more than 30,000 m². Our new building occupies 6,000 m² of that. Together with the Hochschul Brauerei old brewhouse and the old malt house, we’re only using about a third of the entire property ourselves. The rest – which accounts for more than 20,000 m² – has been appropriated by the Senate of Berlin for use by the Charité and the TUB. Schreiber: There are currently two new research buildings being built right next us, one of which is “Der Simulierte Mensch” (The Simulated Human), a joint project between the Charité and the TUB’s Medical Biotechnology department that will research the modelling and simulation of human cellular and organ function. The second building is for a project run exclusively
Brauerei Forum International – October 2021
Gerhard Andreas Schreiber, VLB Managing Director (CFO) since 2019 by the Charité, the “Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies, BeCAT,” which will be used to develop new cancer treatments. The two buildings are being constructed simultaneously, and should both be completed in 2023. Yet another building is also due to be built on the Charité’s portion of the property. This building is still in the preplanning phase. One of the faculties the TUB houses at Seestraße is its Chair of Brewing Science. How are the current developments there going? Fontaine: Our partner, the TUB, is currently having a rather difficult time with its site development. Along with numerous existing buildings on the site, the university was also allotted a considerable plot of land. Some of the buildings are more than 100 years old and in need of restoration. There are already several ideas and preliminary considerations
