City Council Approves Additional Apartments at the dotSource Campus

Conversion of approximately 2,000 square meters of office space creates additional housing

The planned “dotSource Campus” on Saalbahnhofstraße will eventually accommodate 48 additional apartments. Yesterday (September 30, 2026), the Jena City Council approved the second amendment to the implementation agreement for the project-specific zoning plan VBB-J 46 “dotSource Campus” and passed its first “Bauturbo” resolution. This lays the groundwork for the conversion of the top two floors of the podium building.

“The conditions governing the demand for office space have changed significantly in recent years. By adapting the land-use concept, we can respond to this development while simultaneously creating additional housing. The original 2,000 square meters of office space will be converted into 48 apartments—a sensible further development of the project,” says Dirk Lange, Director of Urban Development and Environment for the City of Jena.

Office Space Becomes Apartments

Originally, approximately 2,000 square meters of office space for up to 200 workstations was planned for the 4th and 5th floors of the podium building. A total of around 850 workstations were planned for the office section of the “dotSource Campus.” Due to changing conditions in the workplace and economic developments, the usage concept was reviewed.

The growing importance of working from home and mobile work, as well as changing economic conditions, has altered the demand for traditional office workstations. Consequently, the “dotSource Campus” is now expected to have up to 650 office workstations in the future. The space thus freed up on the 4th and 5th floors will therefore not be used for commercial purposes but will be converted into 48 apartments.

The legally binding project-specific zoning plan remains in effect. The implementation agreement, which has been in place since 2024—including the project description—will be amended, and the new provisions of the Building Code regarding residential construction will be utilized to deviate from the existing project and development plan.

Ten apartments for employees will remain

With the second amendment, the contractually stipulated quota for employee apartments will also be adjusted. The percentage will be reduced from the current 20 percent to 10 percent in the future. Since the total number of apartments in the project is increasing at the same time, the absolute number of apartments designated for employees—10 units—will remain unchanged.