The ‘Charité 2030’ plan includes numerous new elements across all four campuses. Here is a selection of the most exciting projects.
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin have combined their medical and scientific expertise at the joint Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité (DHZC), which will be based in a modern new building. This flagship project at Campus Virchow-Klinikum will offer patients with cardiovascular diseases treatment options of the highest quality. It will define new standards for Europe with its state-of-the-art operating theatres, laboratories and hybrid spaces for procedures. The newbuild, which is set to open its doors in 2029, will also contain the clinic’s emergency facilities in the form of an interdisciplinary centralised emergency department as well as the central sterile services unit. The State of Berlin is providing 421 million euros from its investment budget while the German federal government is contributing a further 100 million euros.
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Der Simulierte Mensch (Si-M, standing for ‘simulated human’) is a research centre where scientists from Charité and Technische Universität Berlin work together to model human cell and organ functions. The new buildings were specifically designed to provide optimal support for research, with equal focus placed on their scientific and architectural aspects. Shared media technology facilities for Si-M and BeCAT are housed in a sublevel which is situated between the two research buildings. The publicly accessible Theatron, located on the ground floor of the building, serves as a platform where researchers can engage in creative debate. Presentations and discussions with researchers from other institutions are also planned. As a particularly climate-friendly element of the campus renewal project, Si-M is set to receive ‘silver’ certification from the Assessment System for Sustainable Building (BNB) operated by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building. The Federal Government and the State of Berlin are supporting this construction project through the excellence initiative for research buildings at universities.
More about the topping-out ceremony for Si-M and BeCAT (German only) More about the topping-out ceremony for Si-M and BeCAT (German only) Show location on the campus map Show location on the campus map
A new building for the Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies (BeCAT) is set to be completed at Campus Virchow-Klinikum in 2025. This state-of-the-art research facility will form part of the new research campus for biotechnology and medical technology. Specialists at BeCAT are studying new medicines and innovative therapeutic approaches such as regenerative medicine. This forward-looking biomedical approach seeks to cure diseases by restoring impaired cells, tissues and organs. While cultivated tissues can be used for such procedures, researchers are also looking for ways to stimulate the body’s own regenerative and reparative processes. The new BeCAT building is part of an urban development ensemble which has emerged through a competitive tendering process. The Federal Government and the State of Berlin are supporting this construction project through the excellence initiative for research buildings at universities.
More about the topping-out ceremony for Si-M and BeCAT (German only) More about the topping-out ceremony for Si-M and BeCAT (German only) Show location on the campus map Show location on the campus map
Once it has reopened following renovations, the former Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology will house the Berlin Centre for the Biology of Health (BC-BH). Researchers will develop the medical care of tomorrow in this listed building. Top researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin will take a transdisciplinary approach to pressing social issues. Instead of researching the mechanisms of disease, the focus is to be placed on the mechanisms of health as well as molecular strategies for staying healthy.
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The Childhood-Haus is to be run by the Clinics for Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in conjunction with the World Childhood Foundation under the patronage of Queen Silvia of Sweden. The new building, an outpatient facility for supporting child and adolescent victims of sexualised violence, brings together specialists from the fields of medicine, psychology, social education, child protective services, the police and the courts under a single roof. This creates better opportunities for coordinating and targeting the medical, psychological and social care of young people at risk. The architecture of this detached newbuild is tailored to fit the needs of its service users, with an emphasis on the well-being of young people. This two-storey building with its bright rooms and coordinated furnishings is intended as a place where all who seek care can feel safe, secure and in the best of hands. The newly constructed building, financed by donations, replaces an existing facility within the paediatric and adolescent clinics that was no longer fit for purpose.
More about the ground-breaking ceremony for the Childhood-Haus (German only) More about the ground-breaking ceremony for the Childhood-Haus (German only)
The refurbishment of eight out of 16 inpatient wards (SPS I + II) at Campus Benjamin Franklin is the first extensive renovation to take place since the university hospital opened in 1968. The wards are being updated to meet the demands of modern patient care. All rooms for patients are being equipped with bathrooms, and the number of beds per room will be reduced from three to one or two. To test the future viability of these solutions, nursing staff are testing full-size mock-ups (models of innovative room configurations). Since work is being carried out while the department remains open, a temporary modular building was constructed that allows areas to be vacated for refurbishment. The wards are being renovated in several construction phases, as the temporary building can only accommodate a maximum of four wards at a time. An additional phase of ward refurbishment is scheduled to begin after the modernisation work is completed.
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The first comprehensive renovation of the building’s flat roof since it was completed in 1968 is aimed at eliminating existing damage, removing hazardous substances and installing equipment for generating energy-efficient power that complies with current technical requirements and legislation. The technical systems on the roofs, in particular those for ventilation, will be relocated to allow the roof structure to be replaced; as a consequence these will temporarily be taken out of service. The photovoltaic system to be installed on the roof will provide the Charité with a total of 1,112 kWp in solar power (enough to power approximately 350 three-person households), thereby making a key contribution to producing electricity from renewable energies. This photovoltaic system will set an example for more sustainability while simultaneously contributing to the energy transition.
The operating theatres at Campus Benjamin Franklin, which first opened in 1968, have been completely renovated over the course of three construction phases while remaining open throughout. The last of the sections to be renovated, with five operating theatres and associated support areas, was reopened in 2024. The building services zone incorporating all of the technical systems, which is located above the operating theatres, was completely renewed and the roof areas above that were renovated to remove all harmful substances. The new floor plan and operational concepts allow staff to work more flexibly while also achieving savings by optimising processes.
Show location on the campus map Show location on the campus mapSituated adjacent to Charité Bettenhaus Mitte, the Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine has opened its doors at Campus Charité Mitte as an integrated and innovative facility where the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH@Charité) and Charité itself can see outpatients and conduct translational medical research. State-of-the-art laboratories, offices and technology platforms for international research groups, areas for biomedical technology transfer as well as a centre for patients in the Clinical Research Unit have all been accommodated in the building previously used for Charité’s operating theatres, intensive care unit and emergency department. BIH@Charité’s innovative and patient-oriented translational research has been combined with Charité’s medical care provision under a single roof. The centre promotes interaction between patients, doctors and researchers and brings together BIH research units which were previously dispersed across Berlin.
More about the opening of the Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine (RHC) (German only) More about the opening of the Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine (RHC) (German only) Show location on the campus map Show location on the campus map
The new Pharmaceutical Centre at Campus Virchow-Klinikum will combine three different manufacturing areas with the highest technical standards under one roof, while also creating synergy effects. In the future, complex pharmaceutical products will be produced here for patient care at Charité as well as at other Berlin hospitals. For example, a range of laboratories will produce radioactive medicines for treating cancer and drugs for stem cell therapy. The new adjacent building for pharmacy logistics will ensure stocks are maintained and medication for patients can be supplied quickly.
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As a new high-tech facility, the CCM diagnostic centre at Campus Charité Mitte (CCM) will become a driving force behind the ‘Healthcare City Berlin 2030’ programme. This milestone in the ‘Charité 2030 – Rethinking Health’ strategy marks the start of construction at CCM. A high-performance facility that blends cutting-edge technology for diagnostics with highly efficient processes for healthcare, Charité’s future-oriented transformation will be on show for all to see at this centre. Its proximity to the Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine, outpatient areas and emergency and intensive care departments will ensure medical treatment is optimally networked at CCM.
