Topping-out ceremony for largest timber logistics centre in Europe
News 14/08/2025
27,000 square metres of total space in the port of Straubing
Straubing/Hamburg, 14 August 2025 – It is undoubtedly a flagship project that is attracting attention far beyond the borders of Bavaria: the largest logistics centre in Europe to be built entirely of timber is currently under construction at the port of Straubing-Sand, Germany. Garbe Industrial and Logicenters, Nreps development & management platform for logistics real estate, celebrated the topping-out ceremony today together with representatives from politics and business, as well as the companies involved in the construction. Together, the two joint venture partners are investing around 31 million euros in the new building. The property is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year.
From left: Martin Ohly (General Manager at Logicenters Germany), Andreas Löffert (Managing Director of the Zweckverband Hafen Straubing-Sand), Bernhard Krempl (Deputy District Administrator of the District of Straubing-Bogen), Adrian Zellner (Member of the Executive Board of GARBE Industrial), Markus Pannermayr (Lord Mayor of the City of Straubing), Adalbert Hösl (Mayor of the Municipality of Aiterhofen).
It is being built on a plot of around 47,000 square metres. The modern logistics centre will have a hall area of around 24,500 square metres. In addition, there will be approximately 1,500 square metres of mezzanine storage area and around 1,100 square metres for offices and social rooms. The property will be equipped with 26 dock levellers and nine sectional doors for the loading and unloading of lorries. Six of them will be covered with side access.
“We want the buildings we develop to do more than just fulfil their purpose,” says Adrian Zellner, Member of the Garbe Industrial Executive Board. “As a property company, we attach great importance to reconciling ecology and economy when planning and constructing our buildings. Our properties should consume fewer resources, have less impact on the environment and be usable in the long term. Wood as a building material is of particular importance here.”
Wood has so far played a subordinate role in fully developed logistics properties. In Straubing port, the entire supporting structure of the hall as well as the mezzanine levels and the façade are being built from wood for the first time. “We at Garbe Industrial are doing pioneering work here in Straubing together with our joint venture partner Logicenters and the general contractor Köster,” emphasises Adrian Zellner.
A total of around 4,400 cubic metres of wood are needed for the new building. It comes from sustainable forestry from PEFC-certified forests. Spruce and pine from the Bavarian forest and neighbouring Austria are used for the construction. Douglas fir from the Black Forest and Switzerland will be used for the façade, which will stand out visually from the usual logistics properties.
“As a renewable raw material, wood offers completely new opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide in the construction of logistics properties due to its eco-balance,” explains Adrian Zellner. According to calculations by Garbe Industrial, the CO2 footprint is reduced by 66 per cent when using wood for the supporting structure and façade compared to conventional reinforced concrete construction. In addition, the insulating effect of wood creates the conditions for energy-saving temperature control. “With the decision to use wood as a building material in Straubing, we are fulfilling our ecological responsibility and want to be a pioneer for future-oriented, sustainable construction methods,” says Adrian Zellner.
Both the joint venture partner Logicenters and the Straubing-Sand Port Association, as the lessor of the property, support the clear commitment to timber construction. “With the realisation of the logistics centre in Straubing, we are setting standards in terms of sustainability,” says Martin Ohly, General Manager at Logicenters Germany, with conviction: “Together with Garbe Industrial, we want to ensure that timber construction is used in logistics. The demand for sustainable properties based on ESG criteria is increasing.”
For Andreas Löffert, Managing Director of the Straubing-Sand Port Association, the timber logistics facility aligns with the port’s sustainability goals: “As a site operator, we prioritise ecological construction measures when it comes to new developments. In this respect, the new building fits in perfectly with our endeavours to achieve greater sustainability.”
The property also sets standards beyond the pure construction method. 2,000 square metres of roof will be covered with greenery. A photovoltaic system with a peak capacity of around two megawatts will be installed on a further 16,500 square metres to generate renewable energy. To avoid the use of fossil fuels, the property will be heated using air-to-air heat pumps. Garbe Industrial is aiming for certification for the property in accordance with the Gold Standard of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
The site will have parking spaces for 70 cars, twelve lorries and 30 bicycles. The transition between the outdoor space and the neighbouring biotope is designed to blend naturally. Benches in the green area are intended to offer a place for relaxation and comfort. To protect nocturnal animals, the lighting concept aims to limit outdoor lighting to a necessary and sensible level.
Mayor Markus Pannermayr, who also serves as chairman of the Straubing-Sand Port Association, welcomes the natural design and is pleased about the new potential for businesses to locate there: “I hope for many positive effects – for the port and the region. This new building is an important element for sustainable development.”
The logistics property in Straubing is located just a few metres from the port basin and the Danube. Cargo rail lines run in the immediate vicinity. The site is connected to the A3 and A92 motorways via the B20 and B8 trunk roads. The A3 motorway connects Straubing to the southeast with Passau, to the northwest with Nuremberg and further on to the Rhine-Main region and Cologne. The greater Munich area can be reached via the A92 motorway. A bus stop 200 metres away offers connections to the public transport network and the Straubing-Hafen train station.
Due to its location with trimodal transport connections, the logistics centre is of particular interest to companies that provide logistics and production-related services. A sealing membrane will be installed beneath the floor slab of the entire hall, and the floor level will be lowered to allow the storage of special products, such as water-polluting substances. The property can be leased as a whole or in units of approximately 7,600 square metres or more. Discussions with potential tenants are ongoing. Adrian Zellner expects the property to be successfully leased before it is completed.