Thomas van der Broeck (Photo: private) Insights into REWE Group's first construction project with a digital twin

A milestone was celebrated in Berlin-Lankwitz on 17 September 2025: The topping-out ceremony for the second REWE Green Farming store marked the progress of a project that is setting new standards not only with its rooftop farm, but also with its digital planning. Since the start of construction in March, the supporting structure has been built from around 1,450 cubic metres of local softwood - a recyclable building that stores CO₂ and does not require glued joints.

Berlin's largest rooftop farm is being built above the 2,150 square metre market hall. The Berlin-based company ECF Farmsystems will produce up to 900,000 salad mixes there every year - in an automated, hydroponic system, almost without soil and independent of the weather and season. Rainwater from a cistern and the use of waste heat to heat the market complete the sustainable cycle.

However, the store is not only an ecological pioneer, but also a pioneer in terms of planning: it is the first REWE store to be planned entirely using the BIM method. Thomas van der Broeck explains what this means in an interview.

one: What does "BIM" actually mean?

Thomas van der Broeck: BIM stands for Building Information Modelling. It is a new working method that lays the foundation for the digital twin of a property. Instead of planning in two dimensions as before, we are now planning in three dimensions, data-driven and, above all, collaboratively. This means that all those involved in planning contribute their own model, which is then networked with the models of the other trades and automatically checked for collisions. The overall model then forms the data foundation for all further processes.

one: What does this mean in concrete terms for planning and the construction process?

Thomas van der Broeck: The building is digitally prefabricated. The entire planning process becomes more transparent for everyone involved. We recognise problems before they arise and usually become expensive on the construction site. For example, if a ventilation duct does not match the wall opening, this would often only have been noticed on the construction site in the past. Today, we can see this directly in the model and solve it in advance. In the long term, we gain a lot in terms of speed and data quality and can avoid additional costs during the construction phase.

from left to right: Nikolas Leschke (Managing Director, ECF Farmsystems), Felix Thomas (Sales Manager, REWE Green Farming Berlin), Florian Nain (Team Leader Planning & Own Construction, REWE East), Frank May (Project Manager Construction, REWE East), Gerd Baumann (Dreßler Bau), Klaus Wiens (Head of Construction Branch Construction, REWE), Ruppert Stüwe (Member of the Bundestag, SPD) and Michael Krüger (Sales Manager, REWE East) (Photo: Christoph Große).

one: What happens after construction - what happens in the operating phase?

Thomas van der Broeck : The BIM model accompanies us throughout the entire life cycle of the property. In the operating phase, it forms the basis of the digital twin, which is created by linking all relevant information, such as the installed materials and technical systems. This will bring enormous benefits in the future, especially for the maintenance and repair process. One example: until now, tradespeople only knew that they had to replace a filter in a ceiling unit (heating/air conditioning) before travelling to a store. However, there may be up to 15 of them. In the digital twin model of a store, tradespeople will be able to see exactly which appliance has a problem and what they need to bring with them for repair or maintenance. This saves time, journeys and resources.

Thomas van der Broeck : REWE Green Farming is not a lighthouse project in Berlin and Wiesbaden, but a forward-looking concept that is going into series production and will be built at many other locations. It therefore makes sense to focus directly on a new method so that it can be lived, established and further developed as a standard. In the Green Farming Berlin project, my colleague Demet Bachor in particular, in her role as BIM Manager, provided intensive support to the regional colleagues from the construction department and the specialist planners and made the potential visible. The knowledge gained is now being channelled into other BIM projects at other REWE Group business units.

one: Since 1 October 2025, you have been leading a newly created team for digital construction in REWE Group's construction department under Harald Fischer - the 'Digital Construction & Processes' division. What is REWE Group's vision for the future of construction?

Thomas van der Broeck: Even if the future of a retail company is not primarily characterised by construction, we still want to make our contribution in this area. Our goal is to move away from paper-based processes and isolated solutions and towards an end-to-end digital portfolio of our properties.

If you look at a property over its entire life cycle, we still have plenty of potential. One example is the gradual digitalisation of existing properties with the help of AI-based technologies - we are basically just at the beginning here. At the same time, we see the consistent digitalisation and automation of our processes as an opportunity to actively counteract the increasing cost pressure and shortage of skilled workers.