This is a CTP of initiative: Ecovillage Schloss Tempelhof (Germany)
The intention of the initiative was to purchase a site for founding an ecovillage in the area around Munich already for two years. After the ‘Ammerlake disaster’ (see previous CTP) the initiative was desperate because of the situation on the real estate market and the additional difficulty to find a rather unusual object for building an ecovillage community.
Finally, the new year’s retreat of the group in early 2010 brought the ground-breaking revelation. Interviewees told the crucial point of their breakthrough was not due to external reasons but to internal change and evolution. It led to a success in purchasing the site of Tempelhof and later flourishing of the ecovillage project.
After the first failure trying to purchase a site in 2008, they went through a re-orientation which has led to a lot of group internal community building work. This evolutionary steps encompassed
Four different aspects of coproduction can be observed although all of them include contested aspects (described in the contestation section). First, the coproduction with the previous owner and estate agent of the site: He was open to collaboration with the initiative in terms of a special contract. The group had learnt from the ‘Ammerlake distaster’ and this time arranged a positive deal to puffer the risk. The initiative designed an so called ‘option contract’ with the owner that gives pre-emption right to buy Tempelhof for 6 months for a fixed price of 1,5 million. It gave safety for the initiative to take their time of internal decision making. It gave safety for the initiative to take their time of internal decision making. In case of not buying the initiative would have need to pay 20.000 € - 1.000 per person, worth to take the risk.
The second coproduction refers to the site. The offer to buy a village with the facilities of Tempelhof was exactly what the group was looking for. Previous functions supported the need of the ecovillage initiative in many ways. In early times this village had been founded by the order of the templara. During the last decades the castle had been used as city hall of Kressberg. The other buildings were a children’s home, later a care village for disabled children owned by the church. During the last five years before the group bought Tempelhof, the building complex was almost not used except for the large kitchen. The previous owner had been the protestant church. The infrastructure was in many aspects (the large, professional kitchen, the sport hall, two apartment buildings and more historical buildings to live) very supportive for the purposes that the ecovillage initiative was looking for.
The third coproduction mirrors the local integration of the newly moved initiative, a delicate issue for all ecovillage initiatives. To connect to the place, keep the tradition and for regional integration the community chose the name “Schloss Tempelhof” to indicate their commitment and identification with the place. Furthermore, previous customs like the Tempelhof May 1 annual festival were taken over by the initiative and significantly fostered the local integration.
Finally, the fourth coproduction is about the internal dynamics of the initiative. In the end, 20 people were ready to take the risk and buy Tempelhof village for 1,5 Million Euros. Including the support of private loans it was enough capital to buy the village without bank credits. Those who started the project have experienced - after purchasing the site - a hyper and positive phase of ‘community in action’ during the renovation time.
The community initiative hold their annual internal retreat, January 2-7, 2010
Since the financial crises in 2009 private investments have become more attractive
Tempelhof village was offered to purchase, January 2010
The contesting aspects of this CTP were mainly group internal. First, there were divided opinions in the group about buying the place. Buying Tempelhof was perceived as a great risk, because of the distance to Munich. This decision sorted out a larger group of interested people in the orbit who were still focussed on connecting their life to a large city or keeping their job in Munich. According to the interviewees interpretations’, only those stayed who decided for community as the first priority by releasing the dream of keeping their jobs and nature-close living around Munich: the Tempelhof site is more than three hours’ drive from Munich away and not located in Bavaria any more.
The second level of contestation occurred in the purchasing process with the estate agent. In addition to the co-productive moment of the ‘option-contract’ (see under coproduction), the owner was ready to share the risk, but also wanted to profit from the potential success of the initiative. In an additional contract they agreed to pay another 4.600 Euros for every new member from the 67.person on that joins until 2017. More than 60 additional people have joined since the beginning.
The community was aware that buying the village would be a big step for the initiative. It would result in finding their home for building up an ecovillage and community with many businesses and other projects around it. Still, nobody knew at that time, if the community would be successful in attracting new residential members. Only a group of about 20 people had taken the risk and committed to buy the 30ha Tempelhof village to move there.
Three levels of processing the learning can be observed.
First there is the level of internal learning and ‘work’ which had led to this ground-breaking CTP. After the previous CTP, the ‘Ammerlake disaster’, the group had learnt that it needs internal community building before external community building. Building community in terms of social cohesion, trust and value is paramount, buying a location comes later. The initiative worked ‘hard’ on inner transformation, trust and community building. Still, something was missing. The breakthrough with finding and purchasing the site could only come because they opened the geographical radius to seek a site. Only those decided to be part of buying Tempelhof who were ready to change their life for this new community adventure and leave their job and local area.
Second, on the level of being prepared to external requirements the initiative had learnt to ask for more security during the process of purchasing. This time, they created and could sign an option contract. They had also set up the foundation and the cooperative on time to be prepared for purchasing the real estate and land. No individual co-owner can ever sell his/her part. Therefore the property is prevented from being sold for profit.
Third, the initiative went on with processing their insights on the level of multiplying their learning. Some of the key actors offer consultancy for community building initiatives in the process of internal and external community building, legal forms and purchasing property.
Stay informed. Subscribe for project updates by e-mail.
