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HOUSING

Could Frankfurt’s compact ‘cube’ housing be the student digs of the future?

A new student living project in Frankfurt aims to revolutionise housing by cutting down space, energy consumption and with it, rent costs.

Could Frankfurt’s compact 'cube' housing be the student digs of the future?
Photo: DPA

Darmstadt Technical University's project, Cubity, is student accommodation with a difference. It only costs €250 a month to rent and produces more energy than it uses, making it very eco-friendly.

But this saving comes with one significant downside: the rooms are only 7.2 square metres in size, almost two square metres smaller than the legal minimum for a child's bedroom in Germany. 

Built in Frankfurt's Niederrad district in the south-west, the Cubity building is a 16m-by-16m cube with an outer wall of glass, inside of which are individual cubes for each of the 12 inhabitants. Each personal cube is 7.2 square metres and has a bed, a desk and an ensuite bathroom.

In the cramped rooms, everything possible is done to save space. Drawers and wardrobes are hidden in the beds and the desk slides back into the wall.

The university is trying to prove with this project, which is sponsored by prefab house company Holding AG, that one can build homes in a space saving and innovative way.

The bedroom cubes are stacked to create two storeys and are grouped around a communal eating area called the “Marketplace”. There is also a roomy kitchen and another communal area for reading and watching TV.

Living and sleeping in the cube, however, takes some getting used to, “in seven square metres you quickly reach your limits” law student Kai Julian Kemmler explains.

Inside Cubity. Photo: DPA

One of the main appeals of the project is that the building is the first student home worldwide to conform to the “plus-energy standard”.

This means that the building produces more energy than it consumes, feeding energy back into the national grid. Cubity does this with photovoltaic panels on the roof which produce electricity for the whole house. 

Architecture students from the university designed the house and were rather inventive with its systems. The house is heated and cooled using pipes which go through the floor and ceiling. Depending on the time of year, either hot or cold water is pumped through the pipes to either heat or cool down the building.

The innovative new systems don't always work as they are supposed to, however, as the cubes get very hot in summer and the cooling system can take some time to get going. Elisa Stamm, who supervises the project's scientific side for the university, admits the flaws but says “it can't be perfect from the beginning”.

 
Community is the main focus of the project. The lack of private space forces housemates to cook, eat and relax together and that can exacerbate common student problems.

As in every student house, some housemates are cleaner than others, which can cause arguments. Additionally, the cubes aren't very sound-proof, so the inhabitants introduced a rule against cooking or putting the washing machine on after 11 pm.

Another issue that has arisen since the project's beginning is that none of the initial inhabitants could choose who they were living with as student services offered places on a first-come-first-served basis. But in the future, housemates will be able to interview and choose their own applicants.

Despite the project's flaws, none of the original housemates have thus far chosen to leave, even Kemmler, who criticises Cubity, has no intention of leaving as the “€250 rents are unbeatable”.

What's more, finding student housing can be a long process – last year, when Kemmler was looking for a “normal” home in Frankfurt with student services, he was 800th in line. 

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STUDYING IN GERMANY

What’s it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Picking the right city to study abroad in Germany can be a tricky decision, and there are numerous factors to consider. Freya Jones shares her experience of doing a year abroad in the capital and explains why Berlin could also be the right choice for you.

What's it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Five months after moving to Berlin for my year abroad (a compulsory part of my German degree from the UK) the German capital is certainly a destination I’d recommend. 

Although it’s less “traditionally German” than many other corners of the country, and simultaneously more comparable to the blanket big city experience worldwide, Berlin’s unique history and culture make it a great place to explore – and unsurprisingly very popular with international students. 

Like all capitals, it has its pros and cons, so here’s what stood out to me during my experience so far.

Arrival

You’ve probably heard horror stories about the Berlin housing market, and from experience I can say they’re largely true. Finding an apartment here before moving to the city is notoriously difficult, and more expensive than in other parts of Germany. 

What you should bear in mind, however, is that unlike other German cities, Berlin doesn’t impose fines if you’re unable to secure a registration appointment within two weeks of arrival (three months if you already have a visa). This makes searching for a good WG, Studentenwerk, or other rental far easier post-arrival if your first stop is a homestay or somewhere else temporary. 

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin.

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska

Despite a recent wave of strikes and construction work, transport links in Berlin are still very strong. If you’re enrolled as a student during your year abroad, you’ll be entitled to a discounted pass for city transport, including a number of tram, bus and train options that run all the way to the city’s outskirts and even into Brandenburg (Zone C).

What’s more, direct trains from Berlin’s BER Airport make it more accessible than more remote locations in Germany when you arrive equipped with a year’s worth of luggage.

English

My German tutors in the UK were slightly concerned when I chose Berlin, because they didn’t think I’d have much opportunity to practise my German. Looking back, this worry wasn’t without cause, and if your primary goal is German language improvement, it may be worth considering somewhere more rural or less international. 

Unlike small towns I’ve visited elsewhere in Germany, where many people speak little to no English, it’s everywhere in Berlin. Because the international population is so large, new friends from any country are likely to speak it by default.

However, this can obviously be mitigated by signing up for German-only university classes, as I’ve done as an exchange student at Humboldt University, or finding a German language job. And on the flip side, if you’re here to study a discipline other than German, the ubiquity of English in Berlin has you covered.

READ ALSO: The top German cities for international students in 2024

Cultural Experiences

Unsurprisingly, Berlin offers no end of unique cultural experiences. For new arrivals, there’s plenty to fill your time with, and I’d really recommend “playing the tourist” for a couple of weeks while you settle in. 

Bucket-list locations include the National Gallery and museums on Museuminsel, the Berlin Wall memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and the site of the Berlin airlift at Tempelhof. And beyond this, there’s never a shortage of things to do – walks around Tiergarten and the customary Sunday flea markets (Flohmarkt am Mauerpark being the most famous) are popular with visitors and locals alike.

A skateboarder performs tricks on Tempelhofer Feld

A skateboarder performs tricks on a former runway at Berlin’s Tempelhofer Feld, a popular meeting place in Berlin-Neukölln. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Something I’ve also really enjoyed after being here for a while is noticing the small details which differentiate the former East and West Berlin sectors, such as different traffic lights and types of transport. While much of the architecture is admittedly stark, grey and not as pretty as other parts of Germany, the way in which present-day Berlin is a visible product of its recent history makes it a fascinating place to live.

READ ALSO: How do I get a student visa for Germany and what does it let me do?

Pros & Cons

Any culture shock inevitably comes with both positives and negatives, and these are a few which particularly struck me after moving to Berlin from the UK. 

Cons: many shops refuse to take card payment and only accept cash; all shops and supermarkets close on Sundays; there’s no guarantee of being let into a club or bar on a night out, and the traffic lights genuinely seem to conspire against drivers and pedestrians alike. (Also, the weather in winter really will destroy your soul, and this is a Brit talking…)

Pros: the quality of food is much better here than in the UK, and cheaper; the cost of alcohol is much lower; public transport is cheaper and more efficient than in London; work-life balance and mental wellbeing are taken very seriously; and finally, there’s a far less visible “class system” than in the UK, possibly due to the greater access and affordability of German universities.  (This is really nice, especially if you’re coming from a UK university where socio-economic prejudice is very common.)

READ ALSO: How to stay in Germany after graduating from a German university

Overall, Berlin has been a vibrant place to spend my exchange semester. Not only has it given me insights into the most significant shifts in recent German history, but it also offers the archetypal experience of living in a bustling, multicultural city. So while it’s distinctly different to anywhere else in Germany you might be considering, the variety of things to see and do in Berlin will keep you engaged for your full year abroad.

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