Project MarziPlan

The Creative Work Community OberSchöneweide (KAOS) must vacate its current location at Wilhelminenhofstraße 92 in the medium term. In our search for a new home, we have found a marzipan factory in Neukölln, which we are purchasing as a cooperative!

7.000m² of space next to the motorway ring in Neukölln. Our KAOS eG is set to grow and become a workplace for up to 500 creative professionals over the next few years. It will also be a lively cultural centre and event venue.

To achieve this, we need your financial support in the form of shares and loans.

Yes!

If the purchase of marzipan factory goes through, we will need to roughly triple our current memberships (currently around 130 members). For this, new spaces will be made available at Ballinstraße 12. This will happen in 2027 at the earliest, and the prices per square metre are expected to be well below £20/m² including utilities.

So, yes! We need to know your space requirements. Please introduce yourselves and your needs at www.kaosberlin.de/raumbedarf-marzipanfabrik
We will then add you to our waiting list.

In the meantime, we need your financial support to make this project possible and appreciate every cooperative share and loan.

Yes, you can also donate money easily!

Our non-profit organization KAOS e.V. is happy to accept donations for the project marziPlan and can also issue donation receipts if required. verein@kaosberlin.de or directly via Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SDNJ7SZ6VYMHQ

As an investing member of the cooperative, you become part of our extended KAOS cosmos and will receive many essential pieces of information firsthand. A lot happens here, both internally and externally. From playful activities like shared boat trips to numerous public events such as concerts, readings, and much more.

As a member of the community, you also get discounts at our infamous KAOS parties.

Additionally, you will receive an annual return of 1% on your shares. Of course, this isn’t a get-rich investment, but it’s still something!

You must obtain at least one share in the cooperative, which amounts to €100, plus a one-time processing fee of €30 for administrative costs and contracts. After that, no further mandatory costs will be incurred!

There are also no other obligations. No mandatory work assignments, no required attendance at meetings, or anything like that!

Of course, we would still be happy for your help if you ever want to contribute voluntarily. We will provide a lot of opportunities for that.

No. A so-called obligation to make additional contributions is explicitly excluded in our bylaws. This means that, in the event of the cooperative’s insolvency, no further claims will be made against you. Only your shares in the cooperative and possibly the repayment of your loan would then be at risk.

Thanks to the annual audits by experts from the Cooperative Audit Association – we are registered with the largest German audit association, Genoverband e.V. – our cooperative is very well supported, which significantly reduces the risk of financial difficulties.

Overall, the insolvency rate for cooperatives in Germany is just 0.1 percent.

Investing members are silent partners in the cooperative. They are invited to general assemblies but do not have voting rights. They are kept informed about developments and events within the cooperative, becoming part of the support circle and an extended part of the community.

Regular members are full members of the cooperative with all voting rights. Everyone who uses space with us on a long-term basis must become a member of the cooperative and a shareholder.

The type of membership can be adjusted in either direction if your usage changes.

Our supporter prefers not to be named.

For many years, he has been committed to various creative and social projects in Germany that promote freedom, innovation and social cohesion. He also sees these strengths in KAOS and we are extremely grateful for his selfless help.

After intensive examination together with our construction experts, we estimate the total financing requirements, including the purchase price and renovation costs, at 10 million euros. The purchase is planned for the first quarter of 2026.

A philanthropist is supporting us with a substantial sum in the millions to strengthen the charitable use of the site. We are taking out another million-euro loan from a bank. To do this, we need more equity capital and your help!

We are working with various experts and surveyors to assess the condition of the existing buildings and to develop our concrete usage plans. Among them is Frieder Rock, an experienced project manager who has already helped purchase several properties cooperatively in Berlin. Additionally, we are collaborating with architects, fire safety engineers, structural engineers, building technicians, and more.

The buildings are in very good condition. However, the large production hall will first need to be extensively redesigned by us. This will create many small rooms with technical infrastructure such as electricity, water, heating and internet.

We have to give up the current location. The owner of Wilhelminenhofstraße 92 is not providing us with a long-term perspective, planning security, or support to undertake the urgently needed renovation work. Continuing operations under these conditions is not an option.

Depending on who takes over the halls after us, the existing installations may need to be removed, and the halls handed over „broom-clean.“

The Creative Work Community OberSchöneweide (KAOS) is a unique interdisciplinary workspace and cultural site that embodies creativity, solidarity, and collaboration. For almost 13 years, KAOS has energized and enriched the neighborhood with a dynamic workspace for 130 creatives from various trades, fields, and artists.

Without your help, KAOS will soon disappear, becoming part of the ongoing, gradual exodus of art and creative spaces from Berlin. Only together can we preserve the typical Berlin mix of craftsmanship, art, and culture and protect our vibrant, creative neighborhood.

Become part of the KAOS cooperative and help us with a loan!

Step 1: You become a co-owner and investing member of our cooperative.

Step 2 (optional): Once you are an investing member of the cooperative, we can accept a loan from you. It starts at 1,000 euros!

We offer two options:

1% interest with a 5-year term, or 2% interest with a 10-year term.

The guaranteed terms provide us with the necessary planning security for the development of the property.

You can find the bylaws here as a PDF:

https://kaos.berlin/satzung (PDF)

The cooperative was founded on May 29, 2024, and has been registered in the register of cooperatives since 6th August 2025

Our cooperative audit association is Genoverband e.V.

For a long time, we tried to purchase the property directly adjacent to our current location – Project KAOS 93.

However, negotiations with the owner regarding the purchase of Wilhelminenhofstraße 93 are currently on hold. Unfortunately, the property is too expensive.