In the Baden-Wuerttemberg municipality of Immendingen, the new construction of the operational and training centre (ETZ) for the Federal Customs Administration has reached an initial construction milestone. The Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA), together with general contractor Goldbeck, celebrated the column-raising ceremony. With the installation of the initial load-bearing elements of the building structure, the project is precisely on schedule. Following the conclusion of an EU-wide procurement process, construction and services company Goldbeck is responsible for the turnkey delivery, including planning and execution. Handover of the complex, which comprises 13,500 square metres of gross floor area, to the Central Customs Authority is scheduled for late 2028.
Specific spatial programme for realistic operational scenarios
The training centre is divided into three central structures: an operational training building, a modern indoor shooting range, and a two-court sports hall. In addition, there are integrated administrative and meeting rooms. In future, the site will be assigned to the Singen Main Customs Office. As its head, Rainer Bühler, explains, the new facility establishes the basis for advanced training under realistic conditions, thereby ensuring the personal safety of operational enforcement officers. Inside the training building, practical exercises can replicate hospitality, residential, and automotive settings. Dedicated catwalks four metres above the training areas allow instructors to monitor the units. The shooting range features three lanes equipped with modern projection and measurement technology.
Architecturally, the external facades are designed using a combination of timber and aluminium pilaster strips. To significantly accelerate construction processes and optimise costs, the client and contractor are relying on a standardised building model. Cornelia Kessler, head of BImA's Freiburg Facility Management branch, emphasises that very little time elapsed between the site decision around a year ago and the granting of planning and building permission. The project demonstrates the efficiency of serial construction in the public sector. Essential building elements are prefabricated industrially and assembled on site, which according to Georg Steinweg, managing director of Goldbeck Süd GmbH, enables eleven comparable training centres nationwide to be delivered economically.
Sustainability standards and nationwide location overview
The building programme adheres to the EGB 40 energy efficiency standard and is targeting a Silver rating under the Sustainable Building Rating System for Federal Buildings (BNB). Photovoltaic systems on roof and facade surfaces, as well as on solar carports, provide the energy supply. The systems are sized to generate more electricity on an annual average than the complex requires. The interior drywall partitions represent a notable feature: they consist of prefabricated modules made from compressed straw, avoiding conventional plasterboard walls. Greened roof and wall surfaces support the microclimate and natural cooling.
- —Ongoing construction work: Alongside Immendingen, seven other sites are on schedule under construction, including Kümmersbruck in Bavaria, Eppingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg, as well as Beckum and Heiligenhaus in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- —Further federal states with structural works under way: Building structures are already rising in Chemnitz (Saxony), Königs Wusterhausen (Brandenburg), and Walsrode (Lower Saxony).
- —Locations in construction preparation: Preparatory works are ongoing at the three bases in Garching near Munich, Griesheim in Hesse, and Neumünster in Schleswig-Holstein.
For Immendingen, the scheme represents a tangible expansion of local municipal infrastructure. Mayor Manuel Stärk welcomed the location decision as an important signal for the municipality's future from the federal government. The swift administrative processing and visible progress underline the potential of modular system construction for specialised, large-scale public-sector property.
