At the beginning of the year, the Vivarium was given a newly designed entrance with the support of bauverein AG. This was presented in January by Sybille Wegerich and Sabine Kleindiek, the first operations manager for municipal tasks and services (EAD).

In the entrance area of the Vivarium Zoo, seven different old and endangered apple varieties are now planted in a south-facing position. Three more apple trees and two pear trees were planted in front of the zoo school, which is located directly behind the entrance. By planting these trees, the Vivarium is also helping to preserve biodiversity in fruit tree varieties.

Looking to the future. The architects of the clusters in the Ludwigshöhviertel have been finalised after the jury meetings. What all the winning designs have in common is that they fulfil the requirements - sustainable and innovative construction. The winners are Cluster 1: werk.um, Darmstadt, Cluster 2: B&O + Hirschmüllerschmidt, Chemnitz/Darmstadt, Cluster 3: 1100 Architekten, Frankfurt, Cluster 4: Hegger Hegger Schleiff, Kassel, Cluster 5: Bitsch-Bienstein, Wiesbaden, Cluster 6: ARCTEC, Frankfurt, Cluster 7: Netzwerkarchitekten, Darmstadt

bauverein AG wants to make the outdoor areas of its properties even more sustainable and more customised to the respective property. This is the aim of the new green maintenance concept. The aim is to promote biodiversity in the environment. This is particularly important in the city centre, where insects and bees are finding fewer and fewer places of refuge. The service providers have been instructed to leave the grass standing longer and not to cut it as much. In addition, the plots are being cleared of leaves later so that hedgehogs and insects have a place to hibernate. At the same time, the contracted service providers are now using low-emission and low-emission equipment. The use of leaf blowers/vacuum cleaners is therefore largely avoided in the interests of preserving biodiversity and reducing emissions - with a few exceptions.

Sustainable and forward-looking construction is a major concern of bauverein AG. An innovative six-storey timber-hybrid system house is therefore being built in Kurt-Schumacher-Straße. There will be 30 flats with a total area of 2096 square metres, all of which are subsidised. The previous building had a total living space of 1487 square metres and 28 flats. The flats range from 1-bedroom to 4-bedroom flats; condominiums are not planned. Completion is planned for spring/summer 2021.

Minister of Art and Culture Angela Dorn presented the Hessian Monument Protection Award 2020 in Wiesbaden on 15 September 2020. The award honours private individuals and organisations who share a passion: They have restored or researched monuments with individual solutions, technical craftsmanship and special dedication. One of the award winners is bauverein AG, which was awarded first place in the "Public Award Winners" category for the major modernisation of the Rhön- und Spessartring. Mr Niedenthal and Ms Heine accepted the award on behalf of the many employees who made a dedicated contribution to the project. The jury was impressed by the special quality and the commitment of bauverein AG to the refurbishment of an important urban development site in Darmstadt. It emphasised the unrivalled exemplary character of the project. The jury was also impressed by the residents' strong roots in their neighbourhood.

Art on buildings has a long tradition at bauverein AG. bauverein AG's portfolio is rich in public art that is well worth seeing. Since this year, bauverein AG's art collection has been enriched by a sculpture worth seeing. The sculpture "Vier mal Drei plus Einhalb" by sculptor Hagen Hilderhof has found a new home in the centre of the Lincoln estate. Art is not only an important tool for beautifying properties, but also promotes communication and identification with the neighbourhood - especially when the residents are involved in a project. Inspired by the Hilderhof sculpture, an art workshop was therefore held on 12 September 2020 with art expert Jörn Heilmann in the presence of Sybille Wegerich and Hagen Hilderhof. Children from the neighbourhood painted colourful cardboard boxes in small groups to create their own sculptures. A successful workshop that strengthens neighbourhood cohesion in the growing district in the south of Darmstadt and shows that art brings people together.

bauverein AG is continuing the neighbourhood development in the area of Moltkestrasse 3-19. Construction work began here in mid-September. This is an exciting project in which bauverein AG has been working closely with the "Zusammen in der Postsiedlung e.V." association from the outset. A total of 131 flats are being built, of which 25 per cent are publicly subsidised and a further 20 per cent are reserved for middle-income earners. There will also be space for childcare facilities. The entire project is scheduled for completion in early 2022. The first residents are expected to be able to move in at the end of 2021.

The "Treffpunkt Kunst" exhibition series has a long tradition at bauverein AG. It took place for the 16th time in 2020. Due to the coronavirus, the vernissage on the premises of bauverein AG was cancelled. However, true to this year's motto "Moving Form", the exhibition still took place in analogue and online form: While the artworks by Jürgen Heinz and Cigdem Aky adorned the rooms in the foyer, art lovers were able to be inspired by digital greetings and a video art tour at treffpunktkunst.bauvereinag.de, among other things.

For the sixth year in a row, bauverein AG has refrained from giving gifts to business customers and instead donated to associations and projects in the region. This year, the organisations Wildwasser e.V., DARMSTÄDTER H!LFE e.V., Menschenskinder e.V. and the "Wir für Kultur" initiative received a donation. On behalf of the workforce, donations were also made to the Darmstadt / Rhein Neckar e.V. association for children with cancer and chronic illnesses and to the "ANNA" project at Darmstadt's paediatric clinics. Throughout 2020, bauverein AG also supported a large number of projects and associations that contribute to maintaining the quality of life and housing for customers, for example. This year, the focus of the donations was particularly on associations that deal with the challenges and effects of the coronavirus crisis.