Beta Realities

Netto Marken-Discount Fulda

What if a supermarket becomes fully circular?

With the expansion of its store in Fulda, Netto Marken-Discount sets a new benchmark in sustainable retail construction.

As the first discount retailer in Germany to extend an existing store using the innovative TRIQBRIQ system, the company demonstrates how circular building principles can be implemented at scale within an operational context. The project integrates 2,600 solid timber building blocks developed by the Swabian start-up TRIQBRIQ. According to a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), the installed timber elements store approximately 57.5 tons of CO₂, making the extension not only a spatial enlargement but also a measurable carbon sink.

Project Region

Europe

Project Period

2025

Location

Fulda, Germany

Team

Paul Clemens Bart, Marvin Bratke, Andrei Dan Musetescu

Status

Built, 2025

Programme

Retail, Transformation

Client

Realaptive Handelsimmobilien GmbH

Collaborators

TRIQBRIQ AG

Size

3.671 sqm

Visualisation

Realdaptive

Transforming what already existed.

Instead of replacing an existing supermarket, the project expands it. In Fulda, Netto Marken-Discount extends its existing store while keeping the existing building at the heart of the intervention. The sales area grows from 672 to 913 square metres, demonstrating how existing retail infrastructure can be adapted to changing needs without starting from scratch.

Efficient planning though innovative BIM tools.

The project integrates 2,600 solid timber building blocks developed by the Swabian start-up TRIQBRIQ. By upcycling wood that might otherwise enter low-value or energy-recovery chains, the system contributes to resource conservation and extends the lifecycle of an essential natural material.

Micromodular, sustainable and circular construction.

The micro-modular construction is fully demountable, ensuring long-term flexibility and enabling future reuse or adaptation without loss of material value. The timber elements — known as Briqs — are manufactured from industrial wood, calamity wood, and reclaimed timber. They are assembled entirely without adhesives or artificial bonding agents, preserving the purity of the material.

Designed for Disassembly.

The building is not conceived as a permanent, irreversible structure. Its micro-modular construction allows the timber elements to be dismantled individually and separated from other materials. This makes future adaptation, relocation and reuse possible while preserving the material value of the building components. Circularity therefore becomes part of the building's physical DNA — not an additional layer added after construction.

A measurable Carbon Sink.

The 2,600 timber elements contain approximately 57.5 tonnes of stored CO₂, according to a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration. The extension therefore combines spatial transformation with measurable material impact: the building becomes a temporary home for valuable resources rather than a one-way construction product.

From Pilot Project to Scalable Strategy.

Fulda is part of Netto's broader exploration of alternative timber construction systems. Following previous timber-based retail projects, the project tests another construction method that can make future stores more resource-efficient and adaptable. For Beta Realities, the project demonstrates a larger idea: the future of retail may not require entirely new buildings. Existing places can be transformed, extended and eventually disassembled — allowing buildings to evolve together with their users and changing requirements.

A circular Extension in Timber Blocks.

The extension is constructed from 2,600 TRIQBRIQ timber building blocks — a micro-modular system developed for circular construction. The BRIQs are manufactured from industrial wood, calamity wood and reclaimed timber. On site, the elements are stacked and connected with beechwood dowels, eliminating the need for adhesives or artificial bonding agents.