Leinemann Partner stands for innovation. It therefore gives us particular pleasure when our clients implement new and innovative ideas together with us. We came across such a project when providing legal support to the Solidbox GmbH company based in Heek, North-Rhine Westphalia, which is specialised in modular construction systems. Their new concept for efficient modular construction is able to make an important contribution towards relieving the shortage of residential space. Leinemann Partner provided legal support for the company from its founding right up to its establishment on the market from the Düsseldorf office under the guidance of lawyer and partner Henrik M. Nonhoff.
The basic concept of Solidbox is that the company manufactures fully-equipped accommodation containers at its plant which as »boxes« form independent residential units and can also be used as components of larger residential or usable areas in combination with further boxes. The modular concept enables these »boxes« to be positioned over each other or next to each other as is required. This method can be used to create an entire building complex. The best thing about it is that even after their positioning the boxes remain mobile and later on can easily be released from their fixed connection and set up again elsewhere.
The managing director of Solidbox GmbH, Hermann Stegink, who is very experienced in the field of prefabricated concrete elements, originally intended the idea to be used to meet the future demand for refugee accommodation. Using the solid boxes, Stegink was quickly able to create reasonably-priced temporary living space under consideration of a solid quality standard. Solidbox, however, has since moved on dynamically from its beginnings. In the meantime the solid boxes are being used to erect entire building complexes for residential housing at an attractive price, for student residences, for care homes and even for a designer villa which from an optical or technical point of view no longer have much in common with simple living containers. With a little design fantasy, the system can be used to create complete buildings which are far removed from cheap or unimaginative temporary measures, and instead are perceived as buildings with a high architectural quality. Solidbox with its system has now established itself as a real alternative in the field of building construction. A special incentive for contractors is naturally also the fact that the prefabrication in the plant enables a reduction in the construction time of around 80 percent.
In this project, lawyer Henrik Nonhoff with his Düsseldorf team provided comprehensive legal support during the start-up phase. In the process, the »full service support« his team provided went far beyond construction contract law which is Leinemann's core area of expertise. In addition to the conception and elaboration of the complete set of agreements which were required for the purchasers and subcontractors involved, Leinemann Partner also secured the fundamentals of the project with regard to company law, competition law and copyright law. The same applies to trademark law matters. Apart from that, the project involved elements of public procurement law, e.g. with regard to approval planning requirements and the approval suitability of the solid boxes. Finally, there were issues with regard to insurance law which needed to be resolved, in particular with regard to transport risks in the course of the delivery of the prefabricated modules to their final installation site.
Solidbox GmbH has meanwhile established itself on the modular construction and building construction market, whereby the support provided by the Leinemann team has contributed to this success. Living in a box is a cool living concept and has become a successful business idea.
