Urban Earth Consulting · Essen 2026
NEUE
BRAUN­FELS
Built to German Standards
in the Heart of German Texas
Comfort · Health · Resilience · Energy Stability
New Braunfels, Texas · 2.6 Acres · Climate Zone 2A
A Development Partnership Opportunity
"Hier bauen wir
nicht nur Häuser —
wir bauen Heimat."
"Here we don't just build buildings —
we build a sense of home."
David Komet, CPHC
Founder · Urban Earth Consulting
San Antonio, Texas
01 / Die Gelegenheit — The Opportunity
THE
MARKET
MOMENT

The U.S. Sun Belt is experiencing an acute shortage of high-performance mixed-use space. Professionals, creatives, and retailers relocating to the I-35 corridor are finding a market that grows fast but builds cheap — buildings that can't keep up with the Texas heat, drive high utility bills, and fail when the grid can't keep pace.

German building science has the answer. Buildings that stay cool and dry without working hard. Buildings sealed against the humidity intrusion that defines Central Texas summers. Buildings that hold their interior temperature when the grid is under peak summer load. The expertise to deliver that in Climate Zone 2A is extraordinarily rare. No one has built to this standard at community scale in Texas.

New Braunfels sits at the intersection of Texas's fastest growth corridor and its deepest German heritage. The case for this project is not just financial — it is historical.

#1
Fastest-growing city in Texas · 2023–2024
30 mi
North of San Antonio · 45 mi south of Austin
4
For-sale units · 2 retail/professional + 2 residential
0
Buildings of this performance standard in CZ 2A today
02 / Das Programm — The Program
LIVE / WORK
Four for-sale condos. Two over two. Shell delivered. Buyer finished.
Upper Floor — Residential
Unit 3
Residential Condo
Precision-engineered performance envelope. Buyer specifies all interior finish-out — flooring, kitchen, fixtures, layout within envelope.
Unit 4
Residential Condo
Precision-engineered performance envelope. Buyer specifies all interior finish-out — flooring, kitchen, fixtures, layout within envelope.
Ground Floor — Professional / Retail
Unit 1
Professional / Retail
Office, studio, medical, or retail use. Performance envelope delivered. Buyer directs tenant improvement specifications.
Unit 2
Professional / Retail
Office, studio, medical, or retail use. Performance envelope delivered. Buyer directs tenant improvement specifications.
"Der Rohbau ist unser Versprechen — der Ausbau ist Ihre Vision."
"The shell is our promise — the fit-out is your vision."
03 / Das Grundstück — The Land
THE PARCEL
Controlled. Entitled. Ready to develop.
2.6
Acres
Single parcel · New Braunfels, Comal County
R+C
Zoning
Broad residential, commercial, and mixed-use allowance
4
For-Sale Units
2-over-2 · Ground retail/professional + Upper residential
CZ 2A
Climate Zone
Hot-humid · The untapped frontier of high-performance building
"Zwischen San Antonio und Austin — genau dort, wo Texas wächst."
"Between San Antonio and Austin — exactly where Texas is growing."
04 / Die Geschichte — The Story
180 YEARS
IN THE MAKING
1845
Der Adelsverein — a German noblemen's colonization society — founds New Braunfels as the first planned German community in Texas. German craftsmanship and Baukultur take root in the Hill Country.
1991
The Passive House Institut is established in Darmstadt by Dr. Wolfgang Feist. The world's most rigorous building performance standard is born from the same engineering culture that settled New Braunfels.
2024
New Braunfels is named the fastest-growing city in Texas. Demand for quality mixed-use space outpaces supply. No buildings of this performance standard exist in this climate — yet.
2026
This project. The first live/work development in German Texas built to European performance standards — designed for the Texas heat, shell-delivered for buyer-directed fit-out, and validated by the same institute whose methods trace back to Darmstadt.
05 / Was Das Bedeutet — What This Means
BUILT FOR
LIFE HERE
German engineering, applied to a Texas climate. The method is physics. The result is felt.
Comfort
No hot spots. No humidity creep. No rooms that never quite cool down.
German building science treats comfort not as a luxury but as a physics problem — one with a solution. Every surface, every window, every breath of air is engineered to stay consistently cool and dry, even when it's 105° outside.
Health
Filtered fresh air, continuously. Sealed against Central Texas allergens and humidity.
The envelope is sealed against dust, allergens, and the humidity intrusion that drives mold in this climate. Occupants breathe fresh, filtered, conditioned air 24 hours a day — not recirculated, not stale.
Resilience
When the grid strains under a Texas summer peak, these buildings barely notice.
The envelope holds interior temperature for days without mechanical assistance. That's not marketing — it's the same physics that keeps a cooler cold, applied to an entire building. Texas summers test this. These buildings pass.
Energy Stability
A fraction of conventional cooling costs — and it stays that way.
In a climate where air conditioning is the dominant energy load, that's a meaningful 30-year financial fact — independent of what utility rates do next. The envelope is the asset. It doesn't depreciate.
06 / Warum Jetzt — Why Now
THREE
CONVERGING
FORCES
01
Texas Growth
New Braunfels is growing faster than any city in Texas. Professionals, creatives, and small businesses relocating along the I-35 corridor are absorbing quality mixed-use space as fast as it appears. High-performance buildings designed for this climate command a meaningful premium.
02
European Capital
ESG pressure on European institutional and family office capital is accelerating demand for U.S. energy-performance assets. Third-party building performance certification provides the standard European investors already understand and trust. The live/work typology is deeply familiar.
03
The Shell Advantage
A precision-engineered performance envelope delivered at closing. Buyer directs all interior fit-out. Developer de-risks the finish, buyers get a certified envelope and full design freedom — a model that reduces complexity for both sides and accelerates pre-sales.
07 / Der Wettbewerbsvorteil — The Competitive Moat
CLIMATE ZONE 2A
The climate that most high-performance developers avoid
100°F
Peak Design Temp
Summer dry-bulb
~70%
Mean Summer RH
Moisture is the governing load
2,500
CDD · Base 65°F
Cooling dominated — not heating
CZ 2A is the climate that separates building performance theory from practice. Managing latent load — the humidity that drives discomfort, mold, and mechanical failure — requires a fundamentally different approach than cold-climate design. We hold the technical knowledge, the certified credentials, and the on-the-ground track record to deliver what no one else has in the American hot-humid climate.
08 / Die Struktur — Deal Structure
THE TERMS
Indicative framework · Open to partner discussion
Parameter Description Notes
Product 4 for-sale condos in a 2-over-2 configuration. Ground floor: 2 professional/retail units. Upper floor: 2 residential units. Live/work typology · Mixed-use zoning in place
Delivery Precision-engineered performance envelope delivered at closing. Buyer specifies and directs all interior finish-out. Building envelope performance is certified and guaranteed regardless of interior choices. Shell delivery model — reduces developer risk and timeline
Land 2.6-acre parcel, New Braunfels TX. R+C zoning. No entitlement risk. Contributed as equity or at agreed valuation. Controlled and development-ready
Structure Joint venture. Partner brings capital, balance sheet, and development management. UEC leads design, performance certification, and technical authority. Equity split and governance TBD
Certification Third-party building performance certification target — the world's most rigorous standard, developed in Germany. First development of this caliber in Climate Zone 2A, Texas. Publishable case study · Sun Belt template
Timeline Development-ready. Feasibility and schematic design begin within 90 days of LOI execution. No entitlement delay — zoning in place
09 / Die Partnerschaft — The Partnership
WHAT EACH
SIDE BRINGS
Urban Earth Consulting
David Komet, CPHC · San Antonio, Texas
  • Controlled land position · New Braunfels
  • PHI Certified Passive House Consultant
  • CZ 2A-specialized expertise — hot-humid climate design
  • German language fluency — technical and investor-grade
  • Design authority from concept through performance certification
  • Harvard Graduate Certificate · Green Building & Community
  • Shell delivery methodology and buyer coordination
Development Partner
Experienced developer · European or U.S.-based
  • Balance sheet and capital structure
  • Development management experience
  • Track record delivering mixed-use or live/work product
  • Access to European capital or ESG investor base
  • U.S. market expansion intent or existing presence
  • Commitment to performance standards and long-term asset quality
"Wir suchen einen echten Partner —
mit Erfahrung, Kapital und Vision."
"We are looking for a real partner — with experience, capital, and vision."
"Das Land ist da.
Der Markt ist bereit.
Wir suchen den richtigen Partner."
"The land is there. The market is ready.
We are looking for the right partner."
DAVID KOMET
CPHC · PHI Certified Passive House Consultant
Urban Earth Consulting · San Antonio, Texas
New Braunfels · Climate Zone 2A · German–English
International Passive House Conference · Essen 2026