RE-GREEN STUDY VISITS IN POTSDAM AND BERLIN, GERMANY

25.-26. September 2012

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CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3

1. Berlin-Adlershof ........................................................................................................ 4

1.1 Institute of Physics, Humboldt University ............................................................. 4

1.2 Solon Headquarters ............................................................................................ 5

2. Drewitz, Potsdam ...................................................................................................... 8

2.1 Project “Garden city” ........................................................................................... 8

2.2 Project “Hamster” - Schiller Gymnasium Drewitz ................................................. 9

Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 10

ANNEX ....................................................................................................................... 12

I Agenda of the Field Trip and Contacts .................................................................. 12

II List of RE-GREEN Participants ............................................................................ 13

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Introduction

The second Study Visit of the RE-GREEN project took place in Berlin and in Potsdam,

Germany on September 25th and 26th 2012. It was organized by the University of

Potsdam. There are several outstanding good practice examples in terms of energy

efficient retrofitting and the use of renewable energies in the region. The building

projects selected for the study visit are already ended projects or still in progress and

cover buildings from the public and private sector. Potsdam has an integrated climate

protection concept with the ambitious aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 % till 2020

(based on the year 2005). Treated subjects in this concept are energy and buildings,

solar roofs, traffic, landscape and town planning and public relations. Measures like the

installation of a solar roof webpage, the establishment of a coordinating agency for

climate protection in the city council, an advisory board for climate to control economy,

science and politics as well as a climate network are enforced to fulfil this target. In the

building sector Potsdam strives to a cost-effective continuation in thermo retrofitting of

residential buildings and the stimulation of energy-efficient new buildings.

The German capital Berlin has an Urban Development Climate Plan since May 2011.

The integrated strategic concept includes among other urban design open space and

landscape aspects, the stabilization of water and ecosystems in the face of changing

precipitation patterns, the preservation of rest and recreation opportunities in nature

areas, open spaces on Berlin's waterways as well as the development of a climatic

friendly city. Buildings play a central role in this integrative, process-oriented and cross-

departmental instrument. The energy-optimization in the building and refurbishment

field shall be reached by planning and implementing energy-optimized new buildings

and refurbishing the stock of existing buildings in an energy-efficient way. Additionally,

the three-pillar approach - increasing energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption

and using renewable energy- should be reinforced in order to reach the climate

protection established goals1. An area where some green buildings have already been

built before the adoption of this Climate Plan is Berlin Adlershof.

1 Cf. RE-GREEN Case of the month Berlin. URL: http://www.re-green.eu/en/go/case-of-the-month---berlin, accessed on 12/12/2012

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1. Berlin-Adlershof

On the first day, the RE-GREEN partners visited two buildings in Berlin Adlershof. The

area is a leading science and technology park, locating business and media companies

too. There are eleven non-university research facilities, six institutes of the Humboldt

University, over 900 companies in modern technology and entrepreneurial centres

besides an over 250 years old city centre. Because of the innovative infrastructure and

networks, several green buildings can be found in the area. Two of them have been

visited by the RE-GREEN partners.

1.1 Institute of Physics, Humboldt University

The first one was the institute of Physics of the Humboldt University in Berlin Adlershof.

Brigitte Reichmann from the Senate for Urban Development and Marco Schmidt from

the Technical University Berlin (TU Berlin) guided the visit. Both of them were involved

in the planning process. The building is an exceptional project of ecological urban

development featuring various innovations of sustainable construction. A team of

experts and scientists from the TU Berlin, the Humboldt University and the University of

Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg has scientifically monitored and evaluated the

project within the framework of the Berlin Programme for Urban Ecological Model

Projects2.

The building has a decentralised rainwater management, building greening and

elements for cooling and ventilation. The rainwater is stored in cisterns and used to

irrigate a façade greening system and to generate evaporative cooling in air

conditioners. Extra water is collected in a pond in the building’s courtyard allowing the

water to either evaporate or drain into the ground. In winter times the plants lose their

foliage and make more sunlight shine through the windows. But the growth-inhibiting

effect of leached chemicals turned out to have an effect on the roof and façade

greening system. Nowadays irrigation has to be done with tab water2. A lack of

communication between the persons involved in the planning and construction of

different parts probably caused this problem.

Anyways, Mr. Schmidt pointed out the importance of such green roofs and open areas

to prevent the heat island effect, which - in his opinion - contributes as much to climate

change as global CO2-emission.

2 Taken from the Flyer of the Institute of Physics.

http://www.gebaeudekuehlung.de/faltblatt_institut_physik_engl.pdf

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Institute of Physics, Berlin Adlershof; 25.09.2012, photographed by T. Lipp

1.2 Solon Headquarters

The second stop in Adlershof was made at Solon Headquarters, the office building of a

photovoltaic manufacturer. Unfortunately it was not possible to enter the building

because of the company’s insolvency. Even though, Heiko Weissbach, an architect

from Ticket B city tours, explained the whole concept from outside. The building

features a curvaceous roof whose perimeter is lined with a 210 kW (peak) photovoltaic

array, while the central portion is a green roof. Water pipes were integrated into the

concrete fabric to achieve energy-saving temperature regulation by concrete core

temperature control. The triple-glazed windows and excellent envelop provide highly

effective thermal insulation with external shade elements affording optimal protection

from the sun. Importance was attached to natural ventilation via windows. The green

inner courtyard provides natural lighting and prevents an excessive build-up of heat in

the building during the summer. This, in turn, means less energy is used for cooling.

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Solon Headquarters Berlin Adlershof; 15.06.2012 photographed by T. Gäbler

Besides that the focus lies on user behaviour here and many features were designed to

help people inside the building to save energy. There are, for example, only very little

conventional light switches in use. The employees are able to adjust ventilation,

heating and lighting on their own using computerized touch panels, thus meeting their

needs in an efficient and responsible way.

Energy consumption and CO2 emissions are cut by 25% compared to office buildings

of equivalent size and function. Additionally electric cars and motorbikes can be

charged outside the building and are used by the employees for driving to

appointments.

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More information about Solon Headquarters

http://detailtopics.de/energie-nachhaltigkeit/projekte/projektauswahl/solon-headquarter/

http://www.solon.com/global/company/solon-at-a-glance/solon-headquarters/index.html

Solon Headquarters entrance hall,

Berlin Adlershof 15.06.2012

photographed by T. Gäbler

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2. Drewitz, Potsdam

On Wednesday, 26th, the RE-GREEN partners visited the Potsdam urban district

“Drewitz”. This city quarter was erected in the 1980s in the former GDR3 and consists

of buildings made from prefabricated slabs is home to nearly 6000 dwellers in 2900

apartments. Many of the people living in them are receiving public assistance.

Furthermore, the district is situated next to a motorway but is not very well integrated in

the public transport system.

2.1 Project “Garden city”

The district “Drewitz” is planned to become a “Gartenstadt” (garden city). An integrated

urban development concept was developed by the housing agency ProPotsdam and

was price winning in 2009. Since then a master plan is on its way to create urban

parks, foster the use of renewable energies and reconstruct buildings under energetic

aspects. Also infrastructure and traffic are part of the ambitious plans. The main target

is to develop a modern sustainable quarter with low CO2 emissions, green

infrastructure, good living conditions and a good connection to public transports. One

important goal is to keep the rents low so that current inhabitants can stay in the

quarter. The project is financially supported by the federal state of Brandenburg.

First not involved in the planning process, the citizens of Drewitz started their own

initiative to influence the renovation measures. Stakeholders and planners decided to

foster public participation then and to rework the plan with them. An important part of

the participation progress was the implementation of workshops. One main result of

those was the establishment of a parking lot management plan which will be realised

by the city of Potsdam and the housing agency (ProPotsdam) in close coordination with

the citizens.

The RE-GREEN-partners had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Ohst from the city

administration who presented the existing Garden City Plan in the Drewitz “project

store” (a room of the citizens’ initiative). They also got to know Dr. Kristian Klüsener

from the ProPotsdam housing agency and Klaus Mohrholz-Wensauer from the citizen’s

initiative. Dr. Klüsener demonstrated the construction work in the Drewitz quarter by

showing one housing block currently under renovation.

3 German Democratic Republic

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RE-GREEN partners in front of a housing block under renovation, Potsdam Drewitz; 26.09.2012,

photographed by K. Voigt

More information about the Garden City project:

http://www.gartenstadt-drewitz.de/cms/?home

(only in German but with some plans, pictures and films)

2.2 Project “Hamster” - Schiller Gymnasium Drewitz

A project within the renovation measures in Drewitz is the Schiller Gymnasium. The

school building was the last one of this type build in the GDR3 in 1991 and is used by

the Schiller Gymnasium since 2002. Headmaster Mr. Mohry presented the ambitious

HAMSTER-project to the partners, which aims to make the school CO2-neutral until

2020. The plan is to produce energy with photovoltaic panels and to save energy for

the winter months by producing and storing hydrogen. The hydrogen shall be burned in

fuel cells to generate electricity and thermal energy for the school during the cold

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season. In fact, at the end of the process water and oxygen should be the only

emissions produced by the school.

The solar generators on the roof of the school are already producing up to 200 MWh

per year. But there is no sufficient developed storage system for hydrogen yet. That’s

why the hope of the school lies in the development of new strategies like hydrogen-

storage in carbon.

Several partners are supporting the project, e.g. scientists from the energy industry,

solar industry and hydrogen industry. By implementing this project the school wants to

set an example for climate protection addressed to the pupils and their parents. Pupils

of the school are involved in the planning and renovation process via workshops.

Conclusion

The presented projects reflect possibilities of establishing green buildings in the region

of Potsdam and Berlin which could certainly function as good practice examples.

For the city of Berlin there should be made a note of the green roofs and courtyards

that both of the buildings had. Those can function as recreation area and prevent a

high build-up of heat in the building during the summer, reducing energy consumption

for cooling also. Both features, as well as green façades, oppose the island heat effect.

As they are relatively easy to put in place, they should become a standard for new

buildings and refurbishment. As the Berlin climate plan aims to preserve open spaces,

that point should be considered.

The idea to provide electric cars run with energy from PV panels on the roof is also a

very good point that should be taken as an example for new buildings. The employees

do not need to drive long distances. Most of the time electric cars would fit their needs.

The example of Drewitz showed that public participation is very important. The

acceptance of reconstruction measures is higher when inhabitants of the buildings are

involved in the planning process. Additionally they can contribute new ideas to it and

sometimes help to prevent problems in the run-up. In Drewitz, they wanted more

parking lots because of the high car ownership. It turned out that this fact was caused

by the low frequentation of public transports in the district. The improvement of the

public transport system was already part of the plan but has been reworked together

with the inhabitants for optimization.

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Another important point to be retained is the idea to renovate social housing here.

Retrofitting should not only be affordable for rich people or cause higher rents.

As it could be seen on the example of façade greening of the Institute of Physics and

public participation in Drewitz, an important issue should always be a good

communication between all actors that are somehow involved in the planning and

building process to guarantee a fully operative building.

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ANNEX

I Agenda of the Field Trip and Contacts

Institute for Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin Adlershof

• Dipl.-Ing. Brigitte Reichmann Berlin Senate for Urban Development, Department VI, Ministerial Affairs of Building, section ecological construction brigitte.reichmann@senstadt.verwalt-berlin.de

• Dipl.-Ing. Marco Schmidt

Technical University Berlin; Institute of Architecture, Department of Building, Technology and Design marco.schmidt@tu-Berlin.de

Solon Headquarters, Berlin Adlershof

• Heiko Weissbach, Ticket B - City tours by architects in Berlin Frankfurter Tor 1 10243 Berlin-Friedrichshain Fon +49 30 420 26 96 20 Fax +49 30 420 26 96 29 E-Mail: info@ticket-b.de

Gartenstadt Drewitz, Potsdam (Garden City Drewitz)

• Patrick Ohst, City Council of Potsdam Dienstgebäude: Hegelallee 6-10 Haus 1 Zi . 332, 14461 Potsdam Fon: +49 331 289 - 3246 Fax: +49 331 289 – 3222 E-mail: Patrick.Ohst@rathaus.potsdam.de

• Dr. Christian Klüssener, ProPotsdam housing agency Pappelallee 4, 14469 Potsdam Fon: +49 331 6206-717 Fax: +49 331 6206-737 E-mail: Kristian.Kluesener@ProPotsdam.de

Schiller Gymnasium Drewitz

• Dipl.-Des. Andreas W. Mohry, Headmaster Fritz-Lang-Str. 15, 14480 Potsdam Fon: +49 331 9513-661 Fax: +49 331 9513-662 E-mail: andreas.mohry@schiller.sg

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II List of RE-GREEN Participants

N° PP Partner Representative

1 1 Lead Partner

INTELI – Intelligence in Innovation (Portugal)

Isabel Marques

2 1 Lead

Partner INTELI – Intelligence in Innovation (Portugal)

Carla Silva

3 2 University of Potsdam (Germany)

Torsten Lipp

4 2 University of Potsdam (Germany)

Tina Gäbler

5 2 University of Potsdam (Germany) Karsten Voigt 6 3 Municipality of Dabrowa Gornicza

(Poland) Marek Mrówka

7 3 Municipality of Dabrowa Gornicza (Poland)

Pawel Zygmunt

8 3 Municipality of Dabrowa Gornicza (Poland)

Patrycja Zytkowska

9 4 Tartu Regional Energy Agency (Estonia)

Martin Kikas

10 4 Tartu Regional Energy Agency (Estonia)

Kalle Virkus

11 5 Nordregio: Nordic Centre for Spatial Development (Sweden)

Ryan Weber

12 5 Nordregio: Nordic Centre for Spatial Development (Sweden)

Mitchell Reardon

13 7 Building for the Future Limited (UK) Lisa Hall 14 8 Local Energy Agency Spodnje

Podravje (Slovenia) Dalibor Sostaric

15 9 City of Mizil (Romania) Petronela Sturz 16 10 City Architects, Dublin City Council

(Ireland) Matthew Carroll

17 11 AGENEX - Extremadura Energy Agency (Spain)

Ramón Benítez González

18 11 AGENEX - Extremadura Energy Agency (Spain)

Martín Cobos Rodríguez

19 11 AGENEX - Extremadura Energy Agency (Spain)

Javier Ordónez Munoz

20 Consultant of PP11

Gestiona Global (Spain) Juan Pablo Martín García