“The will to succeed can move mountains”: the mountains that Reinhard Müller moved were gigantic. In 2008, the architect and project developer with many years of experience in the preservation of historical monuments began to develop a model quarter for the climate-neutral, resource-saving and intelligent city of tomorrow on the site of the disused gasometer in Berlin-Schöneberg. Within a few years, a 5.5-hectare site that was unattractive, contaminated and in need of redevelopment was transformed into an innovative urban quarter where 5,500 people now work in more than 150 companies, institutions and start-ups around the themes of energy, mobility and sustainability.
It is the combination of historic building fabric and a lot of high-tech-oriented use that gives the site its very special charm. Listed as a historic monument in 1994, the historic buildings of the former Schöneberg gasworks have been renovated and new buildings added over the past 12 years.
NOT A MUSEUM
The result is an ensemble that ties in with the historical energy theme in terms of content and design. The old buildings were renovated not only with regard to the preservation of historical monuments, but also to energy efficiency. It goes without saying that the new buildings were all built as certified “green buildings”. Historic preservation in the sense of the entrepreneur Reinhard Müller cannot be something static: when the site is completed in the summer of 2024, the goal of the state conservator from the mid-1990s will have been achieved, namely the permanent preservation and experience of a listed site, based on an economic concept that makes this preservation possible.
BEACON OF SCHÖNEBERG
The dominant building on the campus is, of course, the old gasometer from 1871, which used to store the so-called city gas produced from coal. Not only will this monument to a bygone energy era be preserved, but the striking outer steel structure will be restored to its original appearance. The real highlight, however, is the planned use with offices and a conference centre. For this, a new building is being completed within the steel structure, but completely independent of it, not even touching it. This achieves both: a sensible use without compromise, and a listed exterior that can be considered a landmark of the EUREF campus and a beacon object for the entire district.
CLIMATE-NEUTRAL ENERGY CONCEPT
A “European Energy Forum” would not deserve its name if the most advanced technologies did not ensure maximum efficiency and CO2 neutrality. The Berlin gas supplier GASAG operates an “energy workshop” on the EUREF site, where two combined heat and power plants generate heat and electricity for its own heating network and for feeding into the Berlin power grid. If surplus electricity from renewable production is available on windy or sunny days, it can be used to heat and cool water in two water tanks. This power-to-heat / powerto- cold technology, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, can be used to store energy for later use, i.e. for heating or cooling. Electricity storage for grid stabilisation is also provided for: Audi operates a so-called second-use battery for this purpose. This consists of 20 discarded, interconnected batteries from electric vehicles and has a capacity of 1.9 megawatt hours. A special highlight of the energy workshop is the so-called Eco-Tool, which uses Artificial Intelligence to control the entire system. For this, around 1,000 data points from the Energy Workshop and the buildings provide information on which energy is consumed in which building and when. Weather forecasts and energy market data are also considered for the calculations. All of this is absolutely high-tech, but perhaps the most amazing thing is that these services can be delivered at completely normal energy prices.
MASTER’S STUDIES
A campus like EUREF lives through its large and small innovative companies and start-ups that have settled here to take advantage of the unique atmosphere and also the mutual exchange. Deutsche Bahn, Schneider Electric, GASAG and Arcadis are here, as are many start-ups from the fields of energy, sustainability and mobility, the German Wind Energy and Renewable Energy Associations, organisations such as the energy agency dena and Fraunhofer Energy Research. Last but not least, the Technical University of Berlin has also seized the opportunity that the EUREF Campus offers for exchange and communication and has founded its own teaching, research and consulting facility there around the transformation processes from fossil-based to renewable energy concepts. In addition to continuing education and training events, master’s degree courses on topics related to the energy transition are also offered. And the campus offer is rounded off for visitors by five restaurants under the gastronomic management of star chef Thomas Kammeier as well as by the hotel in the historic water tower.
Text Matthias Ginsberg / Publizistisches Büro Berlin