Planned: First national climate-protection-residential estate
Pilot project is to be developed on the premises of Science Park Gelsenkirchen
Photo: City of Gelsenkirchen; Visualization: Fa. ch-quadrat, Plettenberg
Photo: City of Gelsenkirchen; Visualization: Fa. ch-quadrat, Plettenberg
Now Gelsenkirchen is up-to-date in the matter of climate protection. The Solar City, including Germany's largest photovoltaics-residential area and the first solar residential area of the Ruhr, is now involved in a new NRW-project. An exemplary passive house project is being planned at a prominent location. It is the first of 100 planned climate-protection residential estates in North Rhine-Westphalia. Today (12/9/2009) this concept is being presented to the city's planning board (4 pm, city hall). The pilot project is supposed to show how you can cut the requirements of the current energy saving regulations by more than the half. This is to be achieved by combining solar energy, efficient insulation, state-of-the-art heat technology including waste heat recovery.
NRW-Secretary of Commerce, Christina Thoben, who introduced the project in October, is enthusiastic about the quick answer from Gelsenkirchen.
"I'm really happy that the first climate-protection housing estate in NRW is going to be built in Gelsenkirchen. Here, close to the Science Park, the building standard of the future will be realized. This impressingly shows and emphasizes the structural change of the Ruhr. This project both contributes to climate protection and creates new jobs in the building industry."
The federal state government will support the planned measures such as passive house standards, waste heat recovery, solar thermal systems and solar power plants. More than 210,000 euro are to be invested.
According to the plans of Münster based architect Helmut Mohr, the houses are to be built within eyeshot of Science Park Gelsenkirchen, internationally known known as a center for renewable energies. All in all, 4 four-storied buildings including 56 barrier-free apartments between 45 m² and 82 m² are developed, according to passive house specifications. The apartments are to be heated with solar thermal systems combined with gas condensing boilers. The produced energy will be in the highly insulated bulidungs as long as possible, due to ventilation systems including waste heat recovery. Photovoltaic modules for eco-friendly power generation are to be instelled on the roofs. The start of construction is scheduled for spring 2010. "We are optimistic to successfully continue the cooperation of NRW.Urban, the City of Gelsenkirchen, EnergieAgentur.NRW and the Department of Trade and industry", said architect Helmut Mohr as representative of all investors. "In this project we will reconcile climate protection with high-class architecture and enough freedom for future residents", Mohr sums up.
Major of Gelsenkirchen, Frank Baranowski, does not only see a great contribution for climate protection and an addition fot the Science Park in the project called "Wohnpark Rheinelbestraße". He also perceives it as an important momentum for the district. "This project is an ideal start for our urban development modernizations like the construction of the new "Justizzentrum" (Center, incl. Local-, Labor- and Social Court). It will upgrade Bochumer Straße and the district of "Neustadt" said Baranowski. "The residential estate will show once more that a high quality of urban development can be combined with energy efficiency. This is a great signal from Gelsenkirchen during the world climate conference in Copenhagen."