Abstract
The Energiebunker in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg used to be an abandoned and overgrown flak and air raid bunker—a relic of World War II. After the war, the interior of the bunker was blown up, and only the upper floors and the three- to- four meter thick concrete walls remained. For more than 60 years the building was not in use. The building was transformed during the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg between 2006 and 2013 and is now used to generate renewable electricity and heat for more than 1500 households. This adaptive reuse not only enabled the bunker to be integrated into the redesigned neighborhood, but also to fulfill certain societal needs. The historic building was conserved and given a new sustainable use. Nowadays it is a tourist attraction and a war memorial. This paper explores the economic and environmental sustainability of this transformation. Could this be a second use scenario for other bunker facilities from World War II?
Highlights
The adaptive reuse of the Energiebunker in the City of Hamburg in Germany is a unique project with flagship character
The Energiebunker in the city of Hamburg is a neglected defense facility reused as a plant to produce and provide renewable energy as electricity and heat for an urban neighborhood of the Wilhelmsburg district
The Energiebunker still remains a historical monument as its defense architecture style of World War II is still visible
Summary
The adaptive reuse of the Energiebunker in the City of Hamburg in Germany is a unique project with flagship character. The Energiebunker in the city of Hamburg is a neglected defense facility reused as a plant to produce and provide renewable energy as electricity and heat for an urban neighborhood of the Wilhelmsburg district. The project offers a solution for the transition to renewables in cities and helps to raise public awareness for climate and environmental protection It bestows a new life and purpose upon an important landmark and memorial, which would have otherwise fallen further into disrepair. The adaptive reuse of big buildings, like neglected industrial sites and defense facilities, is one possibility to bring renewable heat and electricity into dense urban neighborhoods, and into rural areas, in order to reach this goal. This article shows how bunker facilities can be reused to locally produce renewable energy and asks if this concept could be implemented in other German cities, too. Strategic Partnership for Higher Education LOTUS [9]
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