The districts of HafenCity and Wilhelmsburg in Hamburg, Germany are undergoing a renaissance.
Formerly a rundown warehouse district and a dock area respectively, the two neighborhoods are being remade into modern, environmentally responsible mixed-use developments. Areas of the port city are prone to flooding, so construction is made to be resilient to water intrusion.
An innovative landscaping system was created where every building’s first floor is uninhabited. Offices and businesses are allowed on ground floors, but not homes. Buildings are equipped with metal doors that close during floods. Some streets are raised. The strategy is to give the water space to flow instead of trying to stop it with dikes.
The Wilhelmsburg development includes wind turbines and solar panels that provide electricity for 4,000 homes. HafenCity buildings feature rooftop PVs and one has a wind turbine.
Related Stories
Modular Building | Jul 6, 2023
Lennar, Mastry Ventures make multi-million dollar investment in net-zero prefab homes
Mastry Ventures and LENx, the venture arm of homebuilder Lennar, have co-invested in Vessel Technologies’ next-generation housing product.
AEC Tech | May 9, 2023
4 insights on building product manufacturers getting ‘smart’
Overall, half of building product manufacturers plan to invest in one or more areas of technology in the next three years.
Smart Buildings | Apr 7, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University's research on advanced building sensors provokes heated controversy
A research project to test next-generation building sensors at Carnegie Mellon University provoked intense debate over the privacy implications of widespread deployment of the devices in a new 90,000-sf building. The light-switch-size devices, capable of measuring 12 types of data including motion and sound, were mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building.
Intelligent Lighting | Feb 13, 2023
Exploring intelligent lighting usage in healthcare, commercial facilities
SSR's Todd Herrmann, PE, LEEP AP, explains intelligent lighting's potential use cases in healthcare facilities and more.
Products and Materials | Jan 18, 2023
6 innovative products for multifamily developments
Here are six innovative products for various multifamily developments, including a condominium-wide smart electrical system, heavy-duty aluminum doors, and prefabricated panels.
BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022
The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them
Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers.
Green | Oct 5, 2022
In California, a public power provider’s new headquarters serves as a test case for an innovative microgrid and for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), the public power provider for California’s Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, recently unveiled its new all-electric headquarters.
Smart Buildings | Jun 1, 2022
Taking full advantage of smart building technology
Drew Deatherage of Crux Solutions discusses where owners and AEC firms could do better at optimizing smart technology in building design and operations.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
Smart Buildings | Nov 20, 2020
The Weekly show: SPIRE smart building rating system, and pickleball court design tips
The November 19 episode of BD+C's The Weekly is available for viewing on demand.
