Verticka: Weimar's innovative solution to heat and pollution

Verticka: Weimar's innovative solution to heat and pollution

In modern urban planning, urbanists, researchers and architects face new challenges, especially when it comes to adapting to the climate. With its latest project, the "vertical climate sewage treatment plant" (verticska), the Bauhaus University Weimar is a strong sign of innovative solutions in urban space. This new green facade greening, which was designed in combination with solar modules, will in future play a key role in improving the microclimate in compressed cities.

On September 5, 2024, the test score project at the Faculty of Building and Environment of the Bauhaus University in Weimar is ceremoniously inaugurated. The innovative greening of facade on the B.IS technology is installed at Coudraystraße 10 and presented for the first time. The development of the prototype took place in a multi -year process between 2019 and 2022. Among the partners involved in this joint project are universities, research institutes and companies from practice.

challenges of the urban climate

In many European cities, people suffer from extreme heat waves, which are tightened by dense buildings and the lack of green spaces. These heat -intensive zones, also known as "heat islands", require urgent measures to improve the quality of life. The vertical ca system not only aims to reduce heat-related problems, but also to offer other environmental advantages, such as improving air quality and creating new habitats for flora and fauna.

In the core of the project, there are proposed, movable photovoltaic elements. These systems not only generate energy, but also offer the plants protection against extreme weather events such as heat, heavy rain and wind. The use of gray water as a source of irrigation is another innovative aspect: it is less dirty sewage, which is created, for example, when showering or washing the laundry. This gray water is collected and regularly transported to the technical center to supply the vegetative components and at the same time optimize resource use.

Gloria Kohlhepp, a research assistant in the team of Prof. Silvio Beier, emphasizes that the use of the gray water can be provided with nutrients for the plants, which avoids using drinking water. In addition, evaporation gives a cooling effect on the ambient air, which contributes to the further improvement of the microclimate.

cooperation for a sustainable future

The research consortium for the project is made up of several important partners. These include Björnsen advisory engineers from Leonberg, several professorships from the Bauhaus University Weimar as well as Izes gGmbH from Saarbrücken and Solyco Solar AG from Berlin. This transdisciplinary cooperation is intended to ensure that the results of the project provide practical and measurable benefits for the cities of the future.

The prototype of the vertics caes will be tested in a real laboratory from September 2024. The focus is on examining the effectiveness of the substrates for gray water treatment and the vitality of the plants. The effects on the microclimate of the ambient area are also examined in detail. Here the professorship building physics under the direction of Prof. Conrad Völker and Dr.-Ing. Hayder Alsaad and Maria Hartmann, M. Sc., Get their expertise.

Media representatives are welcome to take part in the ceremonial inauguration of the vertical caema and thus get a first impression of this promising project. It is clear that such innovative approaches to climate adaptation are not only relevant for Weimar, but for all urban rooms in which temperatures rise and the quality of life must be improved.