In 1943, an anti-aircraft bunker was constructed by the Nazis in Hamburg, Germany. Some 70 years later, the structure is supplying power to more than 4,000 homes in the area.
Utility company Hamburg Energie partnered with IBA Hamburg to transform the building. The new "Energy Bunker" is already producing energy for the local community and will eventually provide heating to 3,000 homes and electricity to 1,000 others.
The anti-aircraft bunker had gun turrets to fend off Allied attacks, but also sheltered local people inside during air raids. At the end of WWII, the British wanted to destroy the building entirely, but demolishing the thick concrete walls likely would have damaged surrounding buildings. Instead, the British did away with most of the interior and left the exterior alone. The building remained this way for over 60 years, according to gizmag.
The original planning for the plant began in 2006, with actual renovation beginning in 2011. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Hamburg Climate Protection Concept, the project came to approximately $36 million.
A 2 million-liter water reservoir plugs into the existing Reiherstieg heating network and will serve as a heat store for the plant. The plant features multiple heat sources: a biomass power plant; woodchip burning unit, which feeds into a large boiler; a solar thermal array located on the roof of the bunker; and waste heat from a nearby industrial plant.
To produce electricity, a photovoltaic system is installed on the building's southern facade; the wood burning unit that heats the reservoir doubles as an electricity-producing unit. The energy output is kept steady by a peak-load boiler and battery array.
In addition to the power plant, the building also includes a war memorial, cafe, and visitor's center.
Related Stories
| Feb 13, 2012
WHR Architects renovation of Morristown Memorial Hospital Simon Level 5 awarded LEED Gold
Located in the Simon Building, which serves as the main entrance leading into the Morristown Memorial Hospital campus, the project comprises three patient room wings connected by a centralized nursing station and elevator lobby.
| Feb 10, 2012
Task force addresses questions regarding visually graded Southern Pine lumber
Answers address transition issues, how to obtain similar load-carrying capabilities, and why only some grades and sizes are affected at this time.
| Feb 8, 2012
World’s tallest solar PV-installation
The solar array is at the elevation of 737 feet, making the building the tallest in the world with a solar PV-installation on its roof.
| Feb 6, 2012
Kirchhoff-Consigli begins Phase 2 renovations at FDR Presidential Library and Museum
EYP Architecture & Engineering is architect for the $35 million National Archives Administration project.
| Feb 6, 2012
Siemens gifts Worcester Polytechnic Institute $100,000 for fire protection lab renovation
Siemens support is earmarked for the school’s Fire Protection Engineering Lab, a facility that has been forwarding engineering and other advanced degrees, graduating fire protection engineers since 1979.
| Feb 2, 2012
Call for Entries: 2012 Building Team Awards. Deadline March 2, 2012
Winning projects will be featured in the May issue of BD+C.
| Feb 2, 2012
Mortenson Construction to build 2.4 MW solar project in North Carolina
Located on a 12 acre site in the Sandhills region, the 2.4 megawatt (MW) system is expected to generate approximately 3.5 million kilowatt hours (kWhs) of clean electricity on an annual basis.
| Feb 2, 2012
Fire rated glazing helps historic university preserve its past
When the University embarked on its first major addition since the opening of Hutchins Hall in 1933, preserving the Collegiate Gothic-style architecture was of utmost importance.
| Feb 1, 2012
Replacement windows eliminate weak link in the building envelope
Replacement or retrofit can help keep energy costs from going out the window.
| Feb 1, 2012
Two new research buildings dedicated at the University of South Carolina
The two buildings add 208,000 square feet of collaborative research space to the campus.