Joining Forces for Living in the City of the Future

Whereas the core task of the IBA Hamburg until its closing presentation in 2013 is to develop sustainable solutions for key development problems facing the modern metropolis, VELUX Germany´s Model Home 2020 residential building, combines optimal energy design with the best possible indoor climate.

"The IBA as an urban development process and the Model Home 2020 experiment have thus committed to the same goals: sustainability and climate protection", explains Andreas Kuipers, Managing Director of VELUX Germany.

In implementing these goals, the IBA and VELUX Germany aim to follow part of this path together. Andreas Kuipers signed the "IBA Convention" on 8 September as an expression of this cooperation.

"We are pleased that VELUX Germany has made its contribution with the Model Home 2020 experiment towards the climate protection concept 'Erneuerbares Wilhemsburg (renewable Wilhelmsburg)', as the greatest potential for saving energy lies in the renovation of existing spaces", says Uli Hellweg, Managing Director of IBA Hamburg.

Model Home 2020 in Germany is a renovation project
With its Model Home 2020, the VELUX Group is searching for solutions to living in the future. The goal is to develop buildings which combine optimal energy design and the highest quality of living. Currently, six concept houses are being developed across Europe, which take into account climatic, cultural and architectural conditions of the respective country and provide specific solutions. The Model Home 2020 in Germany is a renovation project in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. The modernisation of a semi-detached house from the 1950s is aimed to show which results are possible with integrated planning and the use of modern technology. Planning and implementation are now also officially committed to one of the key recurring themes of the IBA: building that is both climate and energy conscious.

Students at the TU Darmstadt (Darmstadt Polytechnic) developed designs and ideas for implementing the renovation project while participating in a closed competition endowed with a total of €7,500 in prize money between May and August. The other semi-detached house under private ownership was also included in the plans by the students. The plan entailed modernising under the aspect of 'cost efficiency' thereby achieving results which can be realised using average available means of a homeowner.

The jury
A jury comprised of external experts and VELUX staff members judged the proposals at the beginning of September. Among the jury members were Professors Manfred Hegger and Klaus Daniels, TU Darmstadt, Professor of lighting design, Peter Andres, Hamburg, Baudirektor Dipl.-Ing. Dieter Hegner, Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtplanung (BMVBS) and the Managing Director of IBA Hamburg, Uli Hellweg. "We support the idea of the Model Home 2020 experiment with its question concerning living in the future while also equally considering ecological, economical and socio-cultural viewpoints", explains Hellweg on his commitment.
Katharina Fey emerged from the competition as the winner with her design "... aus eigenem Anbau". The jury found: „that the handling of daylight and natural ventilation played a key role in design. […]. In addition to the high housing quality, the statistical data from the designs relating to energy provided convincing results".

Cooperation between IBA and VELUX Germany continues
Even after completion of the construction phase, projected for May 2010, the close cooperation between IBA and VELUX Germany is scheduled to be continued. The plan is to make use of synergies for project work and to jointly organise symposia for architects and planners as well as for private persons open to modernisation during the interim presentation year of the IBA Hamburg.

Background: Student competition VELUX Model Home 2020
Students of architecture of the TU Darmstadt (Darmstadt Polytechnic) developed designs for implementing the VELUX Model Home 2020 in Germany for a closed competition between May and August 2009. The question was: "How can trendsetting architecture and top-quality materials be ideally used in modernising old houses?" In addition to optimised energy efficiency, a high level of comfort should be guaranteed for the residents.

An expert jury awarded four of the total 12 designs entered with prizes at the beginning of September. The jury was comprised of experts from the competency team as well as VELUX staff and the Managing Director of IBA Hamburg, Uli Hellweg, along with the Baudirektor im Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtplanung, Dipl.-Ing. Hans-Dieter Hegner. In addition to the energy concept and measures for increasing housing quality, the jury also judged the architectural creativity of the concepts entered.

Katharina Fey was named winner with her design "... aus eigenem Anbau". The competition offered a total prize purse of €7,500. The jury found: "In addition to the high housing quality, the statistical data from the designs relating to energy provided convincing results". Second place Eun-A Kim impressed the jury with her design Dach-t-raum "[...] with its fascinating spatial effects and daylight atmosphere". And further: "The housing quality of the building has been considerably improved through use of daylight and natural ventilation". The third place was split between Steffen Baumgärtner with his entry 'Barcode 2020' and Bettina Moll with 'solar kin'.

Photo caption
The jury of the student competition for VELUX Model Home 2020 (from the left): Tim Bialucha (Darmstadt Polytechnic), Lone Feifer (VELUX A/S), Jörn Bohlmann (VELUX Germany), Prof. Peter Andres (Andres-Lichtplanung), Petra Schumacher (VELUX Germany), Hans Drexler (Darmstadt Polytechnic), Prof. Manfred Hegger (Darmstadt Polytechnic), Dieter Hegner (BMVBS), Andreas Kuipers (VELUX Germany), Prof. Klaus Daniels (Darmstadt Polytechnic) and Uli Hellweg (IBA Hamburg).
Photo: VELUX Deutschland GmbH

Read more about Model Home 2020

About the IBA Hamburg
For the first time in the history of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, an international building exhibition (IBA) is being held in the city. From 2007 until the closing presentation in 2013 the core task of the IBA Hamburg is to address urban development issues on the Elbe islands of Wilhelmsburg and Veddel, including plans for Harburg upriver port and connecting this 27-km2 site with the nearby city centre. IBA Hamburg GmbH, a company fully owned by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, has received the Senate's mandate to conduct this urban development process. All IBA projects – building projects as well as cultural, social and neighbourhood projects – offer sustainable solutions for key development problems facing the modern metropolis: internationalisation of the urban community, acceptable growth and the use of renewable energy.

For further information, please visit: www.iba-hamburg.de