Work & research in a sustainable house

The WÄLDERHAUS in Hamburg/Wilhelmsburg is a meeting place and think-tank for international cooperation projects and supports the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG ́s) of the UN. In 2018 the IFS Gallery, the International Forum Sustainability, was founded and presents temporary exhibitions on the theme of Sustainability. ISA took up its work in the WÄLDERHAUS at the beginning of 2019. The Academy offers scholarship-holders a fully equipped place of work and places all necessary technical facilities at their disposal.

The House is an excellence project of the International Building Exhibition 2013 (IBA Hamburg) and this multifunction building at Inselpark, Wilhelmsburg is unique in the world in terms of architecture and concept. Visual accents are set with the asymmetric design and a facade in larch wood. The theme “Forest and timber” is not only present in the interior of the WÄLDERHAUS, but also through all the areas. The house is to a great extent C02- neutral.

Hamburg in figures

International City of over a million inhabitants. Green City. Port. City of Media & Culture.

A total of 1.8 million people live in Germany’s second largest city over an area of more than 750km². Of the residents, 550,000 have an immigration background, representing 183 nationalities. They all live in 7 Districts (Hamburg-Mitte, Altona, Eimsbüttel, Hamburg-Nord, Wandsbek, Bergedorf and Harburg) and a total of 104 urban quarters.

Green Hamburg

Despite being an industrial port, Hamburg is one of the greenest big cities in Europe: Almost one fifth of the surface area is covered by meadows, forests, parks and water and around half of these areas are protected. In over 100 years of history of the Hamburg parks, green areas have increased more than tenfold, from 200 to 3000 hectares.

Today Hamburg links its leading role in sustainable city development with contemporary concepts. In 2011 the city was awarded the title “Environment Capital of Europe”. Hamburg is working on the ambitious goal to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 80% by the year 2050. The strategy provides for resource-saving internal growth: Brownfields and industrial lands are to be reclaimed for the residents. One example: Hamburg‘s Port City is one of the biggest inner-city construction projects in Europe. In the middle of the city, Hamburg is utilizing 157 hectares of the former port district for urban development. By 2015 12,000 apartments and offices for a total 45,000 people were built here. Numerous buildings have won awards for sustainable architecture.

A further major project is the climate-neutral rebuilding and new development of the Wilhelmsburg district under the framework of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) 2013. In the course of the International Garten Show (igs) the Wilhelmsburg Island Park was built, with sunbathing lawns, barbeque sites, playgrounds and sports areas, a canoe canal and high rope park. This is the location of the WÄLDERHAUS. The Island Park links Hamburg’s green parks north and south of the River Elbe and with 100 hectares is one of the biggest parks built in Germany during the last few years.

Transport Junction & Port City

The Hanseatic City of Hamburg is an important traffic junction not only for north Germany but also for northern Europe. Some 60 airlines connect Hamburg directly with 115 national and international destinations. 700 long-distance trains depart from here every day from four rail stations.

Although Hamburg is not on the coast, the Port of Hamburg is the biggest and most important seaport in Germany and a place for foreign trade and transit.

Around 9 million containers are moved every year in the port of Hamburg. About one third of these stay in the metropolitan region, and the rest transported to other German states or to neighboring European countries. The port is of major economic importance.

Media and Culture City

In terms of media and culture Hamburg is a city of superlatives: Here are the head offices of Germany’s journal publishing houses, the German Press Agency (dpa) and a number of TV and radio stations.

Classical composers such as Händel and Brahms or the authors Lessing and Matthias Claudius are closely linked with the history of the city.

Today after New York and London, Hamburg is the third largest Musical Metropolis. Up to 2 million visitors every year enjoy visiting musicals such as “The Lion King”.

A new star in the culture sky is without a doubt the “Elbphilharmonie” that the people of Hamburg lovingly call “Elphi”. After some years of delay, the construction of the concert hall was completed in 2016. The 110 meter high building in the Port City district is on the right bank of the northern Elbe. The building plinth incorporates the shell of the former imperial storage warehouse A (built in 1963). Above it rises a modern construction with a glass facade reminiscent of sails, waves, icebergs or crystal quartz.

Hamburg and the SDGs

A multi-disciplinary, politically independent council has analyzed the SDGs and identified areas where action needs to be taken as these are of particular importance for Hamburg. This gave rise to four thematic areas that are at the focus of further procedures and therefore to be worked on more intensively: 1) Environment and city, 2) Sustainable economic and financial policies, 3) Participation and social solidarity and 4) Education and science. The next step (status: March 2019) comprises setting up and putting into practice an effective control and monitoring system for the individual part goals.

Source: www.hamburg.de, the official Hamburg website

Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald (SDW)

The motto: Learn, understand and live sustainability. Education in respect of forests and the environment is a major part of the work of the Association in Hamburg. Children, especially in big cities, are ever more losing a connection to the forest and to nature. With its educational forest and environment learning programs for schools, kindergartens and families in the SCIENCE CENTER WALD in the WÄLDERHAUS and the WaldSchule in the Niendorf Enclosure, together with a special Environment Bus, the SDW reaches more than 10,000 children, young people and adults every year. Since 2004 the SDW is a NUN-certified education center for sustainable development (BNE). The certificate as BNE assures the quality of education from providers outside the school system. All certified persons and establishments operate under the NUN umbrella and can advertise their educational offers with this approval.

Moreover, SDW in involved in work on numerous projects. Since November 2016 it is the consortium leader of the Regional Hubs for Sustainability Strategies (RENN.nord). The RENN network has the task of anchoring the 17 SDGs of the UN more firmly in the regions.