Teaching teachers - capacity building for education for sustainable development

The AZB has been offering courses to international participants on the subject of energy efficiency since 2004. Last week the AZB hosted a group of 12 construction trainers from the UK, who have come here to Hamburg to improve their knowledge of sustainable construction methods. The aim of the course is to teach skills and knowledge that can easily be passed on in their lessons. The AZB has worked in cooperation with EUCONTACT Ltd, to provide this opportunity with funding from the European Union under the Leonardo da Vinci Lifelong Learning Programme (VETPRO strand).

The course started with an introduction and a tour around the AZB’s facilities. I think this was of particular interest to the visitors as construction training is not set up in the same way in the UK. On the whole, German construction apprentices undertake a 3-part apprenticeship with a construction company; 1 part theory at vocational school, 1 part practical sessions (at AZB) and 1 part within a construction company.

The second day of the course kicked off with an introduction to the passive house concept – something, which we here at the AZB consider to be a possible future house standard in terms of sustainable and energy saving construction. AZB works with the project Build with CaRe to promote energy efficient building and is developing a number of learning resources to achieve this knowledge transfer.

The achievement of the PassivHaus standard (and energy efficient building) in its nature exemplifies some of the problems that may exist in the current level of workmanship in the construction industry. Passive houses require a high level of accuracy – e.g. in order to make them completely air-tight. This means that there is no room for the “that’ll do” attitude which often exists among many construction workers.

The challenge facing the construction teachers now is- how to change this attitude? -especially when it exists among so many of the employers from whom current trainees are learning new skills?

The morning closed with a discussion about how to change attitudes among the trainees. The discussion highlighted some of the problems experienced in the UK system:

• Some construction trainees are paid to go to college, which has led to some students being there just for this payment rather than a real desire to learn.


• The lack of promotion of the building trade as an important career within schools leads to more and more people seeing it as one of the options for pupils if school grades are bad, rather than an option also for those with higher grades.


• The mentality of ‘getting the job done as quickly as possible’ rather than to the best quality possible.
  
  The overall image of the construction industry needs to change so that it is seen as a career worthy of respect. Perhaps when this capacity exists, construction trainees will be more able to recognise the positive impact they could have through their work in sustainable building, and take more pride in their work.
  
  The rest of the week’s course involved a mixture of theoretical presentations and practical sessions which provided the opportunity for an exchange of knowledge and further discussions around more specific, task-related topics. This ‘learning through doing’ approach is particularly effective for the transfer of knowledge.
  
  This newly-gained knowledge will be taken back to the UK and transferred again to trainees. Ideally, it could be transferred further from trainees to their future employers and from the employers to the other employees and so on and so on……
  
  To find out more about the courses run by the AZB, please contact Matthias Wurtzel
  email: matthias.wurtzel@azb-hamburg.de

Learning from the big screen

This week is 'SchulKinoWochen' (schools cinema week) in Hamburg. Between Monday 23 and Thursday 26 November, 11 cinemas around the city are open to school groups, students and, if performances are not sold out, to the public.

The films on offer range from new releases to classics. You can watch films you've seen before or catch ones you missed first time around. However, the aim is that you learn from them.

In her introduction in the printed listings, Christa Goetsch, Senator for Schools and Vocational Learning, says: "Cinema films have the power to spark social debate. Sometimes they remain in the collective memory as a work of art for an entire generation. But as with other types of media, to make the most of the experience, you need to know what you are doing."

For this reason, the descriptions of each film list the themes covered, the part of the curriculum to which it relates, URLs from which teachers can download marterials to use pre- and post-performance, and the class for which the screening is appropriate. An expert or, in the case of Empire St. Pauli , the film makers, will be on hand to lead debate or help viewers interpret the subject matter.

The films on offer range from 'Unsere Erde - Der Film' (released as Earth) to the screen version of the Thomas Mann classic Buddenbrooks via 'Fightgirl Ayse' (released as 'Fighter').

For each film there is a choice of dates and locations around the city. The screenings are also open to the public. Timings are between 9am and 3pm.

Round the world without leaving Bremerhaven

The distinctive shape of the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven

Axel sounds like a good bloke. He can discuss with Sardinian shepherds (in excellent Italian) the threats to their livelihood, and debate with nomads in Niger (in fluent English) the subtleties of the latters' relationships with women.

Axel is a real person. He's an architect from Bremerhaven. In the early noughties, he and a film crew followed the 8th line of longitude around the world. His diaries, his films, his photos and his souvenirs form the permanent exhibition at the Klimahaus in his home town.

The Bremerhaven 8° Ost exhibitionm, which opened in summer 2009, shows how we could all 'travel' but more sustainably, ie through the experiences of someone else.

I found the entry fee horribly high... It's Euros 12.50 for an adult, but fortunately, as a certified 'Praktikantin', I qualified for a reduction, though at Euros 8.50 it still hurt. The experience kicks off with a schmaltzy film - supposedly to set the scene, although the point escaped me and I simply wanted to flee. After this, though, you move to the start of your 'trip' and I suddenly got a tingle of expectation, perhaps because the first country you 'visit' is Switzerland, and I've long wanted to go there.

There are so many facets to the exhibition I missed several or failed to see the significance of some items until several countries on I realised there was a theme. However, although there are threads that run through each area, there is great variety in the way visitors are engaged. And, unusually, though it is hands-on and clearly relies on a great deal of technology, no-one will be alienated by their real or imagined lack of tecchy know-how or confidence with things computer generated. In fact, in retrospect, it feels quite old-fashioned because you engage with recognisable things rather than 'could be anything' metal boxes with flashing screens.

In 'Switzerland' you can race cows, ring cow bells and find out what climate change is doing to the glaciers

For example, in Switzerland there are cows to milk. As you knead, 'milk' goes into the pail, and if you lean against the animal you 'smell' the farmyard and hear the voice of the farmer encouraging you. You also 'climb' to the top of a mountain. Once there, you can admire the view while you catch your breath, write your name in the 'Gipfelbuch' , and... try your hand, or rather your lungs, at 'Jauchzen'. You watch and listen to Axel taking lessons from his host family surrounded by mountain peaks, admire his gung ho attitude, wonder at the echoes that bounce back, then go into the 'studio' through the door marked, 'On air'. Here you can listen to two examples, see the frequencies, and then.... yeeee, hoooo, haaayyyyaaaa, try it yourself. You record your attempt at caterwauling (sorry 'whooping') then play it back to see how it compares with those of the experts.

In each country, you 'read' Axel's diary (poor bloke, apart from in the Sahara it never seemed to stop raining), 'meet' the family he stayed with, and hear him discuss the climate-related issues they face in their daily lives.

I usually suffer 'museum fatigue' either immediately I enter into an exhibition space or very soon after, due to the lack of natural light and air. Four hours after handing over my Euros and entrusting my luggage to the garderobe personnel, I was still reading the information panels (every entry is summarised in English), trying out new experiences (crossing a hanging bridge made of 'vines', stepping onto a 'polder') when the 'This museum will be closing in 15 minutes' announcements started.

On 'Sardinia' you get a bug's eye view. You also have the chance to 'change' climatic conditions

Consequently, Axel returned to Bremerhaven without me and I'll never know who he met in Cameroon and how the people there live, or the name of his host on the Hallig (Holm) of Langeness in Northern Friesland. But that's okay because I've been to the 'Sahara' where I sweltered, and 'Queen Maud Land' in the Antartic, where I tried on the life-preserving but so very heavy boots, mitts and jumpsuit from the dressing up box, and froze in temperatures of(allegedly) -20C. And, as all I had to do was get to Bremerhaven, which I did by train, it might have felt like it cost the earth to get in, but my carbon footprint, at least, was negligible.

My one regret is that there isn't a way for visitors to take 'souvenir' photos of themselves in each country and be able to email them to themselves or pick them up as a postcard at the end of the exhibition. Mind you, I'd want two... one to keep as well as one to send. But actual or digital, such mementos would generate great publicity for the exhibition. On a par with writing a blog about the experience!

Update: a document from the Klimahaus PR office has alerted me to the following statistics:
The overall interior of the Klimahaus totals 160 400 cubic metres of which 11 800 sq m are given over to four exhibition areas. These are the Journey, the Elements, Perspectives and Opportunities.

This means, in the four hours I was in the Klimahaus, I didn't even see a quarter of what was on offer. Or try the exhibition restaurant. Or visit the shop. But that's what travelling is like, there's always something you don't have time for and have to save for a return visit.

Grinning and bearing it at the Zoo am Meer

Two polar bears pad among the 'rocks'. Behind, them, through a gap in the 'cliffs' is a typical red and white north German lighthouse, and a container ship passing by. No need to call the police though, these animals haven't lost their 'bearings', they are in the excellent Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven.

Meet Lloyd and his friend. There's also a third bear - Viktoria. However as she is possibly pregnant (apparently it's difficult even for experts to tell) and is being cosseted away from the invasive interest of the public. Polar bears (Eisbären in German) are just a precious commodity in captivity as they are in the wild.

As if three polar bears aren't sufficient attraction, watching them swim is a particular highlight for visitors. However, despite the sunshine, during my visit the bears couldn't be enticed into the pool by their keeper. Fortunately, there's a link to a video on this page of the Zoo's site.

Despite its name, 'Zoo at the Sea', there is non-marine life there, too. At first I thought there was a polar theme... polar bears, arctic foxes (are they cute, or wot?!), artic hares. Then I thought perhaps the inhabitants were decided on the basis of being white... the snowy owl, the gannets.

But where do the chimpanzees fit in? And the racoons? And the guinea pigs in the petting area?

Visitors receive Das Zoobuch (the Zoo Book). It covers the history of the attraction and has fantastic photographs of its inhabitants and a great deal of detail about them. I dilligently made notes about the animals (did you know Humboldt penguins can live to be 25 years old? Or that seals can reach their 30th birthday?) as I walked round, then discovered that all the information and more is in the book. It is in German but the photos are great. There is, however, an English language version of the brochure ('Encounters of a Special Kind') which includes a site map and feeding times.

But back to the polar bears... Visitors can stand next to an outline of a bear on its hindlegs and compare their respective heights. (Polar bears may be 3m tall, so I would only come up to their paws.) You can see the animals from above and, assuming the bears are in their pool, nose to nose through the glass. The info board tells you a polar bear can live to be 41.

But... the Zoo says there are only around 25,000 bears left in the wild of which 60 per cent live in Canada. Further, computer simulations predict that by 2080 the ice caps will have melted. If there is no ice, there won't be any 'ice bears'.

Polar bears are all too good an example of the effects of climate change. I am sure most of us can empathise with the effect on an animal more than we can imagine the impact of rising sea levels. The bears spend April to the middle of June hunting on the pack ice. During the winter months they seek refuge from the low temperatures on land, in holes they dig themselves. For females, a long and sucessful hunting season is particularly important because in November or December they give birth.

Melting ice caps means stress and a change to the life cycle of the bears. Climate change is causing winter to arriver later and delaying formation of pack ice. While the bears remain on land, they cannot hunt. Each week on land means 10kg less fat reserve build-up. For a female this can be critical because, during the eight months that she is not able to hunt, she may lose up to 200kg. As temperatures rise, the bears' holes melt, leaving the offspring exposed to the weather before they are ready for it.

Visitors to the Zoo are made aware of climate change in other ways, too. There is a showcase of items you might find around the home... a shaving brush, for example. Lift the flap underneath it and you learn that these may be made of badger hair. Even the enduring German favourite sweets - 'Gummi Bärchen' (jelly bears, the teutonic version of the English jelly babies) are there as the production process requires gelatine which is an animal product.

There are also large information boards with URLs for organisations raising awareness of the effect of humans on our environment and who want to engage concerned citizens to take action.

These include the Deadline campaign which is concerned about the state of the seas, the site of WAZA ('World Association of Zoos and Aquariums') and yaqu pacha whose front page says it is 'an organization for the conservation of South American aquatic mammals'.

The zoo is open 365 days a year. It's got a cafe on the sunny, sea-facing side, which overlooks the brilliant play area for kids (and nowhere does it say adults are forbidden from sliding down the flume to get to it), and several terraces giving great views. Recommended - but do wear shoes you can climb (lots of) steps in.

Award-winning building opens its doors (and windows) at Hamburg main station

Surrounded by yellow taxis, a dual carriageway and in front of the squat brick building that is Hamburg main station, there’s a wooden hut. From the ‘wrong’ side of the piazza, it looks like building works. Get close to it and you see it's not. It is a house. However, it is so far from the stereotypical image of an English home, that I didn't realise I was entering through a window through the balcony (below) rather than the front door.

This is a Plus-Energie-Haus (here's what the Bundesministeriums für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung - BMVBS - says about it in German). In English it's called an Energy Plus House. It could be the house of the future, or at least, as far into the future as our imaginations and technology lets us think.

It’s a copy of an award-winning building. The original won the 2007 Solar Decathlon. The biannual Solar Decathlon is competition run by the American Department of Energy. It attracts entries from teams of students from around the world, all motivated by the challenge to design, build, and operate a solar-powered house that will be voted the most attractive and energy-efficient of that year’s entrants.

Why ‘decathlon’? In addition to being powered exclusively by solar energy, the buildings have to ‘compete’ in 10 areas. The houses are rated in terms of:

· being attractive and easy to live in
· their ability to maintain comfortable and healthy indoor environmental conditions
· featuring appealing and adequate lighting
· supplying energy to household appliances for cooking and cleaning
· powering home electronics
· providing hot water
· balancing energy production and consumption.

In 2007, the winners were….. the team from the Technical University of the German city of Darmstadt. And, the same University did it again in October 2009!

I had the good luck to arrive at the Plus-Energie-Haus when there were no other visitors. The chap 'on duty’ was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He volunteered information as well as answering my naïve questions patiently and, if he’d been asked the same query 40 times already that day, he didn’t let on.

My second piece of good luck was that just when I ran out of questions, a group arrived to watch the film (shown daily at 4pm as part of a tour of the premises), and then had the opportunity to put their own questions. Judging by the depth of technical detail they wanted, I think they might have been architects, or perhaps people wanting to build their own homes.

The difference between a Plus-Energie-Haus and a PassivHaus is that the former creates more energy than it uses – which it sells back to the national grid for a higher price than it pays for the electricity it buys from it. Since January 2009, the building has contributed 10,0000 Kw to the German national grid.

The example in Hamburg (it’s already been to Munich and Berlin and I believe it will next go to Frankfurt, and from there to Stuttgart) comprises two large rooms, with a bathroom in the ‘core’ and a ‘kitchen’ on the outside of the core walls. Of course, as this is an exhibition piece not a real house, there’s no shower and the cooking area is what the Germans call a ‘niche’ kitchen rather than a 'built-in' (ie complete) kitchen.

Another aspect that might be different if it were your average home, is the glazing. On the southern side, it is three-layer glass. On the north side, it is four-layer glass. Heck, I’ve only just learned you can get triple-glazed windows, and now I’m introduced to the concept of double the amount that’s standard in English homes. Can you even get these items in the UK?

I don’t look at these installations with the eye of an architect, but from the standpoint of the resident. The low energy use, the selling electricity back to the grid, the warm walls (achieved by inserting capsules of paraffin into the building materials, that take up excess heat when the building warms up and release it when the internal temperature falls, but which contain so little that even the container were to break and spill the ‘wall’ could absorb it), the huge windows, the covered balcony… It looks good. It feels good. But there’s a lot of wood to paint, repair or replace, and an awful lot of glass....

Those scenes from comics where the schoolboy with a cap, shorts and one sock round his ankles, hiding behind a wall when father or Mr Jones from next door comes home to see a star-shaped hole in his shed window or his greenhouse, will be a thing of the past… With the amount of glass required for photo voltaic cells, coupled with the solar panels, if these houses become standard, footballs will be banned from residential areas.

The Plus-Energie-Haus is in front of Hamburg main station (Glockengießerwall junction with Ernst-Merck-Strasse) until 25 January 2009.

It is aimed at developers, investors, planners... to show them that energy efficient buildings can be attractive and that they work. It is a prototype for buildings for the year 2015. My guide explained that it cost 1.2m Euros to build this version but by 2015, the technology and materials should be in general production and buying a version in that year should cost rather less - 300,000 Euros.

For more information about the building and the events taking place there see the Zebau site.

(Images courtesy of Zebau.)

Tage des Passivhauses

Between 6th and 8th Novermber, owners of passive houses in Hamburg opened their doors to the public. Coordinated by ZEBAU (Zentrum für Energie, Bauen, Architektur und Umwelt), 'Tag des Passivhauses' provided the opportunity for those who are (like me) interested in finding out more about passive houses, to pop in and learn ‘on-site’ about them.

I visited a terraced passive house in Wilhemsburg, Hamburg. This terrace house has already been awarded ‘special recognition’ from the Hamburger Passivhaus-Preises 2005, and it is also the regional winner of the ‘Efficient House’ competition 2009.

The house was designed by architect Jan Krugmann, who was there on the day to show visitors around the house and explain the technology used as well as to answer any questions we had. We also had the opportunity to find out what it’s really like to live in a PassivHaus through talking to the owner. Visitors were a mixture of other architects, people thinking about building their own passive house and those who were just interested.

Immediately on stepping inside the house I could feel the difference in air quality. The air felt uniformly warm – there were no chilly patches near to windows or doors, providing what I can imagine to be the basis of a very comfortable living environment.

The visit started with an explanation of PassivHaus technology, including the need for high quality insulation with precision-sealed at joints to maintain air-tightness and prevent thermal bridges. The insulation of window frames and triple glazing was also another area emphasised as being crucial to a PassivHaus. We were encouraged to touch the window and feel how warm it was on the inside in comparison to a normal double glazed window. Having never seen a triple glazed window before, I was amazed at just how warm it was. It was also almost unrecognizable as a window containing 3 panes of glass due to a visual trick played by reflections between the panes. Jan Krugmann also spoke about the need for the builders to work to the highest standard as passive houses rely heavily on the joints between insulation and the elimination of thermal bridges.

The house is ventilated through a system which brings fresh air into rooms through vents in the ceilings, whilst taking old, stale air out through vents in the kitchen and bathroom (where the air quality is considered to be lower as the moisture content is higher). The energy required for heating and warm water in this house comes primarily from the solar collectors on the roof. If extra energy is needed, it is provided by the wood pellet burner in the living room which amazingly only emits 20% of its energy into the room, whilst taking 80% upstairs to heat the water stored in a 750l tank. Amazingly the owner said that he only spends €280 per year on wood pellets – that equates to just over €23/month!

Another persuasive piece of information from Herr Krugmann is that it only costs 5-8% more to build a PassivHaus than to build a regular house!

Further information on the house I visted can be found here: http://www.ak-passivhaus.de/091108_krugmann2.htm

Multiple City - or how to recycle an exhibition

At the HamburgMuseum (but only until 15 November 2009) is an interesting exhibition called Multiple City - Stadtkonzepte 1908-2008 // Hamburg.

It was developed and displayed in Munich. However Hamburg has borrowed it and extended it to make it relevant to the north German city state.

The additional displays incorporate photos, original newspaper and magazine cuttings, and hands-on models. They cover topics such as how industrial architechure has been preserved and found new uses, for example as arts centres such as Hafenklang and the former Theodor Zeise factory which made marine screw propellers; the floods of 1962, since when the city's defences have been extended and improved; and the occupation by students and others in the 70s and 80s, of buildings due to be demolished to make way for impersonal and high density constructions, with the result that Hamburg has retained some of its character.

A small section considers the new threat to the city's character - how to retrofit energy-conserving measures without destroying the facades or the internal characteristics of historical or otherwise interesting buildings.

A talk, 'Wärmeschutztapeten für historische Fassaden? Energieeinsparung und Stadtbildererhaltung' ('Protection against climate change for historic frontages - Reconciling energy conservation and the preservation of the cityscape') at the Museum, on Wednesday 18 November, will cover this topic.

Eco Home Exhibition in London's East End

I forgot to take myself off the email list of upcoming events for the Broadgate complex near Liverpool Street station in the City of London, but I'm glad I didn't...

The November/December listings include the expected reminder that during winter the Broadgate arena is transformed into London's tiniest ice rink (okay, I added the bit about its size) but also refers recipients to an eco exhibition at the Geffrye Museum.

This attraction is always a delight to visit, not only for its displays (a series of 'rooms' showing the interiors of English homes since 1600), but also for its architechture, its shop and its cafe.

The exhibition the email referred to is called Eco Home and it runs until Sunday 7 February.

I've already made a note to myself to go and see this for myself when I return to London in December.

3rd European Fair on Education for Sustainable Development.

We are now half way into 'The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development', the goal of which is “to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning” to encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations. The first five years of this educational effort has seen a vast amount of research and analysis into what needs to be done and possible methods of creating a sustainable education but as yet, little of this has been translated into concrete action - YET. What we need to see now in the second half of this decade is ACTION!

Last week between 28-29th October, AZB-Hamburg welcomed over 250 visitors from 18 different Countries to take part in the 3rd European Fair on Education for Sustainable Development. The atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation and urging for action.

The fair was organised by the Research and Transfer centre “Applications of Life Sciences” of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) and the Centre for Sustainable Construction (ZzB), Hamburg. The event acted as a platform from which the participants were able to exchange information, ideas and experiences, whilst also providing the opportunity to link and network people and organisations working in the field. Alongside the presentations, exhibitors were able to display their work/ projects, providing an opportunity for close contact and a more in-depth explanation of some of the projects introduced through the presentations.
With a focus on “Renewable Energy and Climate change: Thematic Challenges to European Schools and Universities”, the fair saw presentations from speakers who were able to offer a range of perspectives - from statistics and strategies outlining the challenges we now face to those with ‘hands-on experience’ of communicating the idea of sustainability to school children.

The presentations highlighted the need for the nature of education to change if it is to become education for sustainable development. – It needs to be restructured to take a ‘systems thinking’ approach, providing opportunity for more participation, feedback and encouraging critical thinking. In terms of a sustainable education, linear models of are now of limited value and capacity building is therefore necessary – a re-education of teachers so that they teach in a new way. Recruiting trainers from various backgrounds also echoes the systems thinking approach. - Our teachers should be businesses, politicians and members of our local community to name a few.

Alongside the presentaions and exhibition, pupils from Hamburg schools took part in practical workshops related to the theme of renewable energy and climate change. One group built solar powered toy cars!

RCE-Hamburg and Region presented a game “That’s a Good Idea!” The game (developed by one of the two English women who are at the AZB for work experience) aimed to make the RCE-Hamburg display interactive for visitors, providing an opportunity for them to share ideas on how to live in a more sustainable way. The game was colour coded into three categories – ‘At home and at play, ‘At work/school/college’, and ‘In the environment’. The ideas for sustainable living at home and in the environment filled up the biggest share of the board with ideas such as “before a shower collect the water until it becomes hot” and “no paper hand towels”, while ideas for sustainable practice at work and school were somewhat lacking! What was encouraging however were the projects presented over the event which aim to change this.

Powerado is just such a project. Powerado explores ways of communicating renewable energy concepts to children at school as well as people in professional and tertiary education. We were presented with a range of ‘material boxes’ each addressing a different age group. The boxes contain materials for practical experiments which demonstrate the use of renewable energies. Another method was ‘energy tales’ – these are stories about different energy themes and aim to bring the field of renewable energies to non-technical subjects like German, Ethics, Religion and Arts. To see the presentation (in English) from Powerado click the following link http://www.haw-hamburg.de/uploads/media/Draeger.pdf


Friday saw the introduction of various RCEs, including RCE-Hamburg and Region. These presentations provided a useful comparison between the work and logistics of the different RCEs, and ended with a powerful suggestion from RCE-Rhine – Meuse, and their project OPEDUCA concerning a rethinking from schooling to a new education route – life long learning.

You can see all of the presentations from the fair at http://www.haw-hamburg.de/esd2009.html#c43555

Beyond the High Street - extending the concept of sustainable shopping

Buy locally and keep the air miles down. We’ve all heard it, and probably ad nauseum. And, like me, you probably associate sustainable shopping with buying fruit and veg and checking the labels to see the country of origin. However, Der Nachhaltige Warenkorb (The Sustainable Shopping Basket) published by the Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)) goes further. Much further.

It covers everything from computers to cosmetics, DIY to driving, T-shirts to toys and white goods to washing powder. But although the title is about shopping, the message is more about lifestyle choices. You are asked to consider where you put your savings, to evaluate your travel choices, to rethink how you spend your free time.

So many of the ‘think green, act green’ messages, seem to be about making daily life more grey, coming as they do laden with things that you shouldn’t do if you want to be a responsible member of society. This publication, however, is more realistic. It recognises that some people have more limited budgets or less time than others. It says making responsible choices can be fun – for example, spending more time with friends can be a sustainable practice.

The message is to work out your priorities, your financial constrainst and the limits on your time, then to consider how you can incorporate an element of socially responsible consumerism into your existence. As a result, you will make changes to your routines that will be, and will feel more, positive than painful, and your life will be enriched as a result. Changing your routines will lead you to try new things which will in turn reveal different options which will be sustainable - and fun.

My experience of Germans is that they are in tune with where their food comes from and what grows in what season. However, just in case there are readers who don't fit into this generalisation, the Nachhaltige Warenkorb includes two calendars, one for fruit and one for vegetables, of what is in season, when. For me, looking down the list of items introduced a further element of sustainable consumerism, the reminder that some nations eat more parts of a product than others, for example, the leaves which Brits simply put onto the compost.

Every product is now splattered with symbols that purport to tell the consumer he or she has made the right choice by buying that brand or that item. But, assailed as we are by labels, how can we know which is of value? This is not only a jungle but a minefield. Thankfully, help is at hand! This publication also provides an explanation of what such labels mean. Further, the editors have also shown whether the awarding of the symbol recognises social considerations such as whether the producers are paid a fair wage for their work. For example, the designer of the new RCE leaflets, 'Learning together to create a sustainable world' and 'Gemeinsam lernen für eine nachhaltige Welt', told me our choice of paper means we can use the Blue Angel symbol. I hadn't heard of this. Der Nachhaltige Warenkorb tells me that this label refers to the ecological impact of a product, not to social considerations.

The publication is extremely well designed. Despite being jampacked with information, the reader does not feel overwhelmed. This is because the design means you can read it in one go, by looking only at the running text; you can look up only the chapters as and when you need them, for example, ahead of renovating your house; you can read the quotes from personalities or the tips; or you can really get to grips with the subject and read all the boxouts, examine the graphics and look up the links.

The introduction says the booklet came about as a result of requests and suggestions, and invites people to send more. I would like to add one that the authors might include in the next issue - libraries. Most readers will have engaged with this enjoyable and sustainable form of entertainment since they were small. Likewise, although the publication notes that many children have mountains of toys and suggests that fewer items, of higher quality, would not only be more sustainable but safer and more fun for the child, it doesn't mention the existence of toy libraries. These do exist in Germany. I checked! According to Der Verband Deutscher Spieliotheken/Ludotheken e.V they are known by different names depending on which part of the country you live in. It seems 'Spieliothek' is used in the north of Germany, and 'Ludothek' in the east and south.

You can download English and German versions of the sustainable shopping guide from the links above. For larger numbers contact Yvonne Zwick (yvonne.zwick at nachhaltigkeitsrat.de) at Der Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung.

Low awareness of low energy housing

One of the two English women at the AZB for work experience relating to sustainable building practices has studied architecture.

The terms 'passive house', 'low energy house' and 'energy plus house' meant something to her before she came to the AZB. I am the second person and I hadn't heard of these concepts. This is despite my reading the two 'quality' English newspapers each weekend, being engaged in eco-campaigning work and, I thought, generally being aware and receptive to topics relating to sustainability.

I felt it would therefore be a useful exercise to ask 10 of my friends in England, two questions:

a) have you heard the terms 'passive house', 'low energy house', and 'energy plus house'?
b) can you explain them?

The receipients were chosen solely on the basis of being a friend. None is an architect or to my knowledge has studied architecture or lives with someone who is qualified in this field. Several are actively engaged in promoting green issues, most are graduates and some have completed, or are engaged in, further study.

Mr Jens Schwarz, the Co-ordinator of the RCE Hamburg and Region, feels the exercise is sufficiently interesting to roll it out among the trainees who come to the AZB.

Of the 10 emails I sent, one person had heard the term passive house but only that person said they could explain it. Three people had heard the term low energy house of whom two responded that they could explain it. No-one had heard the term energy plus house.

People living, working or studying in, Hamburg or visitors to this city (perhaps for the Third European Fair on Education for Sustainable Development which takes place at the AZB this week, ie Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 October 2009) or for the Christmas Markets (23 November to 23 December 2009), have a chance to find out what an energy plus house is.

Next to Hamburg's main rail station an energy plus house has been set up. It will be there until 25 January 2010. See ZEBAU GmbH for details and related events.

New RCE leaflets for Fair visitors

Two new leaflets about the RCE Hamburg and Region are now available. The English version is called 'Learning together to create a sustainable world'. The title of the German brochure is 'Gemeinsam lernen für eine nachhaltige Welt'.



They have been produced by the RCE Co-ordinator in time for the Third European Fair on Education for Sustainable Development which takes place at the AZB between Wednesday 28 and Friday 30 October 2009.

If you didn't attend the Fair and would like a copy of the English version click here, for the German version click here.

Sustainability starts on the way to school

An invitation to present current and recent initiatives on the theme of motivating young people in Hamburg to choose sustainable forms of transport to get to school, revealed a very wide range projects.

The occasion was the 25th meeting of the members of the “Hamburg lernt Nachhaltigkeit” (Hamburg learns Sustainability) initiative in September 2009.

It was organised by the Hamburg Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt - BSU - (the Hamburg Department for Urban Development and Environment).

Mr Gunter Bleyer from the Hamburg Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung (Department for Schools and Vocational Training) outlined the reasons that the subject was important.

The transport choices people have while young and the decisions they make, influence their thinking and practices throughout the rest of their lives. Children and young people who don’t get into the habit of walking, cycling or using public transport will find their personal mobility restricted later in life. The way children and young people get around or are ferried about, affects the levels and patterns of traffic in Hamburg which further impacts upon their lives.

Mr Bleyer set out some uncomfortable statistics… Just 30 years ago children and young people were responsible for their own mobility. In 1970 there was one car in circulation per child, by 2008, the figure was four cars for each child.

Mr Gorch von Blomberg described projects to increase the uptake of cycling in Wilhelmsburg.

In 2006, the initiative Aktiv-Rad (realised with "Ein-Euro-Jobs") saw 50 young people and three teachers exploring their locality by bike. Despite its success, the project could not be repeated in subsequent years as insufficient pupils had access to a bike or knew how to ride one. To address these issues a new project was devised: “bikes 4 kids – Fahrradspenden für Wilhelmsburger Schulen” (bikes 4 kids – bike donation scheme for schools in Wilhelmsburg) and “Ein-Euro-Aktive-Jobs”.

The aim is to enable and encourage people living, working, studying and attending school in Wilhelmsburg to use bicycles. Not only is cycling a way to improve physical and mental health, it is indisputable that personal mobility is also key to enabling people to be able to get back into work or to have access to a wider variety of employment opportunities.

One source of bikes is abandoned or unclaimed bikes from police stations. However, if you have a bike you no longer need, the organisers would like to hear from you. Please contact aktiv-rad@sbb-hamburg.de or 040-2190367-45.

Mr Martin Wachowiak showed attendees the materials that the Hamburger Verkehrs Verein (Hamburg Transport Association) produces for use in schools as part of its “Mobilitätsbildung – HVV-Schulberatung” (Mobility education – HVV Schools Advisory Service).

To further encourage children and young people to see public transport as an attractive and practical way of getting around, he goes into schools to talk to pupils. There is no charge for this service and the sessions are active and, as participants saw, the materials are comprehensive, attractive and socially inclusive.

Fear was one reason given for young people’s lack of enthusiasm for using public transport. Dr Andreas Huber, a colleague of Mr Wachowiak at the Hamburger Verkehrs Verein (HVV), outlined a project “Theater macht Schule” (Taking teaching onto the stage) run as a competition and which involved pupils performing in the city’s underground, buses and on ferries, for example.

The aim was for the young people involved to ‘reclaim’ public spaces and populate these in a way that made them comfortable using them. Dr Huber showed two of the results from the 2008 competition – ‘Underground Clips'. They were not only entertaining for his audience but had clearly engaged a great many of the passengers who were travelling when the pieces were performed.

In addition to offering reduced price travel for school classes travelling on the HVV network and staff to accompany them, the Hamburg Transport Association sets out to engage young people between the ages of 12 and 20 (classes 7-13) and teach them about sustainable mobility by means of a competition - the Futuretour.

Other areas of the site starting with the 'Info-Pool' page, offer information on the themes of 'mobility', 'traffic' and 'environnment', from the local and the global perspective.

For more information or to take part in future discussions

Teachers and others who can influence young people in their choice of transport are invited to attend the forum. Guests with an interest in the subject are also welcome. The contact is Mr Jürgen Forkel-Schubert at the BSU.

A 3D overview of Hamburg’s future

I’ve never understood the attraction of the cutesy miniature models of towns and villages however, I am fascinated by representations of the places I know.

These include the photo printed onto the flooring in the basement of the GLA building, the home of London’s government. Part of the attraction, of course, is to locate your own home - and possibly to decide where you’d really like to live if money were no object. However, you can walk the Thames without getting your feet wet and plan a bike tour seeking out routes along green corridors and through parks.

I’m a regular visitor to The Building Centre in London for its exhibitions. But while there it’s almost obligatory to have (yet) another look at the 1:1500 scale model in the main gallery. It was built to illustrate actual and proposed planning submissions, including the area being developed for the Olympics in London in summer 2012.

I was pleased to learn from a colleague that Hamburg has such a scale model, too, and on a day when it was raining so hard that I didn’t even think about getting there by bike, I went to have a look.

The ‘Stadtmodell Hamburg’ is impressively large. I could have done without the radio playing English language hits of the 70s and 80s loudly but I did appreciate the chance to use the toilet for free (I must have spent a fortune in 50 cent pieces for using the facilities in the city and surrounding area). Plus, by looking at the scale model, I was also able to work out where I had gone wrong when trying to cycle to a couple of places round town.

However, as with the London model, the point of this exhibit is to show existing buildings plus those which are planned. For example, you can see the extent of the area known as HafenCity which is under construction. You can also see its proximity to the main station and the central shopping area of Hamburg and understand why the city’s authorities and the developers consider it to have great potential.

On the walls around the model are information boards providing key facts about the city and its inhabitants. You can read such details as how much of Hamburg’s surface area (755,2 km3)comprises water (8%). However, such figures make much more sense and impact when you can ‘see’ what they mean, and, in this case truly appreciate why German's second largest city is known as the "green metropolis on the waterfront".

Until 31 October, there is also information about the Emporio development in the centre of Hamburg by Union Investment Real Estate AG [then search the site for ‘Emporio’ to get more information in English], which is due to be completed in 2011.

Much is made of the sustainable aspects of the conservation of the existing building and of the construction of a sister structure. The display boards explain how the exterior of the existing building, was built for Unilever in the early 60s and is listed, will be retained. They set out the sustainability criteria the redevelopment of the site has to meet and how this will be achieved.

The wall panels explain why so much is made about the importance of sustainable building practices. "In the area of sustainability, the construction industry has a special responsibility. More than half of the world's energy - and resources - as well as 60% of all waste materials result from the construction and subsequent use of buildings."

The exhibition is definitely worth a visit, even in good weather.

Passivhaus Wochenende (nach Rainer Maria Rilke)

Wer jetzt kein Passivhaus hat, baut sich keines mehr.
Wer jetzt in einer normalen Wohnung lebt, wird da lange bleiben,
wird wachen, fachspezifische Hefte lesen, neue Pläne schreiben
und wird am Wochenende von 7-9 November hin und her
unruhig wandern, während die Flugblätter treiben.


(Herbsttag in German, and four versions in English) von Rainer Maria Rilke (site in German) (pages in English) *4. Dezember 1875 † 29. Dezember 1926)

Everything in Moderation(skoffer) for the Fair

The countdown to the Third European Fair on Education for Sustainable Development (28-30 October 2009) began many months ago.

But production has cranked up a level here at the AZB which is hosting it and now even I've been conscripted. While others are doing clever things with graphics packages to illustrate polysyllabic phrases I can't get my tongue, let alone my brain round, I've been introduced to the delight that is a 'Moderationskoffer'.

The site we use for online translation is Leo. Look up 'Moderationskoffer' and you get the wonderful phrase 'facilitator's toolkit'. Open the box itself and it's a box of handicraft treats... stickers in a range of colours, 2 sizes of circular card in everything from yellow to shocking pink, scissors, pin tacks in primary colours.

As befits the daughter of an erstwhile infant school teacher, I have been plundering the rainbow coloured stationery supplies and sticking and cutting, plus working my way through the fonts in Word that most resemble handwriting. Look out for my contribution to the Fair and be sure to award me a gold star for my efforts.

Anyone for tea? Just give me a bike and half an hour...

Cycling shorts, suitable attire for a trip to a shopping centre? And a well-known one at that.

In fact, Lycra and fingerless mitts were just the outfit, though you could also have made a case for wearing flippers, a mask and a snorkel.

It's Global Climate Week and between Saturday 19 and Saturday 26 September 2009 each of the 5 floors of Hamburg's Europa Passage has a climate-related theme.

There's the future level, the research level, the information level and the technology level, each with exhibitions and hands on (or, in one case, feet on) activities aimed at alerting visitors to their impact on the environment. There was everything from fabulous photos and the results of research on a reef in Belize to suggestions for homeowners on how they could save money.

I was headed for the fourth floor - the campaigns level - and the stand of the Hamburg Verbraucherzentrale (Consumers' Centre). As a cycle campaigner (a member of the London Cycling Campaign almost continuously since 1984 and a very active member of its voluntary offshoots Lambeth Cyclists and Southwark Cyclists) the mention of cycling in the overview of the week's events had caught my eye...

Energy bike

Your chance to participate: How hard do you need to pedal to make a cup of water hot enough to brew coffee? A climate and energy consultant advises.

("Energie Fahrrad

Mitmachaktion: Wie stark muss man für eine heisse Tasse Kaffee in die Pedale Treten - Klima und Energieberater informieren")

This experience taught me (the hard way!) what Jens Schwarz, co-ordinator of RCE Hamburg und Region, has been saying since I started this work experience placement - that lessons that teach people to adapt their behavour to be more sustainable need not take place in the classroom.

I consider my carbon footprint to be very small but I don't merit a halo made out of wood from a sustainable forest, or didn't, because I had a very bad habit.

Despite the pleas and finger-pointing, in the face of reminders and ridicule, I always filled the kettle even when I was only making a cup of tea for myself. Until 1pm on Tuesday 22 September 2009, that was.

On that day I got onto a stationary bike and in full view of visitors coming up or going down the escalator in the upmarket shopping centre, pedalled for 32 minutes.

This was the time it took me to raise the temperature of one mug of water in a kettle from the 21 degrees it was when I started to the 70 degrees Ms Andrea Grimm from the Consumers' Centre said would make a decent cup of instant coffee.

When I got off the wretched machine, though, coffee was the last thing I wanted. I had my eye on the ice cream of the man sitting watching my efforts.

So, Dave, you can now trust me to use your kettle. Though, if you don't mind I'll plug it into the mains rather than use your exercise bike to heat the water.

Hot topic heralds the onset of the cold season

Getting to the Hamburg Consumers' Centre (Hamburg Verbraucherzentrale) is easy, it's right next to the main railway station. Getting access to their information is easy, too - it's just 1.50€ to use the library. But the Centre also employs experts you can access via subject-specific hotlines (1.50€/minute) or you can make an appointment to see someone (for which there is a small charge). You can seek advice on everything from your rights as a consumer to further sources of information about nutrition.

The centre also runs talks and invites experts to answer questions. At this time of the year, keeping warm without increasing your heating bills are hot topics. The small exhibition currently running 'So, old house, how's it going?' ('Na, wie geht's denn altes Haus?') is effectively an advert for another function of the Centre, that of energy adviser.

The display is aimed at home owners who want to 'weatherproof' their home or whose house is developing mould. The first panel follows Mr and Mrs Specht from bagging a bargain house to finding that at the end of their first year, their heating bill is a fifth larger (800€) than they had expected. So, they called in the services of an energy expert from the Consumer Centre.

The energy expert has now become an 'energy detective' and the subsequent panels show what comes under that person's microscope and the information the environmental gumshoe needs to be able to advise a homeowner on how to remedy the problem in a bid to cut heating costs, stop mould developing and, as a bonus, reduce their impact on the environment.

The focus switches to a before and after scenario, presumably of a genuinue case history, albeit of a small block of flats rather than the travails of a couple in an old, rundown detached house.

Three values were compared:

a) energy use in kWh

b) CO2 emissions in kg

c) fuel costs.

The benefits were clear - the savings were over 75% in each case.

As with the 'Haus Spart Energie - Gewusst wie' display, the people who put this together have realised that the way to get home owners' attention is to show them that they can save money. And, again, the messages are that installing or improving the insulation is the answer and there is a solution for every type of dwelling.

The exhibition is open between 10am and 6pm.

A fairytale ending or the end of a fairytale?

Visitors to an exhibition in Hamburg's Europa Passage will be able to live warmly, and therefore presumably, happily ever after. However, if the Passivhausstandard is adopted in Britain, it may cause problems for an annual but popular visitor - Father Christmas.

Not only will children not be able to 'post' their wishlists to Santa by sending them up the chimney, but the rotund bloke with the generous amounts of white facial hair won't be able to get in to deliver them either... Passive houses don't need chimneys.

However, as Christmas traditions in Germany are different, the people who spend time looking at the display 'Our house saves energy - here's how' ('Unser Haus Spart Energie - Gewusst wie') on the top floor of the shopping centre can concentrate on the message therein: regardless of what sort of house you live in, or when it was built, there are things you can do that will reduce your heating bills.

Hamburg's fabulous open air pools closed at the end of last month, children are back at school and it's dark at 7.30pm. Winter is on its way so this exhibition is timely. It's also excellent and sets a standard other organisations would do well to emulate.

From a distance you can see red 'roofs' of six 'house-lets'. Houseowners are intrigued and attracted. Closeup they are not disappointed. The displays are attractive, engaging and accessible.

The designers haven't forgotten that the visitor is unlikely to be alone. There are hands-on elements for all ages, such as a cube you turn each visible side of which simply has one large image and the minimum number of words required to explain what sort of energy is produced by the subject of the picture. Even the youngest members of any party are catered for. There is a box of wooden toys to entertain them in situ and a wildlife colouring book and two storybooks, the latter with a sustainable theme, to keep them occupied while mum or dad is absorbed in the exhibition, but which they can take away with them.

Each house is dedicated to a different topic around the environment. However each is made relevant to the viewer because the underlying message is how you can improve the condition of your home and reduce its energy use and therefore your outgoings. In fact, each display is a sort of FAQ - from What are renewable sources of energy? to What is the difference between a heat pump and geothermal energy? Where appropriate, reference is made to the technology is available for homes, how it works, the situation for which it is suitable and, crucially, how much it costs and what the financial benefits to the home owner are.

There is a vast amount of information presented on the 'walls' of the cottages but in such a way and using so many devices - colour, images, 'real-life' stories, podcasts (an iPod is available in situ in exchange for ID or a deposit, or visit http://www.regionalbewegung.de/102/ ), a whiteboard with pen and calculator provided, a DVD ("Abenteuer Energiesparen" ["Energy Adventure"] which you can order by email from ausstellung@gusb.de for 15 € excl postage) - that the visitor will stick with it to the end.

On the final 'wall' are shelves of examples of magazines aimed at home owners and available through newsagents; books through bookshops or online; and brochures to take away or order from the Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz and Reaktorsicherheit for whom the exhibition was produced.

The exhibition is part of the the first Hamburg Climate Week which runs until Sunday 26 September. However, it will then go 'on tour' and its next stop is 10-11 October in the Schaufenster Fischereihafen, Bremerhaven.

Recommended!

(Images courtesy of Gesellschaft für Umwelt- und Sozialbildung mbH.)

Walking through walls

Today "Halle H" (a huge hanger-like space) in the AZB Hamburg rang with the sounds of the scratching of pens on paper and the clicking open and closed of wooden rules.

Twenty-four final year bricklaying students (above, image courtesy of Marco Bleck) were sketching six of the reconstructions housed in the building and then measuring the 'before' and 'after' refurbishment dimensions.

Halle H looks like a cross between an adventure playground (albeit with a roof, a tile floor and plaster walls) and the premises of the builder and seller of upmarket wendy houses.

It contains examples of sections of seven buildings all in the ratio 1:1 and all built by AZB Hamburg students. The collection includes five houses - each typical of the buildings to be found in Hamburg. There is one each from 1900, 1950s-60s, 1970-80s, plus two modern buildings - one built to Passivhousestandard and the other a timber frame low energy home, and two commercial properties - one from the 1900s and the other of the 'nothing but glass' sort which are increasingly (and depressingly) so prevalent in my part of London (north Southwark) and The City. The glass and metal cube belongs to the Zentrum für zukunftsorientiertes Bauen (the Centre for Future Oriented Construction).

The five 'historic' models show the materials, how much space is required to renovate exisiting properties to meet the latest standards of insulation set by the German goverment, and, no less critically, how to avoid thermal bridges.

I gatecrashed the third year students' tuition session with the retrospective permission of teachers Herr Hoffmann and Herr Palm from the Staatliche Gewerbeschule Bautechnik G19 (Hamburg Vocational School for Building Crafts G19) to experience how the exhibits could be used as a teaching resource.

Herr Palm explained that before the existence of Halle H (it was officially opened in summer 2007) students had to use traditional teaching materials, ie textbooks, to learn the theory of refurbishing the city's buildings.

Once they realised what was required of them the students seemed to enjoy the task. You can walk into the exhibits and climb stairs, enjoy the 'view' from the second storey, the roof terrace or the balcony. Perhaps the architects behind the choice of room were fans of Big Brother as one of the demonstration buildings comprises a bathroom, another the toilet cubicle!

Herr Hoffmann explained that he has long been concerned about the environment and when he built his home he aimed for sustainability and to reduce his carbon footprint. With a smile he added that as that was in the 1970s there were things he would do differently if he were building it now as knowledge and materials have moved on.

He explained that although it was unlikely the students would be able to influence a developer or the house owner to build a passive or low energy house, it was important to provide them with the knowledge of why such designs are needed. This is because when qualified they might find themselves in a situation where they are able to make suggestions but at the very least they would be equipped with the techniques when called on to build such a design.

Japanese university seeks advice on setting up an RCE

The visitors to the AZB Hamburg on Thursday 10 September had come from further afield than those earlier in the week. Yoichi Kabutan (above left with one of his students of German) is professor in the Faculty of Arts at Shinshu University in Matsumoto. He came to the AZB Hamburg to ask Jens Schwarz (right, in front of a map of the location of RCEs around the world) about how to set up an RCE.

Professor Kabutan explained that the standard for environmental mangement system best known in Japan was the international ISO 140001. The technical department of his university had received this in 2001, while the campus, on which his faculty is one of five, had achieved that standard in 2007. He had heard about "BNE" (Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung - education for sustainable development) during visits to German universities.

Over tea and biscuits Jens Schwarz explained how the RCE Hamburg and Region had come about and how it worked. He counselled Professor Kabutan to think locally and be patient.

Professor Kabutan was also interested in the AZB Hamburg and Mr Schwarz explained that the college taught not only those that "had" to receive education (young people) but also teachers. He talked the visitors through the college's belief that although there was political pressure to reduce greenhouse emissions in Hamburg and that the construction industry had an important part to play, it was important for an individual to recognise his or her own responsibility in relation to climate change and "to think beyond money", rather to ask what s/he could do for the global good.




The visitors brought with them gifts (above) for their hosts.

Tour of architect's own passive house home

Architects Nisse Gerster (in red shirt, above) and Robert Heinicke (in white) explained the technology involved in constructing a building to passive house standard to visitors from the AZB Hamburg and the latter's Build with CaRe guests from Scotland.

The tour started at the offices of the Heinicke Architekturbüro where Mr Gerster and Mr Heinicke talked their visitors through the models they have on display of wall insulating materials, three layer glass windows and how to avoid thermal bridges when installing a front door.

From the architects' office it was just a short walk to Mr Gerster's home.

The immediate clue that this was not a house like any other was the lack of a chimney. A second sign was those three panes of glass in every window. The front door was attractive but extraordinarily heavy to push open. For someone trying to explain the concept of a paasive house to a potential buyer, the security afforded by the windows and the doors would be good selling point.

As Mr Gerster is still working on his home, visitors were able to see some of the layers involved in insulating the property. Some people are concerned about potential noise associated with ventilation that is an essential component of a passive house. Mr Gerster turned up the air exchanger to full capacity to demonstrate that it was inaudible even when set to maximum.

Three hundred metres of piping in the ground underneath the house help to keep the Gerster family warm in winter and cool in summer.

Internally, the layout is open plan with much natural (and untreated) wood. However, before the next winter arrives Mr Gerster will be installing safety glass between the sitting room and the hallway; he has found that when the front door is opened in cooler weather the temperature of his home drops noticeably.

All the visitors appreciated the time both architects set aside for answering questions and Mr Gerster's opening his home for inspection.

Scotsmen, sun and aspiring students

Chris Ashe (centre) and Bob Scott (far right) from Dundee College and Andrew Shaw (2nd from r) from LDB arrived at the ABZ Hamburg in bright sunshine. They were met by Jens Schwarz (l) and Matthias Wurtzel (2nd from l) from the AZB Hamburg.


Dundee College is a Build with CaRe partner and the three visitors are here from 8 to 9 September to discuss e-learning and to visit a passive house.


At the end of the first day there was time for a tour of the AZB Hamburg's exhibition halls, workshops and opportunities for current students to demonstrate their skills (below).


The Scottish party were not alone in looking around with interest - their visit coincided with a college open day which had attracted a large number of potential students.

Partners exchange details of upcoming events

Numerous and diverse sums up the number and scope of the projects the Hamburg and Region Build with CaRe partners are working on.

On Wednesday 2 September 2009 representatives of six Build with CaRe partners (TUHH, G19, I-SH, IBA, ZEBAU, AZB) from Hamburg and Schleswig Holstein met to provide each other with an overview of initiatives planned by each organisation relating to Build with Care.

A representative of each organisation stood up in turn and presented the details. Each element was summed up on a slip of paper which the speaker attached to a pinboard under one of six headings:

(i) the overarching event the initiatives related to, (ii) details of any related exhibition, (iii) related workshops or information stands, (iv) publicity materials, (v) the outcomes for vocational training, (vi) the scope offered for visits.

Attendees were pleasantly suprised by the number (see photo at the top of this post) and scope of initiatives this activity revealed.

The presentation method also showed there was overlap in events planned and that therefore much could be achieved by joint working and promotion, for example by including details and links of relevant events, on the partners' websites.

Further outcomes were:

(a) an agreement that such meetings were mutually beneficial, that they should take place regularly and often (every three to four months), be kept short (maximum two hours) and that partners should take it in turn to host them. All attendees agreed that there might be occasions on which additional, sponteous, meetings would be appropriate and beneficial,

b)the international nature of work packages, 1, 3, 4, to which the partner were working, should be highlighted as far as was possible , but that this would be difficult with relation to work package 2 as the information related to regional matters.

ZEBAU will host the next meeting in February 2010.