Ecological think niches for students
The Studentendorf Schlachtensee e.G. is among the new builders of the district Wohnen am Campus
By the winter semester of 2014/15, the cooperative intends to realise a housing project for 380 students and academic staff opposite some of Humboldt University‘s institute buildings. The aims are ambitious: The ten planned houses of the new student village in Adlershof are to go into operation as zero-energy buildings. One cornerstone to success is the standard passive house method for the living quarters. Photovoltaic solar systems on the roofs as well as controlled energy recovery ventilation will be further factors in ensuring that the houses will not consume more energy than they produce.
In order for this concept to work in practice, all details must be carefully thought out. The planned bay windows made of wood and glass are a good example: Inserted into the dedicated apertures, the prefabricated elements will feature an integrated desk, which is why Andreas Barz, chairman of the cooperative, likes to call them “niches for thinkers“. However, there’s a catch to this clever and cost-effective solution: “We must make sure that the bay windows are inserted without creating thermal bridges that would boost energy consumption,“ Barz explains.
Building costs have been calculated to be 22 million Euro. They are financially backed by a Swiss pension fund which exclusively supports social projects and joined the cooperative in founding the “Studentendorf Adlershof GmbH“, a corporation to realise the plans. The contract of purchase for the 10,900 m² property right by the Humboldt University campus was signed by the project partners on 15 August 2012.
Construction work is to be completed by autumn 2014, before the beginning of the winter semester. 380 students and graduates will then be able to occupy the various types of accomodation: classic one-bedroom apartments, but mostly shared accomodation units for groups of students, or two- or more bedroom apartments for academic staff members or students with kids. “Communal thinking plays a decisive role in the new student village,“ Barz says. A student café, rooms for practising music, a gym and a day-care facility for children will contribute to creating a lively new urban district.