Berlin:
Ufa-Fabrik - An International Center for Culture and Ecology
Berlin:
| |
| Country: | a) Western Europe | ,b) Germany |
| Language: | |
| Type: | Project, 1 |
| Area: | District/Quarter, > 1 million |
| Actors: | Community group |
| Funding: | Local government, European Union, Publ.-priv. partnership |
| Topics: | Culture |
| Cycling resources | |
| Environmental education | |
| Information and public participation | |
| Renewable resources | |
| Urban renewal / Urban rehabilitation | |
| Objectives: | Improve access to information |
| Improve intersectoral cooperation | |
| Reduce resource consumption | |
| Instruments: | Demonstration and pilot project |
| Integrated planning approach | |
| New environmental institutions / Institutional reorganisation | |
| Public participation |
By many standards the UFA-Fabrik is the most successful project with respect to locally integrated development to emerge out of the experimental West Berlin alternative culture, if not one of the most interesting and successful projects at the European and international levels. Here a cooperative residential community of about 30 - and altogether about 150 co-workers - manages an ever increasing range of cultural, social and ecological projects. Among the UFA-Fabrik demonstrations are co-generation systems and renewable energy production, including one of Berlin's largest solar energy systems, local re-use of rainwater, greening of buildings, a natural foods store and organic bakery, the Solar Creperie as well as an alternative school, a children's farm, one of Europe`s most successful internet communications initiatives (netd@ys), and a neighborhood self-help center which reaches out to and involves families, youth, immigrants and disadvantaged people among others.
The UFA-Fabrik, a cooperative experiment in living and working, is significant for the following reasons:
Berlin's recent decades generated a broad range of experiments in the areas of culture, social work and urban ecology. The UFA-Fabrik has successfully implemented a considerable number of sustainable and integrated projects over the last several decades, and continues to pioneer demonstrations of new urban concepts. Following are several of the main objectives at the UFA-Fabrik:
The UFA is located in the (former West) Berlin District of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. The Teltow Canal borders the UFA to the south with its public paths, and to the north lies the Viktoriastrasse and typical densely built, older, Berlin four and five story walk-up apartment buildings. To the east and west are institutional and industrial structures, with many of the industries struggling. The surrounding District is characterized by a relatively young population about 1/3 immigrant, and more than 15% unemployment.
The UFA is at home in its own mixed-use urban village consisting of about a dozen buildings, connected by small pedestrian ways and a couple of larger open green spaces. What are now the grounds of the UFA-Fabrik were formerly ufa-film company studios, first built in 1917. Over the many decades the ufa film business produced propaganda as well as popular entertainment and significant films such as Metropolis by Fritz Lang. In the 1970s the ufa film company abandoned these particular grounds.
The 4 1/2 acre UFA-Fabrik village is home to about 30 people who range in age from 5 to 65. While the UFA's various non-profit and for-profit organizations employ more than 150 people, on average about 1000 visitors come by every day. UFA initiatives, in addition to those previously mentioned, include several cafes, a community center with its own collection of social and cultural initiatives, and a guest house. An International Cultural Center based here produces and manages circus, theater, dance, cabaret, a samba band and other performing arts.
For more than two decades, the motto guiding UFA projects has been "More reality is found in an hour of action than in years of talk." In June, 1979 about 100 people moved into the abandoned ufa grounds - an action the squatters termed a "peaceful activation." This action was largely organized by a group that began to live and work together in 1972 in the alternative Kruezberg neighborhood of West Berlin. During the mid-1970s this group expanded and formed a "people's center" or what they also called a "self-organized and independent communications center" with many hundreds of participating members.
For almost a decade, the UFA developed without public subsidies, and so UFA projects were greatly shaped by a reliance on self-initiative and a use of personal resources. This meant making do with the existing structures, and taking on development projects in relatively small increments. Thus instead of new construction, the UFA developed by making a great number of small modifications to the existing architecture, which was for the most part sub-standard, flat-roofed, light industrial construction. They financed initial renovation and repair work through the proceeds from cultural events they organized, and donations, private loans and credit from the Berliner Netzwerk (a community co-op bank).
In June, 1986, after many years of negotiations, the UFA was successful in arranging and signing a 35-year leasing and development agreement with Land Berlin, the owner of the UFA grounds. The UFA committed itself to paying a considerable rent, as well as other costs for utilities and infrastructure. A commitment was also made to completely restore the buildings over the time of the lease.
Since the 1970s the community has involved performing artists and people interested in producing cultural events. Through most of the year there are performances taking place at the UFA, for audiences ranging from 50 to 5000. The UFA provides a stage for young Berlin talents as well as international stars. The UFA is active in a European network for independent cultural centers in former industrial structures "Trans Europe Halles," and has organized a number of international events over the decades, including the MIR (Peace) Caravan which in the Summer of 1989 toured from Moscow through Warsaw, Prague and Berlin before travelling on through France and Spain.
Providing opportunities for personal development and coordinating social work have been central to the UFA concept since the beginning. Classes and seminars are offered on a daily basis including everything from African Drumming to Karate and Salsa Dance. Programs are offered for pregnant women and for parents with screaming babies, as well as integration classes through which immigrants can share experiences and learn the German language. Home care services are managed here for people that are ill, disabled or in some way unable to take care of themselves and their families. Also coordinated by NUSZ is the Children's Farm, which brings the country and typical farm animals to city children. As with UFA projects in general, many volunteers are integrated into and help manage NUSZ activities. The Neighborhood and Self-Help projects are coordinated with the District and City Government, to provide families as well as children, youth and seniors opportunities to learn, to help themselves, and to come together with others.
Experiments by UFA activists in the 1970s with wind energy were complemented by activism organized against nuclear power plants and the formation of one of Berlin's first food cooperatives. In 1979 UFA members opened the natural foods store at the UFA and created one of Berlin's first organic bakeries.
One of the attractions at the UFA in the early 1980s was a "co-generation" system they reconstructed from a diesel truck engine in one of the UFA basements. This first cogeneration system in Berlin was known as the "Mao-Diesel”, generating both 100 kilowatts thermal for local heating and 50 kilowatts electricity.
A state-of-the-art gas-run "cogeneration" system was installed in 1994 (BHKW, Blockheizkraftwerk), involving two power plants which each produce 44 kilowatts electricity and 90 kilowatts thermal heat. Heat generated by the motors and captured from emissions and cooling water is used for space heating as well as to heat water at the UFA. The BHKWs, which are in a network with the solar energy system, assume more of the power needs during the winter, and of course in the evenings. During summer days only one of the motors needs to be run, as the solar panels can cover the demand.
By 1998 the UFA was taking care of its energy needs through its own local production. The UFA sells electricity directly to the Berlin power grid, especially during summer days when the photo voltaic system is at its peak generation. Only during peak use hours when events are occurring in the evening and stage lighting and equipment is in use, bringing the peak load up to about 100 kilowatts, must energy be bought back from the public grid.
The UFA manages one of the largest photo voltaic installations in Berlin, with 750 square meters of roof panels generating 75 kilowattpeak. This solar energy system functions in a network with the UFA co-generation system as well as with the public energy grid. The UFA received considerable assistance with this system as over 90 percent of the costs of the installation were paid for by the Berlin Senate and the European Community. It is calculated that a "conventional production" of one kilowatt-hour of electricity produces about 0.9 kilograms of carbon dioxide. The UFA solar installation generates about 37,000 kilowatt-hours per year, thus representing a yearly reduction of about 33 tons of this gas.
The UFA inherited a collection of substandard, light-industrial buildings from the former film studios. These were typically single-story with tar-papered, flat roofs, surrounded by small asphalted driveways. As such, the surfaces heated up rapidly in the summer sun, increasing the local air temperature and drying out the air. Beginning in 1980, vegetation has been added to most of the roof surfaces, and many facades and ground surface areas as well. These greening measures have succeeded in improving the local micro-climate, by modifying the humidity and temperature. This also reduced the levels of dust, improved insulation levels for the buildings, reduced local sound levels, and created new habitat for birds and insects. In addition, the vegetation helps to protect the building surfaces from weather and retain and filter rain water before it makes its way to the large cistern. Importantly, the greening is also an aesthetic measure. About 4,500 of the total of about 6,000 square meters of UFA roofs have so far been covered with vegetation. As 750 square meters are covered by the solar panels, less than 1,000 are still in their old condition.
Extensive ecological reconstruction of buildings has included applications of "biological architecture," (Baubiologie) and experimental forms of building insulation. For example recycled paper material has been used for insulation in roof spaces, a combined sound and heat insulating system has been developed using sheep's wool, and acoustic panels of recycled materials were installed. Substantial renovations of buildings in the 1990s included converting single-story structures into two-stories, and then adding grass roofs, solar panels, better day-lighting and other features.
New infra-structural systems have been developed for the refrigeration necessary for the cafes, bakery and store, for example using the waste heat generated by the cooling, to heat the water used for washing dishes. Refrigeration is through a propane system, managing to completely avoid the use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).
Energy-conserving lighting and heating systems are installed in the buildings, and a central computerized control panel adjusts the temperatures in the buildings and rooms according to their differing needs and schedules, which also leads to greater efficiency.
In 1997 a biological, "living wall" was built (50 meters long and 5 meters high), primarily to serve as a sound barrier. This green wall reduces the amount of sound sent in the direction of neighbors to the south, as the UFA has a Summer Garden Varieté series of evening events during the Summer months that include music late into the night. This vertical biotope was made by filling a metal structural cage with local organic material and greened with vegetation.
Recycling and composting systems have been explored and implemented over the years, for example the use of an Austrian hand-rolled drum (Rottetrommel), known as a "fast composter." This takes in organic waste and produces compost in about six weeks time by mixing in more oxygen. Part of the UFA food waste goes to the Children's Farm animals, and through separated recycling and composting programs, the waste that actually ends up going out as "garbage" is reduced to about 10 percent of the total waste generated locally.
Most of the these ecological projects carried out in the 1990s were supported by the European Fund for Regional Development and Land Berlin. Co-financing and implementation has been arranged by the UFA with the backing of the Berlin Environmental Grant Program (UFP II / Umwelt Förderprogramm) .
An ecological restructuring of the UFA's Cafe and Bakery as well as an optimization of the entire UFA energy system was enabled through the 1995 Environmental Grant Program (UFP IV) through the Berlin Senate for Urban Development and Environmental Protection.
Rain water is collected from all the UFA roofs and open spaces, filtered on-site through a layered, gravel bed with vegetation, and collected in an underground cistern. A biological treatment of the water occurs through micro-organisms found on the roots of the various plants living in the gravel bed, such as reeds, rushes, canes and water lilies. The "lower quality" but locally available rainwater is substituted for the more expensive "drinking water" that must be bought. This local water is used for irrigation of the greened roofs and for flushing toilets. This collects and makes available between 1,500 - 2,000 cubic meters per year.
UFA ecological demonstration projects are explained through an ongoing exhibition in a small greened building renovated for this purpose, including detailed drawings, diagrams and descriptions. On average, 3 or 4 seminars, tours and workshops are organized every week at the UFA. The groups range from students to environmental technology experts, and from job-training projects to special focus groups on particular energy or other systems.
Rising interest in Local Agenda 21 (LA 21) initiatives over recent years in Berlin has meant a growing interest in the UFA as an example of implemented Agenda 21 principles. Cooperative efforts have been increasing between the UFA and LA 21 actors, leading for example to one of the current major efforts of the UFA, the sustainable redevelopment of the nearby Hafen (Harbor) Tempelhof.
In recent years an institute for creative sustainability has been organized in the UFA, known as id22. This institute works both practically and theoretically with sustainable development, and manages the European Creative Sustainability Network as well as communications initiatives such as the European WEEK of Sustainability. The project Experiment City Berlin was begun in 2002, which works to identify, network and publicize creative and sustainable solutions to urban brownfields and abandoned buildings. id22 also serves to systematically analyse, translate and communicate the many years of experience at the UFA as well as those of other integrated projects. Through this institute local and regional students, but also those from around the world are invited to visit, live and study at the UFA.
In 1979 Land Berlin saw the UFA as a liability, and threatened to cut off their supply of power, evict the residents and raze the buildings to free the land for industrial development. In not too many years Berlin saw the UFA as an asset, as the UFA was creating a large number of jobs, generating its own energy and providing Berlin with publicity as an "ideal testing ground for urban ecology." The idealistic commune of the 1970s and 1980s transformed itself by the 1990s into a professional system of non-profit and for-profit organizations, with UFA members finding their particular areas of specialization. A key to success over the many years has been a unique combination of vision and flexibility, as UFA structures have grown and adapted to the changing political, economic and social conditions around them, evolving partnerships with many levels of government, with various networks, foundations and other institutions both local and international.
As about 1000 people visit the UFA every day, the many ideas and projects are directly or indirectly presented to approx. 300,000 people each year. Over the last few decades this has added up to quite a substantial network of friends and supporters, and most importantly to a large number of motivated people that have gotten on with their own experiments and initiatives.
Wiartalla, Werner. ufafabrik Broschüre, Ökologie Projekte 1998/99.
LaFond, Michael. 1999. From Century 21 to Local Agenda 21: Sustainable Development and Local Urban Communities in East and West Berlin (Germany) and Seattle (United States). Dissertation. University of Washington, Seattle, United States
www.ufafabrik.de
| Name | : | LaFond |
| Firstname | : | Michael |
| Telefon | : | ++49 (0) 30 755 03 189 |
| Telefax | : | ++49 (0) 30 755 03 185 |
| Address | : | id22 institute for creative |
| sustainability | ||
| Viktoriastrasse 10-18 | ||
| 12105 Berlin | ||
| Germany |
| Name | : | Niemer |
| Firstname | : | Sigrid |
| Telefon | : | ++49 (0) 30 755 03 0 |
| Telefax | : | ++49 (0) 30 755 03 110 |
| Address | : | UfaFabrik Berlin e.V. |
| Viktoriastrasse 10-18 | ||
| 12105 Berlin | ||
| Germany |
Berlin has a population of almost 3.5 million of which approximately 11% are foreign citizens. The wider conurbation has an additional population of nearly one million. The city covers 889 square kilometres; 38 km from north to south and 45 km from east to west. 24 per cent of the city’s surface is water and navigable waterways are 197 km in length. In size it is almost as large as the densely populated Ruhr area in North Rhine Westphalia. Berlin is the largest city in Germany, and one of the sixteen regional States (Bundesländer) of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The unified municipality of Berlin is a decentralised body divided into 23 districts (Bezirke). The districts have between 50,000 and 300,000 inhabitants. They carry responsibility for local politics and their own administration. Unlike independent municipalities, however, they do not have financial autonomy but are allocated funds by the City Government, the Senate of Berlin. The main authority for the City as a whole is the Senate which is divided into different administrative departments (comparable to Ministries in other German Länder).
Although Berlin has experienced a steady decline in industry, there are still over 200,000 people working in the manufacturing sector. Approximately 230,000 of the 1.5 million citizens in the workforce are employed in trade and about 750,000 people have jobs in service, primarily in the public sector.
In addition, Berlin is a centre of environmental research as well as technology, and a great number of businesses are engaged in environment-related activities. According to a study by the ifo Institute in Munich and the IÖW (Institute for Ecological Economic Research) in Berlin, 400 companies with 13,000 employees are directly involved in environmental protection (engineering offices, and producers and distributors of environmental technology). This number has tripled within the last ten years, and half of the companies have started as new businesses since 1990. Furthermore, Berlin is a stronghold of scientific research with approx. 100 companies involved in measurement and analytical activities, approx. 80 eco-research institutes (including universities), and 45 public administrations and authorities in charge of environmental matters.
Project was added at 10.09.2001
Project was changed at 11.02.2004