Berlin Senate Commends Rehabilitation of Tropical Conservatory in Botanic Garden for Contribution to Climate Protection
Special Award from the KlimaSchutzPartner Berlin Environmental Coalition
№ 137/2010 from May 11, 2010
Berlin’s Senator for Health, Environment and Consumer Protection, Katrin Lompscher, and the KlimaSchutzPartner Berlin coalition have commended the rehabilitation of the large tropical conservatory in Freie Universität Berlin’s Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem as a significant contribution to climate protection. The construction project, concluded in 2009, was awarded a special prize during the Berlin Climate Days held in the Ludwig Erhard Building of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce. The general planner, Haas Architects, and two engineering offices, CRP and Dittrich, were honored for their outstanding achievement in the energy-efficient makeover. They managed to reduce the energy consumption of the greenhouse by at least 50 percent without compromising the appearance of the historic monument.
The projects selected for awards have all made significant contributions to climate protection in the city. KlimaSchutzPartner Berlin is a coalition of ten organizations and institutions.
About the Tropical Conservatory:
The main tropical conservatory in the Botanic Garden Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin, is one of the most important and largest free-standing greenhouses in the world. From 2006 to 2009, the glass-and-steel dome, protected as a historic monument, was thoroughly refurbished in order to preserve the historic structure and reduce its energy consumption by at least 50 percent. Through numerous technical innovations, the building once again is one of the most modern and energy efficient of its kind.
The replanted large tropical house conveys the global tropical diversity. The planting style of this greenhouse is like a walk-in map. More than 1350 plant species present the flora of the tropical Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Oceania islands. The visitors’ guide and information system has been reworked and conveys the diversity and significance of the tropics.
The makeover of the main tropical house was funded by the Environmental Mitigation Programme (UEP), which is cofinanced by the European Union through the Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state of Berlin (Senate Administration for Health, Environment, and Consumer Protection). Additional funds came from the higher education construction funding (HBFG) of the German federal and state governments, from the German Lottery Foundation Berlin, and from Freie Universität Berlin.
For further information, please contact:
Friedhelm Haas
General Planning, Rehabilitation of Tropical Conservatory
Haas Architekten BDA
Tel. +49 (0)30 / 83 22 98 20, Email: haas@haas-architekten.de
Simone Kroschewski
Project Management, Rehabilitation of Tropical Conservatory
Engineering and Utilities, Freie Universität Berlin
Tel. +49 (0)30 / 838 54 262, Email: simone.kroschewski@fu-berlin.de
Karsten Schomaker
Head of Unit, Technology and Environment; Operating Company for BGBM GmbH
Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie Universität Berlin
Tel. +49 (0)30 / 838 50 238, Email: k.schomaker@bgbm.org