The German Architecture Prize is awarded to buildings that are "exemplary for the development of building in the present day". 60,000 euros in prize money are available.
Submission: 31.03.2017
Competition achievements:
The German Architecture Award is intended to recognise buildings that are exemplary for the development of building in the present. They should demonstrate a special architectural quality or exemplary handling of the renovation and modernisation of historical buildings, be committed to sustainable building in ecological, economic and socio-cultural terms and make a positive contribution to the design of public space. Eligible for submission to the German Architecture Award 2017 are buildings or building ensembles that were erected between 1 January 2015 and 31 January 2017 in Germany or abroad on behalf of or predominantly with funds provided by the Federal Republic of Germany.
Link www.bbr.bund.de/...Architekturpreis_node.html
"The raw material wood is precious. It is therefore important to use it responsibly and in a way that conserves resources," warns Peter Aicher, Chairman of Holzbau Deutschland. Even if wood is affected by environmental influences or the bark beetle, it does not represent an inferior raw material, but has almost identical properties to conventional construction timber. "If the so-called 'calamity wood' has the same structural quality in terms of load-bearing capacity as conventional sawn timber, it can be used without restrictions," explains Aicher. In addition, the wood retains its important function as a CO2 sink, regardless of external impairments.
"If the wood is used as a building material, the carbon bound in the wood remains stored there in the long term, thereby significantly reducing the burden on the environment."
The goal must be an economically and ecologically sensible and efficient use of the domestic resource. In the interests of sustainability and climate protection, regional wood resources should therefore be used optimally.
Calamity wood is of high quality and can be used without restrictions
In most cases, bark beetle infestation is irrelevant for the use of the wood as a building material. The bark beetle lays its burrows in the bast, i.e. the area between the bark (bark) and the trunk, but not in the load-bearing wood itself. In addition, the sawn timber is technically dried during further processing. During this process at the latest, any remaining populations of insect pests are reliably killed off, so that beetle-free timber processed into sawn timber is guaranteed to be beetle-free. Every piece of sawn timber - regardless of its origin - must meet the criteria of DIN standard 4074 in order to be used as load-bearing timber in a building. In some cases, the wood turns a slightly bluish colour after a bark beetle infestation. It can then be used in the non-visible area.
Environmental factors and the effects of climate change have further facilitated the mass spread of the bark beetle in the past year. In most cases, rapid felling of the affected trees is the only alternative to stop the further spread of the pest. The logs are immediately removed from the forest and stored. This results in an oversupply of so-called 'beetle wood'. The prompt further processing of the calamity wood into sawn timber is an active contribution to climate protection.
Holzbau Deutschland appeals to the public sector as well as to architects and builders to make greater use of regional calamity wood and to specify this in tenders. The use of domestic calamity wood not only supports regional value creation, but is also a sign of solidarity with regional forest owners.
Ireland no longer wants to make money from fossil fuels. With 90 votes in favour and 53 against, members of the Irish parliament voted in favour of a corresponding law last Thursday. According to the bill, the state-owned Strategic Investment Fund is to withdraw its money from fossil fuel investments. This would make the island state the first country to DivestmentThe aim is to realise the withdrawal of public funds from coal, oil and gas.
The fund has assets totalling eight billion euros. According to Pringle, around 17 per cent of the state fund is invested in fossil fuels. However, the law is not yet in force. The Finance Committee must first give its approval. Once it comes into force, the state fund will have five years to withdraw its money from fossil fuel investments. New investments in the sector would be prohibited in future.
The Federal Cabinet today adopted the so-called Easter Package at the proposal of Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck. This is the largest amendment to energy policy legislation in decades. The Easter Package comprehensively amends various energy laws in order to accelerate and consistently drive forward the expansion of renewable energies.
Robert Habeck on this: "The Easter package is the accelerator for the expansion of renewable energies. We will almost double the share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption within less than a decade. We are tripling the speed of renewable expansion - on water, on land and on the roof. In the future, renewable energies will be in the public interest and serve public security. This is crucial to increase the pace. Overall, with the Easter Package we are creating the conditions for Germany's energy security and energy sovereignty. At the same time, it lays the foundations for Germany to become climate neutral."
Habeck further explained: "The Easter Package is part of our agenda and has been worked on under high pressure over the past months. It has now taken on a double urgency in view of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine, which is contrary to international law. On the one hand, the climate crisis is coming to a head. On the other hand, Russia's invasion shows how important it is to get out of fossil fuels and to consistently push ahead with the expansion of renewables. We are doing this courageously and consistently.
The Easter package adopted today by the Federal Cabinet will now be forwarded to the German Bundestag and will enter the parliamentary legislative process in a next step. It is an article law, which comprises the following individual laws on more than 500 pages:
the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG),
the Wind Energy at Sea Act (WindSeeG),
the Energy Industry Act (EnWG),
the Federal Requirements Plan Act (BBPlG),
The Transmission Grid Expansion Acceleration Act (NABEG)
other laws and ordinances in energy law.
What concrete measures does the Easter package contain?
At the heart of the package is the principle that the use of renewable energies is in the overriding public interest and serves public safety. The expansion of renewable energies on land and at sea is raised to a completely new level. By 2030, at least 80 percent of Germany's gross electricity consumption is to be sourced from renewables.
Extensive measures are being taken to promote the expansion of renewable energy. For example, new areas are being made available for the expansion of photovoltaics, the participation of municipalities in onshore wind and photovoltaics is being expanded, low-wind locations are being developed more intensively and the framework conditions for the expansion of photovoltaic roof systems are being improved.
In future, the expansion of offshore wind energy is to be based on two equal pillars. In addition to the tendering of areas that have already been pre-surveyed, areas that have not yet been pre-surveyed will also be tendered in future.
The expansion of renewable energies and the grids will be accelerated by removing obstacles and streamlining planning and approval procedures.
The federal requirement plan for the expansion of the transmission grids is being updated and new projects are being included so that the grids can keep pace with the expansion of renewable energies.
With the abolition of the EEGAt the same time, the regulations for self-consumption and the privileged treatment of industry are enormously simplified and a major contribution is made to reducing the bureaucracy of energy law.
The rights of end customers and the Federal Network Agency's supervisory options over energy suppliers are strengthened in order to protect electricity and gas consumers even better in the future.
An overview paper on the Easter Package and the draft laws can be found at here.
Incentive to use less "grey energy" in the construction of non-residential buildings
The City of Hamburg promotes the use of wood for the new construction of non-residential buildings with a floor space of 100 m² or more.
The use of wood in the building construction of new buildings is being 800 € per tonne of wood product promoted.
In addition Insulation materials with the quality mark RAL-UZ 132 or 140 (Blue Angel) or the natureplus seal with a subsidy of 10,- €/m² component area promoted. At least 80 percent by volume of the thermally insulating building component must consist of the sustainable insulation material.
In an office building with 1,000 m² of heated floor space and solid wood exterior walls and ceilings, about 200 tonnes of wood are used. This would be eligible for funding of 160,000 €. The maximum amount of funding per building is 250,000 €*.
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