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Launch of the Housing.2050 initiative

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Climate protection has long been one of the most urgent topics for the housing industry. In order to achieve a climate-neutral building stock by 2050, the 24 founding companies of the Wohnen.2050 initiative met in Berlin on 28 January 2020 to found the association. The nationwide association was initiated by the Nassauische Heimstätte | Wohnstadt group of companies.

"Don't just talk about climate change, act" - under this motto, the Nassauische Heimstätte | Wohnstadt group of companies invited founding partners from all over Germany to found the Initiative Wohnen.2050 (IW2050) association. The overarching objective is a climate policy alliance which, in addition to strategic cooperation and a technical and content-related comparison, focuses primarily on economic and financial concerns to achieve the targets.

The event was opened by Axel Gedaschko, President of the Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies (GdW). "For the housing industry, climate protection is one of the most urgent topics - and all those involved have been making a continuous contribution for a long time. To achieve the two-degree target and a climate-neutral building stock by 2050, the stakes need to be raised significantly once again. The situation requires not only commitment, but transformation," Gedaschko explained.

Nationwide association of the housing industry

The Wohnen.2050 initiative combines concentrated know-how and relies on the open-source approach. Solutions and tools for the resource-saving development of company-specific paths to climate neutrality are jointly developed and exchanged. In this way, even smaller companies are given the opportunity to position themselves in an economically and factually appropriate way. "We are facing what is probably the greatest challenge of our time. That's why it was clear to us that we needed an industry initiative to meet this challenge together and in partnership," says Dr. Thomas Hain, Managing Director of the Nassauische Heimstätte | Wohnstadt Group and member of the IW2050 Board of Directors, about the climate protection commitment.

Over 1 million housing units when the association was founded

The approach is convincing: on the day of its foundation, the initiative already represents around 1,050,000 housing units and six of the ten largest German housing companies within the GdW. "The participation and interest were overwhelming. We are proud to set out today with a staggering 24 founding companies on the path to a climate-neutral future," said Felix Lüter, Head of the Sustainability Competence Centre of the Nassauische Heimstätte | Wohnstadt Group. After the official founding of the association, the participants discussed possible financing and climate strategies in working groups. In the coming weeks, there will be further meetings to develop strategies and measures to achieve the goals set.

Main goals of the initiative

  1. Unified positioning to raise financial support to achieve climate goals in the housing sector at federal and state level
  2. Exchange know-how on climate strategies and concrete actions of the members and thus make knowledge accessible; only with pooled know-how and reduced use of resources of the individual companies is it possible to develop solution strategies in a timely manner and then implement them in the 2020s
  3. Publicise the pioneering role and climate protection commitment of the sector, especially of its members.
  4. Activation, empowerment and motivation of employees of participating companies to contribute to the achievement of climate targets and communication of climate protection commitment to customers

Founding members of the initiative

  1. bauverein AG
  2. DOGEWO21 - Dortmunder Gesellschaft für Wohnen mbH
  3. GAG Immobilien AG
  4. Gemeinnütziges Siedlungswerk GmbH
  5. GESOBAU AG
  6. GEWOBAG Wohnungsbau-Aktiengesellschaft Berlin
  7. GGH Gesellschaft für Grund- und Hausbesitz Heidelberg mbH
  8. HWB Hofheimer Wohnungsbau GmbH
  9. HOWOGE Housing Association Ltd.
  10. Joseph Foundation
  11. Municipal Housing Association Ginsheim-Gustavsburg
  12. LEG-Wohnen GmbH
  13. Nassauische Heimstätte Housing and Development Company Ltd.
  14. NEULAND Housing Company Ltd.
  15. ProPotsdam GmbH
  16. Rheinwohnungsbau GmbH
  17. Stuttgarter Wohnungs- und Städtebaugesellschaft mbH
  18. Vivawest GmbH
  19. VOLKSWOHNUNG GmbH
  20. Vonovia SE
  21. Wankendorfer Building Society for Schleswig-Holstein eG
  22. Wohnbau Stadt Coburg GmbH
  23. Wohnbaugruppe Augsburg | Life
  24. Wohnungsunternehmen Amberg Bauträger- und Baubetreuungs-GmbH

Supported by

  • EBZ Business School GmbH
  • GdW - General Association of the German Housing Industry
  • Association of the Southwest German Housing Industry e.V.
  • Association of the Housing and Real Estate Industry Rhineland Westphalia

Link

Manifesto of the Housing 2050 Initiative
www.iw2050.de

Source: PM from 28.01.2020 Nassauische Heimstätte 


Keywords: Stock, DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Settlements, Housing, Housing policy, Thermal insulation

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For climate protection: Berlin builds with wood
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For climate protection: Berlin builds with wood

From the meeting of the Berlin Senate on 24 September 2019:

At its meeting today, the Senate adopted the report to the House of Representatives on "Sustainability in Construction: Berlin Builds with Wood", following a presentation by the Senator for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, Regine Günther.

The Senate is consistently pursuing the goal of developing Berlin into a climate-neutral city by 2050. To achieve this ambitious goal, the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme (BEK) in the building sector also includes resource conservation and, in particular, the sustainable construction and refurbishment of buildings.

Through the use of wood as a renewable building material, relevant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved for the state of Berlin. For example, the use of one cubic metre of wood in a construction project binds around one tonne of CO2 over the entire useful life of the wood product. If a school for 1,000 pupils is built in timber construction, up to 750 cubic metres of wood are used. This corresponds to a saving of 750 tonnes of CO2.

Senator Günther: "The state of Berlin wants to build even more with wood in its own construction projects. In doing so, Berlin wants to live up to its role model function and motivate as many companies as possible to follow suit. More timber construction is an important element for climate protection."

The state of Berlin has already initiated extensive measures to promote timber construction. It is thanks to these measures, as well as the efforts of the timber trade, the crafts and the timber industry, that urban timber construction is now accepted in Berlin and is developing a high level of dynamism throughout the state.

Due to the importance of timber construction for climate and environmental policy and its great advantages, the Senate is placing even greater emphasis on timber construction, particularly in state-owned, but also in private construction projects. In this context, care must be taken to ensure that the wood used comes exclusively from sustainable forestry and that this is always verified by the submission of a FSC- or an equivalent certificate is documented.

The final report presents the measures already initiated by the Land of Berlin as well as the additional measures planned:

  • With the resolution of the House of Representatives on "Sustainability in construction: Berlin builds with wood", the political expression of will and the creation of political framework conditions took place.
  • The legal framework was created with the Senate resolution on sustainable building and on the preferred installation of wood as a building material within the framework of the update of the Administrative Regulation on Procurement and the Environment (VwVBU). In addition, Berlin's building regulations were amended accordingly.
  • For the implementation of the strategies and measures of the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme (BEK 2030), the state of Berlin has launched an extensive funding programme. In this context, pilot and innovation projects on timber construction can also be funded by means of a case-by-case assessment.
  • The aim is also to reduce or eliminate existing obstacles to timber construction and to improve the structures for timber construction. Recommendations for action have already been developed for this purpose. Now, in an in-depth dialogue with the relevant stakeholders, it is to be determined how these recommendations can be implemented in a timely manner and how a timber network can be established in the long term.
  • Furthermore, measures for further education and training were implemented: This year, the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, together with the German Timber Trade Association, held the 5th specialist dialogue on sustainable timber construction for planners, architects, builders, timber construction companies and the administrative authorities responsible for construction. This tried and tested specialist event is to be continued in the coming years.
  • In this context, the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection is also planning to specify corresponding binding quality requirements for the commissioning of planning services for public facilities with the next update of the Administrative Regulation on Procurement and the Environment (VwVBU).
  • The Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection is currently conducting research and development within the framework of a large timber school construction project with an investment volume of €25 million in Berlin-Marzahn. This building project is being used to investigate both the ecological and economic advantages of timber construction versus reinforced concrete construction, as well as any obstacles that may arise with timber construction. As part of this investigation, the grey energy, i.e. the amount of energy required for the production, transport, storage, sale and disposal of a product, will also be determined and evaluated for the building materials used.
    On the one hand, the results of this study will be taken into account in the updating of the Administrative Regulation on Procurement and the Environment. On the other hand, it will also be examined whether and which additional incentives for timber construction should be applied in Berlin. This study is expected to provide further important insights into the use of wood as a building material.

Source: Press release from 24.09.2019



Keywords:
Building materials / Construction, Procurement, DE-News, Research, Wood construction, Climate protection, Communities, NaWaRohs, News Blog Berlin, Quarters, SDG 2030, Settlements, City, Environmental policy, Housing policy, Life cycle assessment, Ecology

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