Following the “Water City Projects” of MVRDV, Aedes introduces a team of planners whose treatment of the subject of water in the city is a completely different one:
The river Spree is a Berlin landmark, with cruise vessels, boats and beach bars taking over the scenery during the summer. It is also one of the city’s lifelines: around 70 % of the drinking water in Berlin is obtained from the rivers Spree or Havel. In contrast, the Spree also functions as Berlin’s sewer, with millions of cubic meters of untreated sewage flowing into the river every year. Recent plans are aimed at turning the Spree into a clean river once more. The exhibition SPREE2011 puts on display the ideas and visions that a group of Berliners are currently working on.
SPREE2011 employs a newly developed and worldwide unique technology against the main source of contamination of the Berlin river: after heavy rains, untreated mixed water – a mixture of household effluent and rainwater from streets and roofs – is still channeled into the Spree. In future this mixed water will be collected in water-bound storage modules, which are installed in front of the inflow points of the sewer system. Once the downpour is over, the water is pumped back into the sewer. These modules are easier and faster to install und far more economical than regular storage systems.
The pilot plant at Berlin Osthafen is scheduled for construction in autumn 2008, to be completed by the spring of next year. Osthafen is one of the current focal points of urban development in Berlin. Situated between the districts of Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, companies like MTV and Universal have set up their head quarters there; for the last few years the famous „Badeschiff” has been inviting visitors for a swim. This makes Osthafen an ideal location to advance another subject matter – apart from maintaining resources – of the project SPREE2011: the aim is to improve the quality of life and make a contribution to urban development. Platforms can be installed on top of the containers, which are fixed below the water surface, thereby creating islands in the most beautiful of surroundings: on the waters.
The initiative entitled SPREE2011 combines ecological, urban development, economic, social and cultural issues. In the framework of saving resources a novel and transferable high technology emerges, reducing costs in the medium and long term, creating jobs, improving the quality of life and positively affecting urban development. The exhibition illustrates the ideas and their implementation, the technical details and innovative utilization concepts of this trend-setting project.
The Berlin-based practice LURI.watersystems GmbH are the initiators and planners behind SPREE2011. Additionally, four departments of the Berlin University of Technology, five engineering practices, the KompetenzZentrum Wasser Berlin (a centre of water expertise) and three other companies are involved in the relevant research activities. SPREE2011 is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research and the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (the Berlin water utility).
