Experience the Energy Transition Firsthand!

Committee on Smart Infrastructure Visits BTB as Part of the Regattastraße Neighborhood Project

Text by Jonas Koch | Junior Communications and Marketing Specialist

Together with our Committee on Smart Infrastructure, we were able to get a firsthand look at how the heating transition is being implemented in existing buildings. At the invitation of BTB, we toured the residential neighborhood on Regattastraße in Berlin-Grünau. There, a sustainable heating system is being developed while operations continue as usual and in close integration with the existing infrastructure.

During the site walk, it became clear what technical and organizational challenges such a transformation project in an existing building faces. The tour of the neighborhood provided insights into the individual steps, from project development to construction. While the heating network has already been largely installed, the energy center is also increasingly taking shape. Particularly exciting: the view of the underground pressurized wastewater pipeline—the future centerpiece of the renewable heat supply—which will be converted into a heat exchanger in the coming weeks. During construction, an above-ground temporary pipeline ensures that wastewater continues to be safely discharged.

Afterward, over drinks and snacks, there was time for questions, conversations, and an open professional exchange right on the construction site.

The site visit has shown once again that providing sustainable heat to existing buildings requires the precise coordination of many technical and organizational components. Projects like the neighborhood on Regattastraße play an important role in making Berlin’s heating transition visible and tangible.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Oliver Zernahle, Managing Director of BTB Energie GmbH, for making this visit possible, as well as to Luis Liebich for the informative tour of the neighborhood. To learn more about the work of the VBKI committees, please contact Annette Kusche.