“We want to set an example”

The Helmholtz Climate-Friendly Construction Expertise Network launched in the fall of 2023. How have construction, renovation, and expansion been handled at Helmholtz so far? What changes with this new initiative?

Up to now, the Helmholtz Association has always had highly qualified building and construction departments that have operated at a high level in the public construction sector. But the challenges are increasing. We will have to adapt to climate change within a relatively short period. Another important point is that the Helmholtz Centers are independent entities and operate autonomously in the first instance. While they are always accompanied by the administration, the level of quality can vary. A fundamental idea behind our network is to make the expertise available at one Helmholtz Center accessible to the others. Everyone should benefit from our collective experience and evolve through exchange.

What degree of support do you provide to a construction project? Do you limit your recommendations to the beginning of the project?

I’d estimate that at Helmholtz there are more than 200 major construction projects currently running in parallel, each with a contract value of over one million euros. Our small team cannot accompany and support them all. That’s also not really the idea. If someone asks for support in a specific area, we see if there is someone at Helmholtz who has handled a similar task and can provide concrete assistance. We also communicate our services through a website, provide informational material, and are available to be contacted directly. Everyone should know going in, “What do I have to do at the start of this project so that I can successfully integrate the sustainability aspects?” But the basic idea is that the centers themselves gain additional expertise to then carry out their projects without us continuously monitoring and advising them. Our role is to provide support on a point-by-point basis and also to offer training courses on topics that we believe are important and interesting.

You referenced your “small team.” How small are we talking?

We are five permanent employees, time-limited until the end of 2025, and hope to continue past that point. Additionally, there are two associates.

The overarching goal is Helmholtz's commitment to "climate neutrality in work practices and research processes by 2035 …"

The topic of construction and building is a critical lever for this. Thirty-eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by buildings. Including the construction processes in industry and transportation, that share rises to about 50 percent. Globally, mineral resources used in building construction and civil engineering comprise 47 percent of total material consumption, and domestically, 54 percent of the nationwide waste volume is generated during the construction and demolition of buildings and infrastructure. The Helmholtz centers have highly complex, specialized research facilities with high energy demands. We bear a great responsibility for mitigating climate change, and we want to contribute accordingly.

You probably have to determine where energy use is indispensable for research and where you could say, “Yes, you can continue to do it that way, but in a different framework that consumes less energy.” 

Exactly. We don’t want in any way to question scientific research. Instead, we ask: How can the balance be optimized and what options are there to use waste heat as surplus energy elsewhere, for example? Another example: Maybe you can take the opportunity to install geothermal probes during major civil engineering projects. We also advise on energy management systems: What data should you collect, and where are the opportunities to augment efficiency? Because this data is sometimes not recorded adequately or not in a way that makes sense. I don’t need to run a facility at full capacity 24/7. If I know the exact times when facilities and laboratories are actually being used, I can allocate the energy accordingly.

What is Helmholtz-specific about this approach to climate-friendly construction?

We aspire to be viewed as a model for the public sector and the research community and to apply advanced technologies as early as possible. Ideally, these should also be technologies that were developed or co-developed at one point at Helmholtz, to also provide a showcase for particularly promising technologies. It's not just about saving money. We want to try solutions that could be applicable elsewhere. Our advantage at Helmholtz is that we have the entire system in one hand: We are the ones who use and operate the buildings, we are the ones who build them. We can view and manage the entire system – and that is a huge opportunity that few others have.

Interview: Thomas Röbke

This text first appeared on the Helmholtz Association's website.