Advanced System Technology branch AST of Fraunhofer IOSB
Open District Hub in Bochum-Weitmar The goal of the research project "ODH@ Bochum-Weitmar" is to develop an ICT ecosystem for the realization of cross-sectoral energy systems at the neighborhood level. The technologies integral neighborhood planning system, digital market platform and self-learning energy management system will be realized and supported by an interoperable, scalable middleware platform and automatic learning procedures. To demonstrate the integral planning as well as the reliable and economic-ecological optimal energy supply, the developed tools will be implemented in the district of Bochum-Weitmar in the context of the upcoming construction measures.
The project
The site is located in the Weitmar district in the southwest of the city of Bochum and comprises five city quarters. Vonovia owns 232 apartment buildings from the 1950s and 1960s with over 1,500 apartments here. In addition, there is a portfolio of terraced houses that are privately owned. In the coming years, Vonovia plans to gradually refurbish the neighborhoods in conjunction with redensification and the addition of more floors to buildings to create new living space.
The neighborhood with its general conditions (1950/60s buildings in need of major renovation, parking space bottlenecks, ownership structures, etc.) is a good example for many other neighborhoods and portfolios in Germany and for Vonovia.
Our solutions
As part of a holistic neighborhood development, the focus is not only on the modernization and energy-related refurbishment of buildings, but also on the implementation of optimized energy supply concepts and new mobility concepts in the neighborhood. The development and implementation of integrated neighborhood solutions is flanked by social measures.
- Development of holistic, sustainable solutions for existing neighborhoods to create economical, decentralized energy supply solutions
- Optimization of energy efficiency and upgrading of existing buildings while keeping tenants' rents neutral in terms of heating costs
- Development, evaluation and testing of integrated neighborhood solutions, consisting of refurbishment, energy supply and mobility concepts, and selected business models
- Alignment of the neighborhood concepts with the needs and user behavior of the residents in order to create acceptance.
The project focuses on the development and testing of several main components, including:
- Self-learning energy management system (SEMS) to optimize energy efficiency.
- Digital marketplace with new business models to build economic and ecological solutions for the neighborhood
- Integral neighborhood planning system, i.e., a planning tool for planning and implementing optimized neighborhood concepts
- ICT ecosystem: integration of components into an overall system
