Urban Factory - Launching Ressouce-Efficient Production wihtin Inner City

 

On the basis of pilot projects, the research project Urban Factory develops a knowledge platform for energy and resource efficiency in industrial production in the city. Methods and technologies that enable the reduction in consumption of all relevant resources in the urban context: electricity, heat, fuel, soil as well as interactions with the urban society are examined.The factory is in this case no longer considered as being only an energy and resource consumer, but rather a possible supplier for the surrounding neighborhoods. The project includes different perspectives of urban planning, urban design, industrial construction, factory planning, logistics and energy supply systems.

In the context of structural change and the urban planning ideals of separation of functions and uses in human settlements, the production facilities have been pushed to the outskirts of the cities or onto greenfields. The expected benefits such as declining emission conflicts, additional spaces or a reduced traffic volume are facing increased commuter traffic, long distances to knowledge and innovation networks   as well as an increased land consumption.Under the conditions of the current development in cutting edge production methods, in order to both profit from the creative urban environment and to mainatin effective production flows, companies are struggling to maintain successful urban/peri-urban location of production and development, considering adjustments in periurban production and logistics, as well as a return into the urban environment.

Modern factories can be integrated in our cities on the basis of the highest energy standards and the lowest emission levels (odor, noise, pollution).
The first steps already implemented by several cities focus primarily on energy reduction (Illustr. 1.1). These developments however mainly lead to stand-alone solutions (green factories) and thus do not unfold their full potential within the urban environment.

The research project Urban Factory is looking for methods which would enhance the potential of the resource efficiency of both factories and cities by their closer interaction. The project is formed by the multi-disciplinary 'Urban Factory Research Network', which brings together the disciplines urban planning, urban design, industrial construction, factory planning, logistics and energy design while also involving private companies, municipalities and citizens.Thereby, the network seeks to overcome the emphasis of many classical approaches focusing exclusively on the energy efficiency or the reduction of material use in production. The crucial unique feature is the extension to methods and technologies that enable the reduction in consumption of all relevant resources in the urban context: electricity, heat, fuel, soil, urban society, by generating more added value to both products and the urban environment.

Period

2015 - 2018

Project Leader

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Christa Reicher

Research Assistant

Dipl.-Ing. Anne Söfker-Rieniets

Sponsor

Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)