The Schlaues Haus opens on 28 September: An interview with Dr Petra Buchholz, Managing Director of The Smart House Oldenburg gGmbH, about the aims of the facility, the building on Schlossplatz, initial events and the planned opening ceremony.
QUESTION: The Smart House Oldenburg is intended to be a "showcase for science in Oldenburg city centre". What do you mean by that?
BUCHHOLZ: The Smart House is a meeting place between science and citizens. The ivory tower is a thing of the past: We want hands-on science, with lectures, conferences and exhibitions. What is important to us is that interested citizens should have the opportunity to take part in discussions when scientists present their ideas and research approaches. We want to initiate a dialogue, bring science and the public together - for the citizens of Oldenburg, but also for the entire region.
QUESTION: What topics will the Smart House programme start with?
BUCHHOLZ: We are still at the beginning and will gradually expand our range of topics. Firstly, the series of events: We are focussing on high-calibre speakers who have their strengths in science communication. Communicating science and research in a professional yet understandable way: that's what we want.
QUESTION: The topics of energy/climate and living/life are at the centre of the Smart House. Why is that?
BUCHHOLZ: As a centre of science, Oldenburg has taken on the major challenges facing society and has made a name for itself in the field of renewable energies in particular. This is expertise that we want to utilise. After all, we want to bring topics such as the energy transition, which are the subject of much political debate, closer from a scientific perspective - with the public and for the public who want to "get smart". But the two shareholders - the University of Oldenburg and the Jade University of Applied Sciences - also have a wealth of knowledge on the future topic of housing and living. Incidentally, we are also planning a presentation opportunity here for start-up companies that are founded out of the university. After all, many start-up ideas are concerned with making life easier for citizens.
QUESTION: The construction of the Smart House is unique: one of the oldest houses in the city is being combined with state-of-the-art architecture - a technical and architectural challenge?
BUCHHOLZ: Yes, the combination of old and new was a major challenge, especially in terms of energy efficiency. We are equipped with state-of-the-art measurement technology: we display the energy values of the Smart House on a monitor, with current measured values. The photovoltaic system intelligently aligns itself with the sun's rays. And then there is the intelligent building technology that characterises the Smart House. The old has been preserved: we have carried out extensive restoration work. We present some of the exhibits in a permanent exhibition.
QUESTION: The house is a listed building. Naturally, converting it into the Smart House is no easy task. Were there any unexpected things that you had to deal with?
BUCHHOLZ: Yes, of course there were. As construction progressed, it became apparent that the excavation pit had to be dug much deeper than initially planned. The woodworm was also far more widespread in the old wooden beams than expected. The conservation authorities demanded extensive restoration of the old building fabric. An initially undiscovered erratic boulder required adapted structural planning. Unfortunately, a neighbouring building was also affected, which then had to be secured with extensive support measures. Fire protection tests required numerous measures, such as the installation of additional fire protection windows. All in all, it can be said that the renovation of the old building harboured numerous surprises.
QUESTION: The Smart House will open on 28 September. What exactly is planned for that day?
BUCHHOLZ: An exciting stage programme, lectures and stations where scientists will present their projects. Of course, the public will also be able to visit the new rooms of The Smart House Oldenburg - with the support of Oldenburg Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, which will also be moving into the building. And there will be a documentation of the construction process, the exhibition is called "Der Bau wird schlau". We are very much looking forward to finally being able to open the doors and present the Smart House to the citizens - which will hopefully also become "their" house to a certain extent.
QUESTION: What still needs to be done before the opening on 28 September?
BUCHHOLZ: The programme is ambitious. The programme brochures will be printed next week. And there are some construction measures that need to be finalised and our website needs to be expanded. We will be perfecting everything bit by bit.