Climate-neutral church: Planning basis for climate-friendly, needs-oriented building use

The Protestant Church in the Rhineland (EKIR) aims to be climate-neutral by 2035. This means that all buildings in the respective church districts must be inspected. To this end, the Oberhausen church district has launched the "Climate-Neutral Churches" project in collaboration with Fraunhofer UMSICHT and is now analyzing up to 85 buildings in its portfolio – churches, community and youth centers, parsonages and residential buildings, kindergartens and cemetery chapels. The aim is to optimize the buildings' energy efficiency and make the best possible use of them in the future. Fraunhofer UMSICHT is organizing and scientifically supporting the participatory process, which takes into account the needs of all stakeholders and the potential of the buildings. In addition to climate neutrality and energy efficiency, the condition of the buildings, the financial perspective and local and social conditions are also relevant.

Around 80% of the Evangelical Church's CO₂-emissions are attributable to its buildings. In addition, the congregations will have significantly less money at their disposal in the future. Therefore, as a first step, the Protestant congregations are to develop a concept for the use of their existing buildings by 2027. Based on this, these buildings are to be optimized so that they can also be operated in a greenhouse gas-neutral manner.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT is using a multidimensional approach to create a planning basis for the Protestant Church in Oberhausen with an exemplary (re)use concept and recommendations for action for location-specific climate-neutral development. A total of 85 buildings from six parishes in the Oberhausen church district are to be analyzed. A key factor in the concept development is the participatory concept development, in which all stakeholders are involved, as well as the spatial representation of the buildings.

Profiles and maps as a basis for discussion for the workshop series

Based on the discussions in the church districts, Fraunhofer UMSICHT is creating profiles for each of the buildings with all relevant key figures and data, such as maintenance and operating costs, supply structure, description of the surroundings, current use and occupancy plans. Future needs, shared uses, and other synergistic opportunities are also being taken into account. The profiles serve as a transparent overview of the energy situation of the buildings and their relationship to the neighborhood. The map shows the buildings in their spatial location in the districts. In a series of six workshops over two years, the profiles and the map form the basis for the joint development of an evaluation grid for classifying the buildings. Discussions, reflections, intensive exchanges and discussion rounds with external urban actors accompany the entire process.