The pilot project
Exceeding the 1.5 °C limit is no longer an uncertain future scenario. Since climate change can no longer be completely stopped, effective climate protection measures must be accompanied by the development of new strategies for adapting to new climatic conditions.
This also applies to the cultural sector in Germany, which, like other areas of life, is increasingly affected by the consequences of climate change. Heavy rainfall and flooding, for example, have caused massive damage to museum buildings and art objects in the past. Extreme heatwaves and droughts put a strain on audiences and collections alike and pose an acute threat to the biosystems of historic castles and gardens. The question of what new tasks climate change will bring for cultural institutions is becoming increasingly urgent.
At the same time, the number of cultural institutions engaged with the effects of climate change on their region, or are already managing their properties more ecologically, is growing. With equal amounts of ingenuity and public spirit, the first institutions are seeking effective ways of dealing with the consequences of the climate crisis. Some institutions are already developing individual measures or experimenting with innovative ideas for the future, such as shade-providing plant sails to reduce solar radiation in recreational areas. Other institutions want to serve as places of cooling for the urban public during heat waves in the future.
New concepts for the future
Against this backdrop, the German Federal Cultural Foundation has initiated the pilot project Climate Adaptation in Cultural Institutions and invited twenty cultural institutions to work with an experienced team of experts as part of an approximately one-year learning and consulting process. The first step was to identify the climate risks specific to each institution’s location, both now and in the future. Based on this, they jointly identified concrete options for action, with priority given to nature-based solutions (such as greening roof surfaces). Finally, the results were summarised in forward-looking concepts to strengthen the adaptation potential of cultural institutions in the climate crisis.
International networking and knowledge transfer
The team of experts
The project implementation was put out to tender by the German Federal Cultural Foundation as part of a procurement process. The contract was awarded to a consortium of different partners who brought various perspectives and expertise to the project. The team consisted of experts from adelphi consult GmbH (research and consulting institution on sustainability issues), the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP), the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTWD) and the landscape architecture firm L-A-E Ehrig GmbH.International networking and knowledge transfer.
International networking and knowledge transfer
The pilot project also incorporated international perspectives and numerous scientific partners to strengthen the transfer of interdisciplinary knowledge between the fields of culture, monument preservation, environmental technology, cultural management, and research. In addition to the freely accessible documentation, a closing event in Mannheim brought together and showcased the exemplary results, enabling other cultural institutions to benefit from the knowledge gained.
Twenty cultural institutions in the pilot group
The pilot project was implemented in collaboration with twenty cultural institutions. This ‘convoy approach’ is an effective method that enables organisations to share experiences and learn from each other under expert guidance. The pilot group covered various sectors – remembrance culture, literature, museums, castles and gardens, socio-culture, theatre and music – and represented a broad spectrum of prior knowledge, organisational sizes and different location conditions from all federal states.
Sustainability at the German Federal Cultural Foundation
The project is part of the German Federal Cultural Foundation’s long-term commitment to ecological sustainability in the cultural sector – from operational innovations to new aesthetics. Since 2011, it has also been committed to continuously improving its environmental performance through the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) environmental management programme, viewing itself as a learning organisation. In recent years, the focus of its activities has been on climate protection and reducing emissions. As part of the pilot project Climate Adaptation in Cultural Institutions, the Cultural Foundation, headquartered in Halle (Saale), was also part of the pilot group. Further information on the Cultural Foundation’s environmental sustainability can be found in its environmental statement.
Participating institutions
- Burg Hülshoff – Center for Literature, Havixbeck (NRW)
- Castles and Gardens of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar (Thuringia)
- Dresden Municipal Libraries (Saxony)
- Frieda 23 Rostock Art and Media Centre (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania)
- Garden Realm of the Dessau-Wörlitz Foundation (Saxony-Anhalt)
- German Hygiene Museum Dresden (Saxony)
- Gropius Bau (Berlin)
- Kulturzentrum TUFA Trier (Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Kunstverein Braunschweig (Lower Saxony)
- Memorial Museum Ravensbrück (Brandenburg)
- Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe (Hamburg)
- Musik- und Kongresshalle Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein)
- Nationaltheater Mannheim (Baden-Württemberg)
- Parktheater Iserlohn (NRW)
- Schauburg München (Bavaria)
- Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt (Hesse)
- Saarbrücken Municipal Library (Saarland)
- Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (Baden-Württemberg)
- Stadttheater Bremerhaven (Bremen)
- WUK Theater Quartier Halle (Saxony-Anhalt)
