The Evangelical Lutheran parish of Hof-Kreuzkirche is faced with the challenge of coping with increasing extreme weather events and becoming climate-resilient. The more than 60-year-old Kreuzkirche building and its surrounding, mostly sealed grounds are exposed to increasing heat island effects, particularly during longer periods of drought. The building structure of the Kreuzkirche presents a particular challenge, as it does not readily allow the use of standard sponge elements. In addition, a planned PV system on the church roof must also be taken into account. Due to its pitch, the roof of the Kreuzkirche is not suitable for the installation of a modern green roof, thus eliminating one of the most effective ways of reducing heat build-up in the church on hot days. On the other hand, modern green roof systems offer sufficient storage space, for example to use the collected rainwater to irrigate the property.
In order to still be able to collect the rainwater, the Water Infrastructure and Digitalisation research group has proposed building a special "balcony" around the church roof, which collects and stores the water in a green roof strip and only releases a reduced amount into the canal when the rainfall is too heavy. The cooling effects of the green strip should ensure a higher electricity yield from the PV modules, while shrubs in the green roof should increase evaporation through a special arrangement.
WP 1: Literature analysis of the use of grading systems for evaporation in "sponge elements", WP 2: Development of construction or design approaches for the grading/evaporation elements incl. WP 3: Preparation of a structural expert report on the supports and neighbouring church walls, WP 4: Development of the "sponge balcony" construction, WP 5: Adaptation of the Purple Roof system for use in the "sponge balcony" incl. addition of grading/evaporation elements, WP 6: Development of a water balance, WP 7: Design of the technical water management (sensors, pumps, pipes, controls), WP 8: Overall "sponge balcony" design concept.
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