Your Friend, The Apartment
As part of the Wohnen am Campus project, a cross-generational Living Lab is being developed in Adlershof
Tried and tested by the occupants, the Living Lab offers all benefits of technology-supported living. At the nearby visitors‘ centre, interested parties can learn about the scientific visions of this type of future-oriented living concept.
Ready to fulfil the individual needs of its occupants, the apartment of the future will be like a friend. To get to know it, people of all generations are living together in a Living Lab, testing the innovative energy and home installations for their suitability for everyday-use. Within the next years, one such lab with 65 owner-occupied and rental flats will be established in Adlershof at the corner of Groß-Berliner Damm and Hermann-Dorner-Allee. Its name: “Living Tomorrow Berlin“. “Families with care-dependent members, students flatshares, but also elderly or disabled persons can move in here,“ says interior designer Annegret Keller from Berlin who works as project manager for the Krebs group.
“There is technical equipment suitable for all kinds of individual needs.“ This includes intelligent floor coverings that automatically call for help when someone has fallen, or refridgerated mailboxes that preserve food deliveries until the tenants come home. There are loudspeaker systems addressing selected rooms so as not to disturb fellow lodgers, and tooth brushes able to take someone’s pulse and report it to the family practitioner. The service flats also offer a healthy indoor climate and cosy lighting while ensuring an optimum energy balance. “People can decide for themselves which features they want to use,“ Annegret Keller explains.
Scientists receive information on the different users‘ habits via in-wall touchscreens connected with the intranet. “Other than that, the technology is hardly visible,“ the project manager affirms. No cable clutter, no radiation, no electric smog. Instead, all wiring is hidden behind maintenance- friendly wall panels.
To sceptics this may smack of “Big Brother“. In fact, Annegret Keller is familiar with such concerns regarding total control and supervision. “Being a scientific project, we protect the privacy of the inhabitants.“ Those curious may inspect the nearby visitors‘ centre to get a close experience not only of the apartment of the future, but also of the supermarket, the wellness centre and the bank of tomorrow. 30 energy-plus-standard apartments are planned to be ready for occupation by 2015. Prices will be in accordance with local reference rents. Already, future occupants can participate in the project and help shape the facilities. And there is something else to look forward to: Those who live in a “lab” will definitely not have to wait long for repair work to be carried out.