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Sub-project 2a

The IWAR Institute at the World Exhibition in Shanghai

The Chair of Wastewater Technology of the IWAR takes part in the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, as the only German university presenting its own exhibition area. Together with its partner, the Institute of Environmental Science at the Tongji University of Shanghai, the findings of the interdisciplinary research approach SEMIZENTRAL are presented to the global public, under the direction of the Chair of Wastewater Technology of Prof. Cornel.

Based on the century of cities and the challenges involved, the motto of the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai is "better city - better life", presenting solutions for the design of future cities. In the frame of the SEMIZENTRAL projects of the IWAR and the Tongji University, infrastructure systems for the supply and disposal sectors water, wastewater, and waste have been developed, that are flexible and can be adapted to changing circumstances.

The exhibition area is situated in one of the four Chinese theme pavilions, URBAN PLANET, located directly at the principle axis of the EXPO area. The theme of the pavilion are the future global challenges, with the topics "low carbon", "urban mining", "drop of life", and "green city", the latter the location of the "Semicentralized" project.

On the 1st of May, 2010, the EXPO 2010 started, opening its gates for 6 months to the largest world exhibition of all time, expecting 70 million people - according to the hosts' planning. Besides the German pavilion, that traditionally is one of the most popular country pavilions, for the first time at a world exhibition, cities present themselves, such as Hamburg,  Düsseldorf, Freiburg, and Bremen. Together with the SEMIZENTRAL project of the Technische Universität Darmstadt (Federal State of Hesse), for six months, they present their contributions in the Urban Best Practice Area, established for the first time at a world exhibition.

Duration: 04.2009 - 10.2010
Project funding reference number: 02WD0989

EXPO 2010 has started

At the EXPO, Semizentral Germany takes part in two exhibition areas:

  • the Chinese theme pavilion URBAN PLANET, presenting the challenges of future cities and exemplary solutions
  • the German Centre, where in the atrium an even more comprehensive presentation is given in the frame of the EXPO accompanying exhibition area „Experience the Quality of Life“

Urban Planet

Together with its partner, the National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control of the Shanghai Tongji University, the institute IWAR of the Technische Universität Darmstadt has carried out research on the technical and organizational possibilities of designing the required infrastructure systems more flexible and resource efficient. The result of these studies is the SEMIZENTRAL approach with its exemplary handling of water and energy resources, presented to the global public in the Chinese theme pavilion URBAN PLANET. SEMIZENTRAL is based on smaller-scale supply and disposal systems, easily expandable and thus flexible in case changes occur in surrounding conditions. Amongst other things, SEMIZENTRAL provides for intra-urban water reuse, thus saving considerable amounts of water and energy. As the concept also considers waste flows to be used for energy recovery, even the energy-autarkic operation of the semicentralized system is possible. Therefore, SEMIZENTRAL is cost-efficient as well as environmentally and climate friendly and is able to contribute considerably to health care and the general quality of life in (future) mega cities.

German Center

In the German Centre , on an area of about 2.500 m2, Chinese and international visitors can experience modern city life with its new technologies: quality of live, sustainability as well as future, energy, and health awareness.

The project revolves around the idea of a tangible quality of life. The energy, health and future awareness of the modern urbanite takes center stage. A fun, lively entertainment program with cultural focus accompanies the event. This is no exhibition; visitors can actively sample a modern life-style.