From June 9 to 12, 2025, REA North and a representative of the City of Varazdin are participating in a study visit to Hamburg, organized within the framework of Overcoming Underperforming Renovations in Central and Eastern Europe (OUR-CEE) project.
The aim of the study visit is to increase knowledge and potentially foster collaboration on possible solutions for systematically addressing the issue of underperforming renovations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The city of Hamburg was selected as a good example of deep renovation of public buildings.
In addition to touring examples of best practices, project partners also held a meeting with local decision-makers and city administration officials.
As part of the study trip, REA North visited the Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, the central research organization operating within the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.
The Center focuses on tackling current and future challenges of the energy transition from an interdisciplinary perspective. It also develops practical solutions for a wide range of technological, social, political, and economic issues, thus making a lasting contribution to effective climate and environmental protection.
One of the main goals of the Center is to encourage cooperation between businesses, universities, and institutions in order to support the development of practical solutions and innovations in the field of renewable energy. Among other things, REA North and other OUR-CEE project partners visited the wind laboratory and the smart grid laboratory at the Center.
In addition to visiting the Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, a visit was also organized to HafenCity, which is the largest urban redevelopment area in Europe, located in the central part of the city on land that was formerly used as a port.
The project involves transforming former industrial sites, including the old river port and gasworks, covering a total area of 157 hectares. The entire area is divided into 13 districts, and the redevelopment project is expected to be completed around 2030. HafenCity is envisioned as a carbon-neutral urban waterfront district.
OUR-CEE project is funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) program.
