Grey Energy in Industrial Landscapes

Vacant factories, warehouses, LPG facilities, bunkers, and prefabricated buildings are more than just derelict properties. They contain “gray energy”—the energy that has already been expended in the production, transportation, and assembly of their building materials. But we don’t view gray energy solely as an energy value. For us, it is a social resource that opens up new possibilities for places, people, and regions.
At the Kosmos Festival, we’ll present the work of the Institute for Gray Energy and demonstrate why the resource-efficient preservation and reuse of buildings is a crucial contribution to the development of our East German regions. Instead of demolition and new construction, we develop strategies for existing buildings—scientifically sound, architecturally well-thought-out, and developed in collaboration with local residents.
At the heart of our work are the “real-world laboratories.” These are places for research, experimentation, and collaborative action. Here, vacant properties and brownfields are not viewed as problems, but as starting points for reuse. Together with local governments, initiatives, and committed individuals, we highlight the potential that already exists and how it can shape the future.
In eastern Germany, the industrial past and the social future are closely intertwined. This is particularly evident at former industrial sites. We invite you to rediscover them—not as contaminated sites or eyesores, but as spaces of possibility for a resource-efficient future.