Project Context
The IWIQ project (Integrierte Wasser- und Wärmerückgewinnung im Quartier) is run by the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin gGmbH, which is named as both author and publisher of the page. The text describes it as a Reallabor (real-world laboratory) in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region, where densification, population growth and new industrial sites are raising water demand while climate change reduces available resources. The project kicked off on 25.08.25, with a launch speech by Franziska Giffey and a presentation by Dr.-Ing. Pascale Rouault.
Approach
- Decentralised treatment of lightly polluted grey water from showers, kitchens and washing machines in existing buildings.
- The treated water is first used as toilet flushing water; later uses named include washing machines, garden irrigation, building cooling and infiltration.
- The text states that this can reduce drinking water use by up to 60 %.
- Heat recovery from the grey water is used locally and may later feed into municipal heat planning, using the window offered by planned energy renovations.
Test Sites and Methods
- Block 6 in Berlin-Kreuzberg, a grey water system in operation since 2006, serves as the platform for improving operational water use; the project examines how simple measuring technology can enable robust, low-cost operation.
- The standardised WBS 70 prefabricated apartment blocks of the former GDR are studied for transferring solutions to many neighbourhoods.
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) is used to make planning and renovation processes more efficient and transparent.
Learning Site and Partners
Block 6 also acts as a physical anchor for a hybrid learning site, where companies, authorities and other actors can bring their own questions, test regulatory requirements and develop solutions together. A virtual component is to give quarter management and stakeholders technical and practical insights.
Why It Matters for Urban Water and Heat Policy
According to the project, IWIQ contributes to resilient water supply under scarce resources and to the local heat transition in cities. It aims to show how technological innovation, municipal planning and the building stock can be considered together, creating circular water use that the project describes as transferable and future-proof.