NAWAREUM

The NAWAREUM is a museum in Straubing dedicated to sustainability, climate change, renewable resources and clean energy. It sits within the grounds of the Technology and Promotion Centre in the Competence Centre for Renewable Resources, a research body of the Free State of Bavaria. The name itself is an acronym standing for ‘Nachwachsende Rohstoffe und regenerative Energien im Museum’. The exhibits are designed to be touched and played with. Visitors can steer a water cycle model with different kinds of hydro-electric plants, build miniature wind turbines in a wind tunnel and test their efficiency. Two hybrid tables let small groups cooperate on games that balance biodiversity with farm profits or power an island entirely from renewable sources. A living wall displays more than eighty dried plants used as raw materials, each tagged with a tablet that reveals uses and seasonal growth. Outside, the garden is open to everyone and planted with the same crops shown inside, arranged to give city wildlife food and shelter year-round. The building itself is the largest exhibit: its walls, roof and floor are highly insulated, triple-glazed windows reduce heat loss, and a heat-recovery ventilation system keeps energy use low. A 270-square-metre photovoltaic roof and 130 square metres of solar thermal panels supply most of the power, while 40 geothermal probes provide heating and cooling. The wooden structure locks away carbon, and the whole site saves about eighty-three tonnes of CO₂ each year compared with a conventional building.