This case study is about the sanitation concept applied in the ecological settlement project at Flintenbreite that serves as a demonstration project for the German Federal Ministry of the Environment and as a pilot project for the Hansestadt Lübeck for ecological, social and economical sustainable urban development. Scientific supervision of the project is taken by the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg. The ecological settlement is situated to the West of Lübeck and covers an area of 5.6 ha, of which 2.1 ha are left as natural green space. It consists of 117 accommodation units in twin and terraced houses and blocks of flats with different sizes for up to 380 inhabitants. The special character of the settlement is based on a holistic ecological concept, which includes architecture, landscape planning, social cooperation, energy and sanitation. The wastewater is collected and treated in an internal cycle. The rainwater of roofs and sealed areas is collected in small gutters and infiltrated to the groundwater in decentralised Swales. In the households vacuum toilets with a very low water consumption (0.7 – 1.2 I per flush) are installed. The biogas created through anaerobic digestion of blackwater can be used for power and heat generation for the households. Investment costs for the sanitation system are approx. 40% higher than for the common wastewater system, while operation costs are estimated to be 25% less than in conventional settlements. This cannot yet be verified in detail, as the system is not yet fully operational. The investment costs of the complete ecological housing settlement project in Lübeck Flintenbreite are approx. EUR 20 Mio.

Bibliographic information

OtterWasser GmbH (2009). Ecological housing estate, Flintenbreite, Lübeck, Germany Draft. Case study of sustainable sanitation projects Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA)

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Biogas systems Constructed wetlandsUrban (entire city)Case studies in SuSanA templateEnglish

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Germany

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