An old World War II bunker used for sheltering 30,000 people in Hamburg is going to be transformed into an energy-generating facility that will provide heat for 3,000 homes and electricity for 1,000, reports Inhabitat.
A large solar array has already been attached to the roof and exterior, and an open-air terrace will open this year. Workers are currently finishing solar photovoltaic panels and a large solar thermal installation.
The 130-foot-tall bunker couldn’t be taken down by the British in 1947 and even the war didn’t get it down, because of the thick walls that will now host a biomethane-fired CHP (combined heat and power) plant and a wood-burning plant for the Hamburg(ers) starting 2015.
They say Roman stuff lasts forever, but I think well-built German stuff lasts forever, too… anyway, they don’t make buildings that solid these days… Now that’s a perfect example of recycling.