Klimahaus Bremerhaven

“Weather Extremes” exhibition

“Weather Extremes” is the name of the new exhibition area at the Klimahaus. The reason for this theme is very relevant: extreme weather events are becoming more frequent worldwide. Since spring 2025, Klimahaus now covers approximately 1,400 square meters. On the rotating “Uplift” platform, guests can embark on a journey across three floors, experiencing a wide range of extreme weather conditions—including heatwaves, heavy rain and cyclones—in a remarkably realistic way. To ensure that the exciting journey through the effects of climate change is a successful and memorable experience, the directors of the Klimahaus brought Kieback&Peter on board: The team, led by project manager David Padlo from the Bremen branch, created custom automation solutions that ensured that the thick fog in numerous staging areas gave way to clear visibility in seconds—almost like something out of Hollywood.

See the impact of climate change for yourself – powered by intelligent, precision automation.

Fascinating, eerie and intense—this is how visitors to the “Weather Extremes” area experience the global impacts of climate change. The Kieback&Peter team from the Bremen branch has made it possible for visitors to experience in a very real way how weather extremes impact people and the environment: “Our digital automation solution manages numerous plants that work in close coordination with the storyboard of the different show areas,” explains project manager David Padlo. Although effects like storms or rain are produced by other systems, we ensure that the fog clears quickly and reliably after these scenes by providing targeted control of ventilation dampers via a bus interface to the controller of the show technology. This assignment was not something I encounter every day, and I found it fascinating. The most exciting part was that we were able to develop special solutions in order to make the experience of extreme weather events truly convincing for visitors.

Implementing the fire safety requirements also posed a significant challenge. Due to the unique architecture of the exhibition and the specific requirements of the “Uplift” concept, custom solutions were necessary. In close collaboration with the local fire department and relevant experts, a safe and compliant fire safety plan was developed and successfully implemented. 

Experience pays off – Seamless integration of K&P’s existing technology

The team spent about six months implementing the new building automation systems and converting existing ones. “Our advantage was that we were already familiar with the building technology of the Klimahaus—including the existing automation system, which we also developed. One of our automation experts was involved in the setup way back in 2009 and was able to easily build on his previous work from that time. This enabled us to quickly and smoothly integrate new systems and connect them to the existing Neutrino BMS building management system.” The team has integrated around 350 physical data points – sensors and actuators – into the new exhibition area and set up two additional automation focal points (AFP) with powerful DDC4000 series controllers. 

Additionally, a fire department panel has been installed, allowing the fire chief to control the smoke removal system directly in the event of a fire. In addition to the systems for controlling the staging, the solution is also programmed to control the ventilation for the entire new exhibition, to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations, and to manage twenty highly efficient heating/cooling fans and air conditioning units.

A great step toward big goals – The climate says thank you

“I am very pleased with the outcome. Everything is working as planned, and the collaboration with the client and regional tradespeople went smoothly once again,” said David Padlo happily. But there’s something else that the project manager is really passionate about: “With our automation, we’ve helped ensure that the impacts of climate change can be experienced realistically here at the Klimahaus. As a result, many visitors to the new exhibition will hopefully be inspired to make greater efforts to slow climate change and prevent extreme weather events from becoming as severe and frequent as scientists fear. And our work is a valuable piece to the puzzle in the fight against climate change—because smart building automation is undoubtedly a crucial foundation for effective climate protection.”