In the "Heat" category, the project, which was realised by the Department of Environmental Engineering at the University of Innsbruck together with Innsbrucker Kommunalbetriebe (IKB), the City of Innsbruck and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, and funded by the Climate and Energy Fund, took second place.
As part of the project cool-INN - Blue-green infrastructure am Messepark Innsbruck, a previously little-used green space in the centre of a traffic island in Innsbruck was redesigned by converting a road into a cycle path and unsealing and greening asphalt surfaces. Twelve existing trees were preserved and 18 new trees were planted. The green infrastructure was supplemented by various accessible and tangible water elements in the form of spray walls, ground jets, watercourses and a drinking fountain to make the heat on hot days more bearable for young and old alike. The effectiveness of the measures taken has been confirmed by several extensive measurement campaigns: It is significantly cooler in the park on hot summer days than in the surrounding area. The square has now become a heat-resistant oasis in the city centre that is well received by the population. Due to the success of the project, a further urban climate project is now being tackled, in which a central square in the Olympic Village will be transformed into a climate-friendly and social meeting place. Manfred Kleidorfer and Yannick Back, whose dissertation was based on the project, were in charge of project for the University.
The "CliA - Austrian State Prize for Climate Change Adaptation" was awarded by a co-operation between the Ministry of Climate Protection (BMK), the Climate and Energy Fund and the Federal Environment Agency. A total of 55 projects were submitted, of which the best 3 in each of the categories "Heavy rain/flooding", "Drought", "Heat" and "Research" were honoured. The State Prize is intended to draw attention to projects that adapt architecture and urban development to the requirements of advancing climate change and thus offer direct added value for the population.
