Record 42C heatwave exposes Germany's lack of air conditioning
A forecasted 42C record is reigniting Germany's debate over air conditioning in public buildings, just as demographic shifts threaten to leave 20,000 churches empty.
Germany is preparing for what could be its highest recorded temperature on Sunday, with forecasts from the German Press Agency indicating the mercury could reach 42C. This would surpass the current all-time high of 41.2C, set in Tönisvorst and Duisburg-Baerl on July 25, 2019.
The extreme weather has immediately highlighted a structural vulnerability in German buildings: a widespread lack of air conditioning. Because such temperatures are historically abnormal for the region, cooling systems remain rare, raising questions for businesses about workplace safety and productivity.
The heatwave has reignited debates over who should pay to install climate control and whether doing so merely masks the broader issue of climate change. However, public pressure is mounting for immediate action in essential community buildings. "Germany needs schools and recreation centres with mandatory air conditioning so people who are vulnerable to the heat can stay [safe] in case of long heat waves," one reader commented this week.
The challenge of adapting public infrastructure extends beyond this immediate weather event. In Germany's Ruhr region, the nation's largest urban area, a long-term demographic shift is forcing a separate but related debate over the future of public spaces.
Following the Second World War, small local churches were built rapidly across the country to help rebuild communities. As Germany's Catholic and Protestant populations have steadily decreased in recent decades, many of these buildings have lost their congregations.
Estimates suggest up to 20,000 churches across Germany may be deconsecrated over the next ten years. To demonstrate their potential, the pan-European art biennial Manifesta 16 Ruhr has begun transforming unused churches in Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum into tea gardens, basketball courts and galleries.
Manifesta 16 Ruhr, which opened on June 21 and runs until October 4, showcases how designers can offer alternative uses for these properties. One church has been converted into an indoor beach, filled with giant blue balloons and covered in sand.
The event’s director told The Art Newspaper that residents had expressed a need for common spaces, noting, “These empty churches can be those spaces.” Whether addressing a sudden surplus of dangerous heat or a long-term surplus of religious real estate, German planners face the same underlying challenge. The country must decide how to repurpose its existing built environment to serve a population whose needs are rapidly changing.
