QuaWiDiS®

Environmentally compatible heating of public passenger transport areas

The QuaWIDIS^® system was developed in cooperation with the technical university of Darmstadt, Meierhans & Partner and Hering. QuaWIDIS stands for qualified winter service and is a project promoted by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for heating walkable surfaces in outdoor areas by means of resource-friendly energy generated by terrestrial heat.

QuaWiDiS^® provides an ice free surface for public stairways, ramps, squares and modular platforms without the use of harmful de-icing products. Surfaces are heated by the placement of heating lines integrated into precast concrete units.

Geo-thermal heat is extracted from the ground in winter to warm the surfaces and discharged back into the ground in summer ensuring a ‘balanced energy budget’.

The QuaWiDiS^® treated areas have the following features and benefits:

The component parts are not exposed to high fluctuations of temperature. This increases their lifespan
Doing without aggressive grit increases the durability of the component parts and the structures
Geothermal heat is an environmentally friendly, regenerative source of energy
The QuaWiDiS^® system results in low operating costs as the geo-thermal sensors and conducting lines are maintenance free. Also there are no consumables such as salt or grit.
Ecological impact is further reduced as there is no useage or ‘run-off’ of potentially damaging substances such as salt etc…

System sketch for heating a public passenger transport area (pdf, approx. 137 kB)