Low-Energy-Buildings with minimized technical equipment

Most low-energy buildings designed today, especially office buildings, are based on large-scale technical equipment and therefore expensive to build. Our vision is an ecological combination of office and residential buildings, which needs only a minimum in technical equipment to ensure low energy needs as well as year-round living comfort. In addition, minimized technology lowers the risk of malfunction.

A minimum in technical equipment is sufficient to maintain the desired indoor climate within the range of customary resident behavior. Information tailored to the residents’ needs (user manuals) serves to encourage and support the optimum use of the building’s possibilites. In addition, an energy monitoring system enables residents to access information on their individual energy consumption and the energy needs of the entire building via the Internet, also serving to reduce energy consumption.

Construction strategies:

– small window area on the northern front, thermal buffer zone
– 30-50% window area on the southern front, loggias
– ventilated, inclined roof
– thorough heat insulation of all external components
– high volume of storage masses
– focus on renewable resources as construction materials
– use of biomass for heat generation
– water heating system based on solar energy
– lower energy needs for mobility by integrating offices, shops and apartments into the building compound