After 18 months of refurbishment work, former and new tenants began moving into the world's first high-rise building built to a passive house standard, in the Weingarten quarter of Freiburg, at the end of April 2011. The primary energy required for heating, heating drinking water, ventilation, lighting and domestic electricity has been reduced by 40 percent. Research on the model project continues.  more...

There are already more than 100 regions and many rural communities that are promoting sustainable development based on renewable energies. After developing individual concepts and strategies, the lengthy and often very complex implementation begins. A research project organised by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment has been supporting these regions in conceptual and technical terms since 2007. This project is being conducted by the deENet competence network and the University of Kassel, and is being advised by the German Federal Environment Agency. In a second project phase, it is planned to create a national network by 2013.  more...

Vacuum insulation has grown from a research subject to a versatile construction material in the past ten years. This is also proven by the increasing number of national technical approvals for this type of insulating panel. At a conference by the German Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), researchers and manufacturers provide information on the development of the technology, its application in building practice and the future perspectives of this high-efficiency insulating material.  more...

At the beginning of 2009, the BINE "Building Refurbishment - Office and Commercial Construction" Projektinfo brochure presented a printing works in Karlsruhe that has been enlarged and completely refurbished in two stages. The overall evaluation is now available. The optimisation of the building envelope and the building services equipment during the initial refurbishment phase considerably improved the usability and the building comfort.  more...

Last Saturday, the BAU 2011 trade fair came to a close in Munich. A clear focus this year was on concepts and solutions for sustainable and climate-neutral buildings. This applied both for the actual trade fair itself and the extensive support programme. For example, the EnOB research initiative presented new concepts, methods and model projects in a research symposium that was held on 18 and 19 January 2011.  more...

Studies have repeatedly shown that ventilation in schools is inadequate, with carbon dioxide concentrations in the air often reaching unhealthy levels. This affects students' ability to concentrate. Ventilation concepts are therefore one of the top concerns in the energy-oriented refurbishment of schools. In a joint project, researchers developed two innovative ventilation concepts involving a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation.  more...

The Internet offers rapid and convenient access to information ? including for energy research. However, when it comes to obtaining reliable, complete and quotable information for research purposes, there is no real alternative to using specialist databases. This is the conclusion of scientists from the ETDE (Energy Technology Data Exchange). In a study they compared the search results provided by their ETDEWEB database with those from Google and Google Scholar, whereby they used search terms from different areas concerned with energy transformation and utilisation. The main thematic focus was on renewable energies, but energy efficient technologies such as recycling waste heat or utilising daylight in office buildings were also looked at.  more...

The refurbishment of complex buildings that serve various functions presents a particular challenge. This project involves a building that was built in 1968 and has been in use since then by the local authorities and public companies of the city of Remscheid. However, one consequence of a reform of the city's administration was that the existing facilities were only to be used by Remscheid's waste disposal services, including their vehicle fleet and administrative departments. This changeover presented an opportunity to refurbish the building, which had begun to show signs of its age. Alongside the rectification of structural defects, the client's wishes also included significant improvements to the functionality and appearance of the building.  more...

Approximately 50% of the global population lives in cities. In 2020, this figure will be more than 60%. The success of climate protections is, therefore, dependent on energy consumption and pollutant emissions in our cities and conurbations. Local councils can specify important framework conditions for implementing energy efficiency measures.  more...

Hospitals have a high energy consumption. Scientists now plan to investigate all the various areas in a hospital and develop an innovative approach for achieving energy savings. This will be done as part of the "Hospital plus" research project which is being supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology with funding of 1.85 million euros over four years.  more...