The Hanover region has built an office building for around 300 employees in the centre of Hanover, Germany, the federal state capital, to serve the citizens in the region from a single location. The new constructions have added a six-storey block with office space and a one-storey, protruding rectanguloid structure housing the ‘Regionssaal’ hall to the existing facilities.

Alongside the provision of high-quality workplaces, the issue of operating costs has also become an important criterion in new public-sector administration buildings. The concept therefore included ambitious values for primary energy requirements combined with a strict financial framework. The ‘Neues Regionshaus’ in Hanover is intended to demonstrate that energy-optimised building can be used for public buildings in a competitive environment too.
The project is implemented as part of a “Public-Private Partnership” (PPP) and includes the entire planning work, construction, and financing of the building over 20 years. Since the new constructions in Hanover represent extensions to existing office buildings, the Hanover region decided against outsourcing operating services as part of a PPP. Thus, building maintenance and technical maintenance for the entire complex will remain ‘under one roof’. An important priority for the Hanover region was to take into account the energy standards of the Energy-Optimised Construction (EnOB) support initiative: the primary energy requirement for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and auxiliary energy is limited to a maximum of 100 kWhPE/m²NFA p.a. The scientific measurement project was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). The project was also sponsored by pro Klima.

After three years of preparation, planning and construction, the administration building went into service in April 2007. Scientific support as regards energy efficiency and user comfort was provided by the Institute for Building Services and Solar Technology at the Technical University of Braunschweig during the planning and construction stages and the first two years of operation. The energy consumption and numerous parameters relating to heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and building equipment were measured using measuring points and then evaluated with the aim of controlling the technical operation in an optimal manner. The Institute for Psychology at the University of Magdeburg carried out a social-scientific study and surveyed users on their experience with the building. How is the new building being received by staff? How can building performance be further improved? The first results of the monitoring process are now available.