Building for Munich: The Au renovation area Energy and the environment The limits of the cheap post-war <strong>build</strong>ings are clear to see. Back then, the aim was to quickly plug the holes ripped into the fabric of the streets by the war by providing as many people as possible with a roof over their heads; nowadays the primary aim is to make the housing stock fit for the energy challenges of the 21st century. The greatest savings potential – but also the greatest challenges – are to be had by structural engineers, architects and planners. The two key conditions to be met by all renovation measures conducted in the Au are contemporary comfort and low energy consumption. In a great many projects conducted by <strong>GWG</strong> <strong>München</strong>, it is quite clear that apartments and layouts no longer conform with present-day standards. It is quite common for apartment sizes in modernised <strong>build</strong>ings to be double what they were before. While activities in the 1970s and 80s centred around adding central heating and bathrooms, the main emphasis is now on ensuring the <strong>build</strong>ings’ energy efficiency. District heating connections and additional solar panels on the roofs serve to reduce the “auxiliary costs” while safeguarding <strong>GWG</strong> <strong>München</strong>’s previous investments in the <strong>build</strong>ings. At the same time, expectations of the aesthetic results of the renovation have also risen. Modern windows and composite thermal insulation are incorporated in the façades in such a way that the <strong>build</strong>ings retain their character, while being equipped to face the future with its rising energy prices. The EnEV energy saving regulations have been frequently revised and intensified in recent years, rooting in law what experts have been demanding for a considerable time: we all have to learn to make efficient use of our fossil fuel resources. This is especially important when it comes to <strong>build</strong>ing houses, where heating amounts to one third of all energy expenses. A new <strong>build</strong>ing without composite thermal insulation in the façades or insulated roofs and cellar ceilings would be unthinkable today. These measures alone result in savings of almost 50%. Implementing further reductions in secondary costs is becoming an increasingly important theme for <strong>build</strong>ing owners and tenants alike. Rainer Grießhammer, author of the “Öko- Knigge” ecological guide, gives a few figures. Standby equipment in a two-person household accounts for nearly 400kWh alone, and is responsible for emitting 200 kilograms of CO 2 into the atmosphere. Replacing a class A refrigerator with an A++ model will result in a saving of several hundred euros over the appliance’s lifetime. Anyone who invests in housing renovation is not just helping the environment but is also doing something to conserve the property. But what is behind sustainable <strong>build</strong>ing techniques? The German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB) places the emphasis on new materials and new standards. Its most potent argument is that of cost. Sustainable <strong>build</strong>ing only adds about 5% to the cost of a <strong>build</strong>ing, as its president, Werner 104 Sobek explains. On the other hand, “reductions of up to 20% in heating, refrigeration and maintenance costs are not impossible.” In the long term, this corresponds to the <strong>build</strong>ing’s costs alone. Many experts are talking of a turning point in construction. They want to create houses that no longer consume energy but actually produce it. However, this is still some way off. Right now, the aim is to achieve what can be done, to realise the potential that the existing <strong>build</strong>ings offer and to gradually raise their standard to that of new <strong>build</strong>ings. Renovation and ecological improvement spur on transformation, bringing <strong>build</strong>ings closer to the zero-energy emission threshold, thanks to the incorporation of cogeneration units in the cellars and solar panels on the roofs. Technical advances are readily visible from the composite thermal insulation systems: from thick façade constructions that the <strong>build</strong>ing wears like a pullover, to slim vacuum isolation panels (VIP). For <strong>GWG</strong> <strong>München</strong>, another important aspect is its “social and economic responsibility”. Its current modernisations undercut the requirements of the energy saving regulations by nearly one third. Thanks to FES funding (Munich Funding for Saving Energy), renovations of existing <strong>build</strong>ings achieve the standard of a KfW Efficiency House 70. <strong>GWG</strong>’s investments in modern condensing gas boilers and heat insulation alone saves 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from affecting the world’s climate. And it doesn’t stop there: at the northern end of the Lilienstrasse, a model project for a CO 2-neutral energy supply is being devised in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Physics, which, it is hoped, will point the way towards the future. In concrete terms, this means that the complex of 149 apartments, originally built in 1957, is undergoing modernisation to the extent that in the overall balance, its energy consumption will be at least 50% below the level for new <strong>build</strong>ings. Renewable energy is employed for heating and hot drinking water. The most modern materials available are being used, with an energy envelope comprising composite thermal insulation made of resol foam and extensive vacuum insulation, plus triple heat insulation glazing and high efficiency window frames. Energy is supplied by a heat pump and thermal collectors installed on the roofs. A condensing gas boiler also comes into operation to offset peak loads. With such sophisticated technology, the attitude of the tenants plays a central role. Before they move in, they are given detailed information on how best to “operate” their new apartment. Over a period of two years, heat energy consumption and user behaviour are measured and evaluated to provide an objective assessment of the model project’s success and basis for drawing conclusions regarding future constructions.
The Au renovation project <strong>GWG</strong> projects 1 Lilienstrasse Page 106 2 “Mariahilfplatz“ Page 108 3 “Auer Mühlbach“ Page 112 4 “Am Paulanerplatz“ Page 116 5 Lilien-/Schweiger-/Zeppelinstrasse Page 120 6 “Lilienstrasse North“ Page 124 Zeppelinstrasse Mariahilfstrasse 2 Zeppelinstrasse 2 5 Schweigerstrasse Mariahilfplatz Lilienstrasse 3 Franz-Prüller-Strasse 1 Lilienstrasse 6 Paulanerplatz 4 Auer Mühlbach 105
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