Denkmal und Energie II: Energetically optimised, integral planning and support for protected historical post-war buildings

Objectives and work programme

As part of international climate protection efforts and as a result of the price trends in resource markets, reducing energy consumption is also becoming an increasingly important criterion for historical buildings. The most difficult tasks when undertaking construction activities on historical buildings are to significantly reduce the energy consumption and to bring the interior spaces up to contemporary levels of comfort, while also maintaining the historical appearance and the substance of the original building. One particular challenge is improving energy efficiency in post-war modernist buildings. They are extremely inefficient in terms of energy and are expensive to maintain. Buildings constructed during the post-war era from 1945 until the mid-1960s in particular are characterised by especially delicate and transparent structures that are difficult to make modifications to.

Based on the exemplary renovation of a housing block in the Berlin Schillerpark residential area, an interdisciplinary collaboration involving experts in construction and science is to produce the planning principles for these problem areas and demonstrate potential solutions. The focus of the project is on the development, implementation and evaluation of an overall concept that is energetically sustainable. Equally important parameters include cost efficiency, historical conservation, energy efficiency, design, and social acceptability. The energy target is to achieve a “factor 7.5 renovation”. The work will be conducted in collaboration with small and mid-sized companies in Berlin (Bau- und Wohnungsgenossenschaft von 1892 eG, Architekturbüro Brenne, Fassaden- und Fensterbau GmbH Hans Timm). The solutions that can lead to improved energy efficiency can be easily transferred to a multitude of other post-war buildings. The documentation and communication of the results obtained from the model renovation are to be published as a book and shared in other ways, such as in workshops, lectures, or trade fair appearances.