One of Innsbruck University’s buildings in Austria has been certified as the largest structure retrofitted to Passive House’s EnerPhit standard.
The facility was originally built in 1968 and is currently used by the faculty of technical sciences. The university worked with the Passive House Institute (PHI) to re-create the eight-storey building to achieve the certification. The extensive renovation to improve the energy efficiency of the building only cost a moderate additional amount.
The refurbishments demonstrate energy-saving potential available for the built environment. The building envelope and building services were overhauled, which improved occupant comfort. The façade has thermal protection and air openings to bring in fresh air, and it automatically controls passive cooling at night. The heating demand reduced from 180 kWh/m²a to 21 kWh/m²a.
“It is getting increasingly colder outside now that we are into autumn, but inside the building it remains pleasantly warm without the need for radiators” said director of PHI, Wolfgang Feist. “The building already passed the heat test this past summer when the temperature in Innsbruck was a record-breaking 37 C (98.6 F). Even without air-conditioning, it remained cool enough to work in the office thanks to the passive technology.”
A certificate was presented at the official opening of the building last month.
To see other Passive House-certified buildings, click here.
