Gründerzeit with future - sub project 2: Foundations and feasibility studies

This project is a sub project of the flagship project "Gründerzeit with future: Innovative Modernisation of Wilhelminian style "Gründerzeit" Buildings"

Status

completed

Summary

Starting point/Motivation

Historical Buildings ("Gründerzeitgebäude", construction period appr. 1850-1918) are an essential part of the townscape of Vienna and many other cities. In Graz and Vienna up to one third of the flats are built in that period. Most of these objects show good structural conditions, but nevertheless, due to their characteristics (e.g. structured facades, box-type windows) and a high public interest in preserving the townscape specific renovation methods and technologies are highly needed.

Contents and Objectives

In order to enforce the number and the quality of comprehensive renovations of historical buildings by applying innovative technological and organisational solutions, the project "Historical buildings of tomorrow", supported by the HdZ Plus programme, was established in 2009. The main goal of this project is to improve the quality of renovation projects significantly in the future and to contribute to a CO2 neutral building sector.

The main goal of sub-project SP 2 is the documentation of existing knowledge on the innovative renovation of historical buildings as an input for the preparation of 5 demonstration projects as well as the development of an accompanying monitoring system within the scope of the project "Historical buildings of tomorrow".

Methods

Technical aspects of the modernization were documented in close co-operation with the research project "KlimaNeuGründer". In order to enable a comparable cost monitoring of the demonstration projects, a standardized cost structure was developed on the basis of ÖNORM 1801. Building on methods from real estate valuation, cost-efficiency calculations were performed with the goal to document necessary framework conditions.

As the main barriers for the renovation of historical buildings in many cases do not only lie in technical and economic conditions, but rather in areas like support of tenants or questions of the tenancy law, the proposed project will pay special attention to these fields. Therefore, a working paper with recommendations and guidelines for tenants support before, during and after the renovation of the building was developed.

At the same time, important conditions of the tenancy law for the renovation of historical buildings were documented, and recommendations how to cope with legal obstacles that hamper renovation, especially the question of refinancing renovation measures in the frame of fixed rents, were formulated.

An encompassing feasibility study with a certain focus on the whole range of technical solutions was made to support renovation projects. Additionally, detailed studies were produced for important topics like interior insulation of structured facades or the use of ventilation systems in historical buildings.

Results

The project shows clearly that technical solutions and technologies for the comprehensive renovation of historical buildings are available on the market. Nevertheless, it is necessary to evaluate the feasibility of measures in every single case very properly.

Within the legal framework of the tenant law, cost-effective renovation projects are highly depending on public subsidies. In this context, it is recommended to discuss the strict regulations on the calculation of rents in historical buildings critically, at least for comprehensive renovation projects that have similar qualities as new buildings.

Building owners willing to start a renovation project should be aware of the need of specific know-how that goes beyond technical solutions. A working paper with recommendations and guidelines for tenants support before, during and after the renovation of the building helps to organize an adequate process and to communicate in a professional manner.

To include the energy performance in rent calculation, an alternative method was developed but it is not clear yet how courts will deal with that topic in the future. There should be some rewarding matter of facts as an incentive for the renovation of buildings.

It should also be a discussion on extend some obligations to tolerate renovation measures in the inside of flats similar to German tenants law.

Prospects / Dissemination

Major results directly supported the preparation of the demonstration projects within the framework of "Gründerzeit mit Zukunft" (e.g. interior insulation). By the beginning of 2012, one of the demonstration projects was finished, two were in the construction phase and another two were in preparation. For each of these projects energy and comfort parameters will be monitored and there will be an evaluation of investment cost and running cost.

Additionally, the results of the project targets on numerous groups of actors:

• building owners (private or institutional)
• investors with historical buildings in their portfolio
• planners
• interest groups
• public institutions like the federal office for the preservation of historical monuments, federal parliament etc.

The content and all results will be distributed via the project homepage and it is planned to hold expert workshops and organize excursions to the demonstration projects. Selected results will be published in journals.

All results and products from subproject 2 will be available on www.gruenderzeitplus.at.

Project management

DI Christof Amann
e7 Energie Markt Analyse GmbH

Project- and cooperation partners

• Allplan GmbH
• Bluewaters Environmental Consulting
• Havel & Havel Beratungs GmbH
• Österreichischer Verband der Immobilientreuhänder ÖVI
• pos architekten ZT-KG
• Schöberl & Pöll OEG

e7 Energie Markt Analyse GmbH
DI Christof Amann
Theresianumgasse 7, 1040 Wien
Tel.: +43 (1) 9078026-58
E-Mail: christof.amann@e-sieben.at
Web: www.e-sieben.at