OPERATION

Energy Positive School, Rostock

The Energy Positive School project is a pilot construction project for the energy-efficient refurbishment of a school building from the EnEff: School program. The demonstration building project aimed to achieve a maximum reduction in energy consumption through the active and passive use of renewable energies. The aim was not only to improve the external and internal structure and form of the building but also to expand the utilization potential of the school system. The result formulates this holistic approach to planning quality on an energy, architectural, and utilization-specific level.

+ Energy optimization

Optimization of the climate and energy concept, including an innovative solution approach

+ Architectural improvement

Sensible design of the new outer shell, incorporating the existing exterior components

+ Multifunctional extension of use

Simplification of the building form by reducing the building envelope while simultaneously creating additional areas for recreation, communication, and movement.

“Plappersnut” & “Sonnenschein” kindergarten

The kindergartens were built in the 1970s as prefabricated buildings of type KK/KG 80/180. The structurally interesting floor plan organization of these buildings enables two-sided lighting and ventilation of the group rooms, as well as an economical basic structure. For this reason, the operation of these buildings is being maintained despite major structural defects and sensible and cost-effective refurbishment concepts are being sought.

The “Plappersnut” kindergarten refurbishment project is a model project in the ‘Energy-efficient building refurbishment’ program launched by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The orientation of the main axis is east-west. The main issue was the high energy demand for heating the corridors of the existing building. The corridors were demolished and the common rooms in between were covered with a foil roof construction. This resulted in a more compact building with an optimized Area-to-Volume ratio. The unheated atrium serves as a buffer zone and offers new opportunities for movement and spatial experiences for children. The technologies used in the building include ventilation with heat recovery, a heat pump, and solar thermal collectors for heat generation. PV systems were designed for the south façade to generate electricity and provide shade. Motion sensors for the lighting also help to save energy. Clever and sensible building design combined with new technology-enabled energy consumption to be reduced by 65% in the first year after the refurbishment. Thanks to smart construction, the costs for the refurbishment totaled just 531 € / m² GFA and 120 € / m³ NFV. The sickness rate after the refurbishment also fell sharply from 10% to 4% among employees and from 11% to 6% among children.

Unlike “Plappersnut”, the main axis of the “Sonnenschein” kindergarten faces north-south. With a compact design, high energy savings were achieved through construction, operation, and resource consumption. This was achieved with three measures:

1. changing the layout of the floor plan to improve the volume-to-envelope ratio (A/V ratio).

Partial demolition and dismantling of the connection between the two main buildings and roofing over the entire courtyard creates an unheated intermediate zone that functions as a thermal buffer zone. This newly gained, weather-protected outdoor area is used as a play area.

2. changes to the quality of physical building components

The direct insulation of existing external surfaces such as walls, roofs, and skirting boards reduces the existing heat transfer. The south façade is an important collector of high solar energy gains. The north of the building is complemented by a highly insulated multipurpose area, which reduces transmission heat losses as far as possible.

3. technological change - economical and rational use of technical equipment

The building utilizes solar energy through solar collectors on the south façade and roof-integrated photovoltaics.

With the proposed additional technical measures and the redesigned building envelope, it was possible to upgrade the existing building while reducing energy consumption to less than 30% and creating an effective climate protection measure by reducing CO₂ emissions by more than 80%. Intelligent design reduced the total cost of the renovation to 471 €/m² GFA.

Environmentally friendly stage in Wismar

Refurbishment and further development of an event building on the Wismar University campus to passive house standard

Building on the intensive investigations of the Wismar University campus site for environmentally friendly further development as part of a previous DBU research project, the possibility of dual use of the existing theater building, which was originally scheduled for demolition, arose as part of the considerations for better utilization and reduction of space and through coordination with the Hanseatic City of Wismar, to save resources for a new building. The size of the existing theater was completely sufficient for the Hanseatic city of Wismar. The location on the university campus has many advantages over other locations that were considered for a new theater. Moreover, a new building could no longer be realized shortly for financial reasons.

However, the structural condition of the theater complex urgently required structural measures. Previous studies have shown that it is possible to carry out a remodeling with few available resources and little construction effort, which is considerably more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving than a new building of comparable size. The focus of the planning was to develop a ‘new’ compact building around the existing core building, taking into account the existing building, by recycling individual components and adding environmentally friendly new components, which require less energy (improved A/V ratio), has short distances and gives the building a new appearance thanks to the new components. The existing building was to be sustainably refurbished, and energy consumption was reduced as far as possible.

As part of the project, possible measures were examined, identified, and optimized using various calculations and measurements. After the building was completed, monitoring was carried out and evaluated using the existing measurement concept, and optimization proposals for building operations were formulated.

Smart Hotel Guide

The term ‘SMART’ has become one of the central keywords of digitalization. For small and medium-sized companies in particular, this can become a challenge, as digitalization has changed the professional situation of a hotelier. Online marketing and sales, revenue management, online feedback, social media, and sustainable business management - are just some of the aspects that can make it difficult for hoteliers to keep up with rapid developments and remain competitive. The Wismar University of Applied Sciences has developed a guide based on this and on discussions with companies and research. Using a three-stage system (SMART, SMART plus, and all SMART), this is intended to help hoteliers assess the level of digitalization of their hotel, get to know the potential of new technologies, and gain an overview of the market and its opportunities - individually tailored to their hotel concept.

Hotel Operations

Haffhus | Hotel & Spa ****

From Self-Sufficient Energy Supply to AI-Supported Hotel Processes

The family-run Haffhus Hotel & Holiday Resort in Ueckermünde on the Szczecin Lagoon is leveraging digitalization to its advantage. In addition to various tools for guests—such as a virtual tour, digital check-in, an interactive information display, and digital guest directories with voice control—the hotel enhances energy efficiency and cost savings through smart energy and peak load management as well as intelligent room control. The entire hotel and wellness operation runs exclusively on its regenerative energy production.

The entire system operates as an internal smart grid. Through an energy app, employees can check the internal power status and determine whether it's the right time to turn on the washing machines. Sustainability is further optimized by involving guests in energy and emission savings, regenerative energy generation, and sustainable mobility—including e-bikes, cargo bikes, and free charging stations for electric vehicles.

Additionally, artificial intelligence facilitates communication, work processes, problem-solving, and security within the hotel through a centralized AI-based platform, as well as chat and voice bots. In the future, AI is expected to support energy savings by providing forecasts and recommendations based on existing energy and weather data.

For its comprehensive and innovative solutions, as well as its pioneering project, Haffhus was honored with the 2019 Firmenenergie Award from UnternehmensGrün e.V., supported by the German Federal Environmental Foundation. However, energy efficiency and cost savings are just one aspect of the company’s philosophy. Haffhus is fully committed to sustainability and has been awarded GreenSign’s highest 5-star certification for sustainability.

E-Learning Courses on the LEA Platform

Buildings in Health Tourism: Healthy. Sustainable. Digital.

When we think of a healthy place, it's often not a room within a building. Instead, we picture ourselves walking through green fields and past blue lakes, as we often encounter in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

But what does it mean when we primarily think of nature and not a built space? It means that we have given too little attention to the aspect of health in our built environment, even though we spend 80 to 90% of our time indoors. The design of indoor spaces has a significant impact on us and our health. Buildings are our protective shell, and they should offer a comfortable indoor climate. Designing buildings as healthy spaces should therefore be our responsibility.

If we see the hotel as a place of recovery, it should also be understood as a place where health is the priority. So, what does the "healthy" place look like? And how can digital tools help create and maintain a healthy indoor climate in this context?

We invite you to join our introductory course on the topic "Buildings in Health Tourism: Healthy. Sustainable. Digital." to gain an overview of the key factors of "healthier building."

Learning Objectives

• Introduction to the concept of "healthy" buildings in tourism

• Presentation of examples of digital tools for a healthy indoor climate

• New impulses and ideas for the digitalization of your operation