Serial refurbishment
Instead of renovating buildings energy-efficiently one building at a time in small steps, serial renovation promises a big leap towards a climate-neutral building stock. This promises solutions that minimize the cost and time required to renovate a building, while maximizing the quality and number of renovations and balancing the building’s energy balance at zero. Digital progress should help here: Existing buildings are recorded with millimeter precision using a 3D laser scanner and are then given an individual and machine-prefabricated shell, a “second skin” for the zero-energy standard.
“Serial refurbishment” refers to the refurbishment of old buildings with prefabricated components. Instead of laboriously attaching individual insulation panels by hand, the house is encased in a prefabricated thermal shell. Optionally, the roof can also be fitted with solar cells. This transforms old buildings into modern zero-energy houses that generate as much energy as the residents consume.
In a digitalized and industrialized construction process, buildings are brought up to the NetZero standard in a short amount of time and at affordable costs during serial refurbishment. They then generate all the energy required for heating, hot water and household electricity throughout the year themselves.
The basis for the renovation is a 3D scan of the building. The components – façade, roof, technical unit – are then produced in a factory to fit precisely. Their delivery and assembly takes a few weeks instead of several months as was previously the case. The high degree of prefabrication in serial refurbishment makes it possible to modernize much more cost-effectively and quickly.
Serial refurbishment is particularly attractive for the often identical, uninsulated houses from the post-war period. The dena estimates the potential for small to medium-sized apartment buildings from the 1950s to 1970s in Germany alone to be at around 500,000 buildings. The principle can also be applied to other building types such as large apartment buildings, single-family houses or municipal buildings.
Housing companies can count on a high level of funding for serial refurbishments: Since January 24, 2020, KfW Bankengruppe has increased the repayment grant for a refurbishment to a KfW 55 house, this standard is achieved through a serial refurbishment, to 40 percent.
Guide to serial refurbishment
Informationsdienst Holz has produced a very good guide to serial refurbishment. See for yourself