Gymnasium Ergolding, Ergolding, Germany

The approach of the Passive House Standard is to minimize heat losses by using an airtight insulated envelope and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. In addition, solar gains are exploited to reduce the heating demand.
After analyzing the Ergolding site, the design team came up with a solution that ensured a high quality environment and reduced energy demands. The hybrid ventilation, based on intermittent natural ventilation, is not fully in line with the Passive House Standard, but provides excellent air quality. It also minimized the size of the mechanical system and saved costs that could then be invested into the energy supply system.
To create a natural sound barrier between the busy street and the classrooms, the building was placed on the southern end of the site with all corridors south-facing. The north oriented classrooms need no shading and have a view of the quiet park and lake. In addition, light entering the south glazed corridors is redirected through clere stories into the classrooms by automatically controlled reflective panels.
In all classrooms and corridors radiant heating and cooling is provided by active concrete slabs. A borehole heat exchanger system provides free cooling in summer and low temperature heat in winter to a heat pump. Radiator units in the classrooms allow individual temperature control.
The total primary energy consumption of the building is 50% below the national energy code and 20% lower than a Passive House Standard with gas boiler heating.