Administrative and Residential Building, Krefeld, Germany

Administrative and Residential Building

The five-story administration and residential building is located on the site of the former Krefeld School of Art and Crafts. A 110-year-old historical façade element made of yellow sandstone remains and is included in the shell of the new building. The new building creates ample space for employees and for the administrative offices of the Krefeld housing association with a customer hall accessible at ground level. The hall is two stories high because of the old façade front. Four penthouse rental apartments with a view over the city are being built on the upper floor.
The energy and climate concept envisions a low primary energy requirement for heating, cooling and electrical power and at the same time a high quality of living for future users. The façade concept reduces transmission heat losses. Solar gains and daylight availability are optimized wherever possible. During the summer, thermal insulation is ensured by external movable sun protection devices. In many areas, the building is naturally ventilated. Heating and cooling are mainly carried out via component activation, which forms the basis for a highly efficient heating and cooling supply.
Transsolar has proven the thermal comfort in the building by means of simulation calculations. The proposed concept meets the requirements of DIN EN 15251 everywhere. Daylight simulations were used to calculate the daylight quality in all areas. The planned façade design leads to very good daylight availability. Restrictions in the daylight quality arise in a few areas exclusively due to the dense surrounding buildings or the constructive connection of the historical façade.
The energy requirements of the building were calculated as basis for the supply concept.
As suggested by Transsolar, a solar thermal system heats the service water of the apartments; not realized was the suggested geothermal system with coupled heat pump for heating and cooling. The building is connected to the local district heating system instead, and a chiller provides cooling if required.