Student Housing Regensburg, Germany

The student dorm building has an elongated yet creased and staggered structure. It consists of 119 single apartments, 10 double units and 16 communal apartments. The dwellings are opposite each other, facing either to the west or to the east, sharing a common corridor. Two stairways and an elevator give access to all levels. After the overall consideration of the life cycle analysis, the requirements of the structural design and those for robustness of the construction, the decision was made to set up a concrete structure with highly insulated building envelope, supplied by an optimized ventilation system with supply air heating integrated in the facade and central exhaust air system.
For Transsolar, the focus was on the energy efficiency of the building as well as on robustness in building operation through low-technology construction and systems which are easy to use. Instead of electric / motor operated systems, preference was given to manual / automatic systems. Efficient execution of the buildings envelope reduced the energy consumption by 8% compared to the statutory conditions (KFW 55). Optimizing the operation of the exhaust air system ventilation by humidity-controlled operation reduces its energy consumption by 46%. Decentralized fresh water stations reduce the energy requirement for heating the water by 23%. For moderate indoor temperatures even in hot summer seasons, Transsolar selected and optimized passive measures for shading the building: the overhang of the balconies and opaque outer surfaces facing south, provide shade on glass surfaces. Considering the high thermal mass of the structure, bright internal curtains are sufficient as additional option for shading and providing high comfort in summer.