The Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria – a network to foster zero energy buildings and building refurbishment companies & technology | Green Building Cluster Speaker: Alois Geisslhofer | Date: 23 June 2011 Partner ecoplus Cluster of Lower Austria Contact: Alois Geisslhofer, Clustermanager Niederösterreichring 2, Haus A A-3100 St.Pölten, Austria P: E: I:

2 Lower Austrias Regional Innovation System Technopols Clusters Internationalisation support

3 Companies Research Institutes Universities Cluster management: Bridge between policy makers, companies and R&D - Regional technological specializations (collaboration with technopols) - Involvement of SMEs in R&D projects - Education programmes - Favourable framework conditions - Design of financial incentives -Translation policy - business - Sustainable economic policy - Fields of strength Policy makers regional, national, EU Cluster management - Translation SMEs - R&D - Initiating R&D projects - PM in complex collective research projects - Dissemination of R&D results

4 Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria Aim: -Transformation of traditionally strong construction sector towards energy efficiency -Link and strengthen existing Lower Austrian competencies Core competencies: -Energy efficient construction & refurbishment (passive house, zero energy house) -Healthy interior environments ~ 200 partners: companies, R&D and qualification facilities ~ 250 projects since 2001 with some 460 involved companies, project turnover of 12,8 mio., public support of 5,1 mio.. Cluster-Team: 5 persons, architects, energy experts, professionals from construction and interior design

5 Link stakeholders business & science & policy makers Influence framework conditions: (building legislation, subsidies) Enhancement of professional skills (e.g. > 300 certified experts) Innovation through collaboration: joint product development / bidding consortia Research: Competence Center Future Building Initiation of sector solutions, e.g. Zero Energy Supermarkets Green Building Cluster activities

6 aims to create innovative building components and systems that will address the fundamental changes of building industry in the next decade Partners: 19 companies (construction materials, components, equipment industry) + 7 research institutions. Lead: Department for Building and Environment at Danube University Krems Contribution of GBC: initiator, establishing the consortium, financing and supporting the proposal development, monitoring of progress, dissemination of results 3.6 mio budget, 4 years duration, 50% private and 50% public finance Lead project: Competence Centre Future Building 1 st result: A new brick system Ederplan XP 50 Trionic with certificate of Passive House Institute Darmstadt 2 nd result: Completion of a production line on comp. Hartl Haus for prefabricated timber constructed houses in passive house standard 3 rd result: a chimney for fresh air ventilation system comp. Schiedel Kamin Details

7 Walk the talk: ecoplus office building in passive house standard - energy performance*) Maximum to BR:13,6 kWh/m 3 a Heat demand WZN:4,57 kWh/m 3 a 66% lower than BR (Lower Austrians building regulation) CO 2 emission allowed by BR:108,2 to/a CO 2 emission WZN: 11,5 to/a 89% less than BR (Lower Austrians Building Regulation) Maximum cooling demand BO:1,0 kWh/m 3 a Cooling demand WZN :0,13 kWh/m 3 a 87% reduction compared with BO (Lower Austrians building regulation) Total energy demand:77,0 kWh/m²a *) acc. OIB (RL6), related to gross floor area > EU Green Building certificate; best klima:aktiv Dienstleistungsgebäude (climate:active office building certificate) Business Center Lower Austria

8 Sonnenplatz Großschönau– Test before you buy First European Passive House Village ( allowing customers to test the house of choice by living in it for several days. Initiative combines technology and tourism promotion in a less developed region Ongoing joint research project of 17 companies to enhance the quality of the indoor environment in residential structures through controlled indoor ventilation: -Visitors will keep a log of their perceptions and experiences in regard to living quality -These subjective impressions will be compared with a wide array of measurable technical data -combined data will form a solid fact base which can be used by architects, builders, mechanical engineers and other professionals to design and build user- friendly ventilation systems

9 Market pull Subsidies and soft loans for the improvement of the performance of energy efficient buildings (e.g. federal government spends for refurbishment up to 5,000 grant/house). Building regulations are in the responsibility of the 9 provinces. The annual refurbishment rate is abt. 2% of the existing building stock, the target is 3% per year. New constructed single familiy houses: the share of passive houses is abt. 12%, increasing every year by more than 10%, the average heat demand is about 40 kWh/m².y decreasing to 15 kWh/m².y! It is expected to achieve the EU building directive nearly zero emissions standard earlier than The Green Building Cluster acts as hub between the companies, NGOs, the government and the market of building owners to foster green building. Development of passive houses Heat demand in kWh/m².y before and after rehab In existing building stock target