From prefabricated buildings of the past to housing construction of the future
A new flagship project now proves that GDR prefabricated buildings can be more than a relic of the past. In Aschersleben, the local housing company has succeeded in transforming an old prefabricated building into a modern residential building with a low environmental footprint.
Often, building owners choose to demolish old, worn-out buildings to replace them with architecture created from scratch. Ascherslebener Gebäude- und Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH, however, took a different approach.
Instead of knocking down one of the GDR relics from the 1970s, the company made the decision to renovate the prefabricated building on Kopernikusstraße in Aschersleben. With environmental measures and innovative solutions, the residential construction company has succeeded in creating the first CO2 neutral and largely energy self-sufficient multi-family house in a prefabricated building in Germany.
– We wanted to create something new from the existing building structure. It was important to us to preserve the original building on Kopernikusstraße and to renovate the solid foundation so that the building will be a beautiful home for our tenants for at least 50 years," explains Mike Eley, Managing Director of Ascherslebener Gebäude- und Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH.
Optimal use of resources
In order to create a largely energy-autonomous building - and with a view to the Federal Government’s goal of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality in Germany by 2045 - a large part of the roof and the façade of the apartment block are clad with solar modules.
This means that the residents’ energy consumption in the form of heat and electricity is mainly covered by own production from a renewable energy source installed directly on the building. Solar cells cover around 60 percent of the building’s energy consumption, the rest comes from a regional electricity provider with guaranteed climate-neutral electricity. For Ascherslebener Gebäude- und Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH, it was important to adopt a climate-conscious approach:
– We believe that energy autonomy and green electricity are the future. This residential building shows the great potential in prefabricated buildings and how innovative ideas can create climate-friendly and attractive living spaces. It was also important for us to use Cradle to Cradle Certified® building materials to avoid leaving "hazardous waste" behind for future generations, Mike Eley explains.
The solutions chosen are not only climate-conscious. They also affect the rents of the residents of Kopernikusstrasse 10-14, which follows a very special rental price model. Here, the tenant is offered a guaranteed flat rate with a five-year energy flat rate, which includes all costs for accommodation, heating, water and electricity amounting to EUR 11.50 per square metre for apartments without lift access and EUR 12 per square metre for apartments with lift access.
Fewer apartments, but higher quality
The transformation of the residential building in Aschersleben is seen as a pilot project for the housing of the future. This is particularly groundbreaking for German provincial areas, where empty prefabricated buildings are a major problem.
Like Denmark, Germany is struggling to retain inhabitants in rural areas, and this demographic change was taken into account in the conversion of the building on Kopernikusstraße: The number of rental apartments was reduced from 60 to 22 and the living area from 2,843 to 1,773 square metres.
By reducing the number of apartments, Ascherslebener Gebäude- und Wohnungsgesellschaft mbH has created more attractive apartments with better use of the floor plan in the form of large living spaces and spacious balconies that better meet the requirements and expectations of modern tenants.
Great emphasis was also placed on a modern and intelligent indoor climate with a heating system based on solar-powered infrared panels and Troldtekt acoustic ceilings that matched the rest of the interior perfectly.
Troldtekt panels are made of wood and CO2-reduced cement type FUTURECEM™. FUTURECEM uses the synergy between calcined clay and lime fillers. This makes it possible to replace part of the burnt cement clinker, which makes up a significant part of the cement’s CO2 footprint.
Troldtekt acoustic panels based on FUTURECEM therefore have a CO2 footprint that is 26 percent and 38 percent lower over the entire life cycle of the acoustic panel than Troldtekt acoustic panels based on traditional grey or white cement.
World’s first C2C LAB in Berlin
The transformation of old prefabricated buildings is taking place at several locations in Germany. Another example is the world’s first C2C LAB in Berlin, which serves as an education centre, association office and “real laboratory” for Cradle to Cradle Certified® building materials.
Here, it’s not sofas and dining tables that fill the rooms, but circular building materials and green walls that purify the air.
– We are proud to have carried out the world’s first Cradle to Cradle refurbishment with our C2C LAB and to be able to show how Cradle to Cradle works in practice. With the C2C LAB, we have implemented a unique lighthouse project that will hopefully serve as a source of inspiration for many years, says Tim Janßen, Managing Director of Cradle to Cradle e.V., in connection with the opening of the C2C LAB in 2019.
The 400-square-metre building was originally built in 1986, but was later renovated into the knowledge and training centre it is today. In addition to a real laboratory where architects can experience and experiment with the certified building materials and circular material flows, the building itself is also worth a visit if you are interested in integrating healthy materials into older buildings. Troldtekt is a partner of C2C LAB, and several variants of Troldtekt acoustic solutions are used in the renovation of the old prefabricated building.
