Sustainable Modernisation of Existing Buildings - intergrated services for sustainable housing styles

The ISOE successfully finished a research project "Sustainable Modernisation of Existing Buildings - integrated services for sustainable housing styles", funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research, BMFT (funding code 07 Bau 01/9. It was carried out jointly by ISOE, the Eco-Institute Darmstadt and Freiburg (OEI), the Ecological Economics Research Institute, Berlin (IOEW) and the Nassauische Heimstaette - Gesellschaft fuer innovative Projekte im Wohnungsbau mbH (nhgip). The research project is being implemented in co-operation with the Nassauische Heimstaette, a publicly owned Hessian housing company.

Main goal of the project was to conceive an integrated approach to an economically viable, socially integrative and environmentally sound modernisation of public housing estates that breaks new ground both from an eco-constructional point of view as well as with regard to economic and social design.

Among the key elements of the modernisation concept are: reducing consumption of resources, including energy (insulation of buildings and new heating system) and water, a waste saving and sorting concept, adaptation of apartments to contemporary tenants' needs (esp. according to the requirements of old and handicapped people and families), creating user and environmentally friendly housing environments, activation and participation of residents and co-operation with local employment carriers to create new jobs in the context of employment programmes. Other key elements refer to the management and co-ordination of the modernisation process.

The modernisation concept is being carried out at different settlements within the Rhine-Main area, the "Hans-Boeckler-Siedlung" with 368 dwellings at the edge of the city of Offenbach, and 241 dwellings at the "Musikerviertel" and another 202 dwellings at Neuenhain in the town of Bad Soden. The settlements are characterised by a similar architectural structure (built mainly in the 1950s and early 1960s), but differ considerably with respect to the social structure of tenants.

Implementation began already in the second half of the project. Preparation and planning for the first lots was carried out in integrated team. Modernisation work started in spring 2001.

Key elements of the modernisation concept were documented in a guideline for sustainable modernisation in the publicly financed housing stock.
Projektverbund Nachhaltiges Sanieren im Bestand (Hrsg.) (2001): Nachhaltiges Sanieren im Bestand. Leitfaden für die Wohnungswirtschaft. Berlin, Darmstadt, Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg

order it at info@isoe.de or Download (460 kb pdf) - only available in German.

Contact person: Dr. Irmgard Schultz, Project Manager

ISOE has been appointed to head this project and was responsible for its overall management

Further information:

Aims - Project Description (Long Version) - Schedule - Staff and Cooperation - View of the Buildings (Photos - will take some time to load)

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Sustainable Modernisation of Existing Buildings - intergrated services for sustainable housing styles