The renovation of the multi-apartment demo building in Võru (Estonia) is nearing completion. The goal is to raise the energy label from the existing energy label “E” (231 kWh/m2 a) to label “B” (124 kWh/m2 a) - which is now a reached target.
The indoor climate of the building was well improved thanks to a new ventilation system with heat recovery, new heating, and domestic hot water system. A new PV system will now cover energy needs and lowering management costs of inhabitants.
The pilot renovation project was validated in Võru thanks to a new systemic approach that includes an innovative prefabricated plug-and-play modular façade. The facade system was designed by Focchi and worked out within an international team of engineers, specialists, and technicians. A large contribution to the design and adaptation of the facade solution to the Estonian climate was given by technicians from Tartu Regional Energy Agency (TREA) and by a team of scientists from Tallinn Technical University (Taltech) - who have previous experience of piloting and monitoring a prefabricated faced system in Estonia.
Due to its geometry and existing facade materials, the Võru demo building is not very common and has led to several challenges to test and validate this system of deep renovation. On the other hand, since the RenoZEB team succeeded on this type of building, it will be much easier to replicate these solutions to a wider samples of the building stock - not only in Estonia, but in other Nordic and Baltic countries as well.
In Võru the adoption of a prefabricated plug-and-play facade system involved the fabrication of pre-finished wall elements containing the facade material, insulation, PV panels, ventilation systems, windows, and other necessary equipment. This implied a preparatory work on the building, which accelerated the installation on the external walls of the building itself, making the renovation process faster and more affordable.
It was also a challenge for the construction company and workers who installed the facade panels, facing many unforeseen tasks from the preparatory works till the finalisation of the facade. Some solutions were discussed with technical designers from RenoZEB partner Focchi, who provided important feedback to improve the facade solutions.
These lessons-learnt with players in the local renovation market are key to the communication and dissemination of the project results. For this reason, TREA will hold a seminar in summer 2021 addressed to local construction companies and designers on the piloted, tested, and validated solutions. During the seminar, it will be explained how the renovation of the building envelope not only improves the building energy efficiency, but also prolongs the lifetime of the building.
More information about the seminar will come soon on our website and social media, stay tuned!