TECHNICAL COMMISSION 12 - CLIMATE PROTECTION, ENERGY AND SIMULATION

Initial situation and objectives: Architectural monuments are part of our cultural heritage. They are places of remembrance, create identity and are repositories of knowledge that need to be preserved for future generations. In the recent past, high energy prices and advancing climate change have increasingly led to discussions about the energy supply and energy-efficient refurbishment of listed buildings.

The constant availability of cheap fossil fuels has led to a downgrading of the value of energy in the past. The energy optimization of buildings in the planning stage is still not common practice (the energy pass is the regulatory proof at the end of the planning stage). The oversizing of technical building systems has so far made it difficult to integrate regenerative sources economically. Fossil-based planning approaches are therefore no longer up to date.

Instead, new planning methods for renewable energy sources must now be established. Regenerative planning methods rely on the use of digital twins to map real conditions. These support the precise design of supply concepts in order to take account of the limited availability of renewable sources. This requires the consistent implementation of building information models (BIM) as part of the digitalization of planning processes.

Main focus of work:

• Building-specific, dynamic, year-cyclical determination of energy requirements and evaluation of user comfort
• Upgrading buildings for renewable energy systems (e.g. low system temperatures, energy demand optimization, storage effects and load shifting)
• Selection of suitable technical system solutions for existing buildings (distribution systems, transmission systems, communication systems, control strategies)
• Creation and description of practicable workflows for BIM (e.g. documentation of suitable software applications, interface definitions and exchange formats)
• The aim of the working group is therefore to collect and, if necessary, standardize the terms used in practice with regard to heat, water and water vapor transport.

The results of the working group meetings should be published as a status report. If necessary, corresponding information sheets can be generated from this.

Initial situation and objectives: The energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings is essential for the success of the energy transition due to their significant number and higher consumption. The use of renewable energy sources in existing buildings and listed buildings is more complex than in new buildings. The buildings and their supply concepts are generally designed for the availability of fossil fuels, high flow temperatures and small heat transfer surfaces.

The current focus on photovoltaic systems on particularly valuable existing buildings appears to be short-term and not holistic. Instead, decentralized district concepts must be given greater focus in order to supply listed buildings in the district. A regenerative energy supply for existing buildings is usually an individual task. It must therefore consider a wide range of possible local heating, cooling and electricity sources and requires a complex consideration of building use, source availability, building fabric, supply concept and renovation planning.

The working group takes the technical building conditions as a basis for planning and deals with the development of locally available regenerative sources.

Main focus of work:

• Development and evaluation of local renewable energy sources
  • Electricity, heating and cooling supply
  • Geothermal energy, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, wood pellets, heat pump technology
  • Land potential for energy generation, distribution and storage
• Site assessment
  • Data preparation from digital databases
  • GIS systems
  • Environmental cadastre

Initial situation and objectives: To date, the building stock in our cities has largely been supplied with fossil fuels via direct gas connections or district heating. Both building owners and network operators therefore need to think about suitable transformation paths. This process is now picking up speed with the ongoing municipal heating plans of cities and municipalities and should be completed by 2026 / 2028.

Suitable grid-based district concepts are the prerequisite for sensibly tapping into potential areas and integrating waste heat from various sources. Renewable energy generation at district level has the advantage that the pressure on listed buildings with regard to the production of renewable energy is reduced or this problem may no longer be relevant at all.

The aim of the working group is to evaluate the energy supply at district level and to develop methods for integrating listed buildings in the district context into the energy and heat transition. The aim is to enable engineers, planners and decision-makers to think of buildings and energy supply and distribution systems in the neighborhood context more as a networked system.

The focus is also on extensive energy self-sufficiency. Energy imports should be reduced and the use of locally available renewable energies increased. Joint decision-making is necessary in order to think and act as a neighborhood community. Local people can contribute their different specialist skills. As a result, decentralized energy concepts can be adapted much better to the respective local conditions and tailor-made energy supply solutions are made possible.

Main focus of work:

• Methods for the design of grid-based neighborhood concepts
• Integration of listed buildings at neighborhood level
• Utilization of synergy effects in settlement structures
• Contributions to municipal heat planning
• Involvement of local people

Initial situation and objectives: It should be critically noted that when it comes to renovation measures in the field of building conservation and monument preservation, standard solutions that are used in the construction of new buildings are used far too often. This can lead to structural damage and irreparable loss of historic building fabric. The preservation of monuments - the historic building fabric and appearance - should have top priority. Particularly when it comes to improving the energy efficiency of listed buildings, comprehensive property-specific analyses and a holistic approach are important in order to find tailor-made solutions that are compatible with listed buildings.

In this context, the working group focuses on giving weight to methods for assessing and reducing the ecological footprint of buildings. The focus is on analyzing life cycle data in order to promote the use of materials and construction methods that are compatible with listed buildings and environmentally friendly. At the same time, the working group strives to minimize material-related CO₂ emissions and to quantify the positive effects of preserving historic buildings on the CO₂ footprint. Both traditional and innovative approaches are taken into account to ensure a balance between the preservation of cultural heritage and environmental responsibility.

Main focus of work:

• Assessments of the CO₂ footprint or gray energy with a focus on preserving the historic building fabric
• Life cycle analyses for resource-efficient construction
• Regional integration of site-specific recycled building materials
• Implementation of the principles of the circular economy in the construction industry

Initial situation and objectives: In recent decades, computer-aided digital planning tools have developed into an important instrument for evaluating the climate impact of a wide range of measures. They offer the potential to address a wide range of issues relating to energy efficiency and climate protection in the planning process.

However, the use of digital tools in planning practice faces major challenges. The creation of a sufficiently accurate energy-efficient building model can be very time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially in existing buildings, and requires specialized knowledge and expertise of the software and the special features of the existing building fabric. In addition, the accuracy of the results depends heavily on the quality of the input data.

Quality assurance of the digital processes and the availability of reliable input data are therefore of crucial importance.  Verifiability must be continuously guaranteed and become part of the integral planning process. The refurbishment of existing buildings poses a particular challenge in terms of data acquisition compared to new buildings. Insufficient data is the rule. The working group will therefore collect, systematize and document the available scientific methods in order to effectively address the problem of fragmented data availability.

Sustainable quality assurance in the area of energy-efficient building and district planning can only be implemented through systematic TARGET-ACTUAL monitoring. Broad, data-based quality assurance through systematic comparison of key energy figures from building planning and operation is not provided by the energy consumption and energy requirement certificates that have been prescribed to date. Generally applicable methods must be established for the comparison of planning parameters and consumption data (monitoring).

Main focus of work:

• Definition and documentation of digital test scenarios
• Boundary conditions and limits of the applicability of digital tools
• Quality management in the area of input data and parameterization
• Support of the target-actual comparison through monitoring procedures

The Denkmal in Leipzig is an important event for professionals, craftsmen and enthusiasts of monument preservation. Experts meet here to present the latest technologies, methods and best practices.

There will be a variety of lectures and workshops dealing with the challenges of monument preservation in the 21st century. Special attention will be paid to the sustainable preservation of monuments, the use of environmentally friendly materials and the integration of modern technologies into traditional building practices.

One highlight will be the presentation of new, innovative technologies that are used in the preservation of historical monuments. These include suitable tools for creating and simulating digital twins.

Another focus will be on the training and further education of specialists in heritage conservation. Programs will be presented that aim to inspire young professionals for monument conservation and equip them with the necessary skills to work successfully in this important field.

The Denkmal in Leipzig therefore not only offers an excellent opportunity to find out about the latest developments in heritage conservation, but also to make contacts and promote cooperation. The trade fair promises to be an exciting forum for the exchange of ideas and knowledge and demonstrates the relevance of monument preservation in a constantly changing world.

Further information about the fair can be found on the official website of the Denkmal Trade Fair.

We are pleased to announce that we have successfully established the various groups with the relevant members and contributors. In the second working group meeting, we took advantage of the benefits of an online meeting so that the effort involved could be minimized.

Commision 12 has now grown to more than 70 members. Some new members are involved in more than one WG. In recent weeks, we have held numerous constructive discussions to ensure that everyone involved has the opportunity to contribute their ideas and suggestions. This has enabled us to establish a clear thematic focus that will serve as a guideline for our future work.

In addition, we have already made an initial distribution of work in these first meetings. Each group member has taken on specific tasks and responsibilities based on their individual skills and experience.

The initial feedback from the groups has been extremely positive and it is already apparent that the chosen topics and tasks are leading to exciting discussions and innovative solutions. There is great anticipation for the next steps and we are convinced that we will make progress together. We are looking forward to further developments and to seeing how the group work will unfold in the coming months.

It is with great pleasure that WTA Division 12 announces the official start of work within the groups focusing on the promotion of sustainable technologies. The second working group meeting brought together representatives from all groups to define goals and strategies. New members were officially welcomed and accepted into the individual groups. The participants discussed synergies and the exchange of best practices.

Unit 12 aims to develop innovative solutions that not only make economic sense, but also have a positive impact on the environment. In times of climate change, it is of utmost importance to integrate sustainable practices into building and heritage conservation.

Each working group has specific goals and uses strategic approaches to tackle the multi-faceted challenges in their field. Take a look at the focus areas of each working group, perhaps you can help us with our forward-looking activities.

The coming months promise exciting developments beyond the sector.

The creation of the unit marks the beginning of a new era for the WTA, characterized by the combination of traditional values with pioneering technologies. This visionary project, which aims to nurture young and enthusiastic talent, reflects the WTA's commitment to pioneering the combination of environmental protection, heritage conservation and digital progress. Unit 12 opens up new horizons for professionals from various disciplines such as civil engineering, building physics, architecture, geology, energy technology, building services, energy consulting and other relevant fields. It not only offers an opportunity for participation, but is also conceived as a platform on which the future of our architectural heritage can be rethought and redesigned. You are cordially invited to become part of this exciting development, which will be a valuable service to both your professional career and the preservation of our built heritage.

Each working group pursues specific goals and uses strategic approaches to tackle the multi-faceted challenges in their field. Take a look at the focus areas of each working group, perhaps you can help us with our forward-looking activities.