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2^nd Austrian Workshop

"Renovation of Buildings Constructed in Recent Decades"
Key results

Barriers to renovation

It is critical that relocation apartments be available for tenants during the renovation.
Lack of interest in renovation can also be explained by the fact that economic interest in a building expires after 25 to 30 years. Financing and subsidy practices are responsible for this situation.
Tenants have less emotional connection to buildings of the 50s and 60s than they do, for example, to historical buildings. This has a negative effect on the renovation of these buildings.

Increasing building value for users by renovation

Renovation to increase value must do more than achieve only thermal renovation. The following aspects should be included:

• Options to increase the value of residential buildings by adaptations and increasing apartment value, structural improvement or improvements in architectural design, compaction
• Structural, technical, and legal preconditions for a change in use or conversion of spaces
• Ecological aspects of renovation measures, for example, priority measures from an ecological point of view, measures that have economical-ecological synergy effects (thermal renovation), special building measures that present an additional ecological advantage (extensions with greenhouse character, or double-layer ventilating facades)
• Availability of environmentally friendly renovation technologies and products
• Possibilities for expanding infrastructure and urban development and for increasing the value of residential areas and residential sites

The goal must therefore be to develop a criteria catalogue for "residential quality" which can be adapted to different building types and building periods. Renovation measures can be derived from this criteria catalogue.

Criteria for assessing the worth of preserving buildings

The decision between renovation and demolition can be facilitated by the use of criteria for assessing the worth of preserving a building.

In order for the criteria to be as concrete as possible, different catalogues must be made for the different building periods. The standard for assessing should be the building's value, measured against today's housing standard. This preliminary list of criteria can be used as a checklist for a first rough estimation of a building that is potentially to be renovated.

Renovation from large to small factors

When considering renovation, one must begin by considering the largest factors, namely social infrastructure and issues of urban development. Only then should one begin an analysis of the building itself or work to answer questions of technical detail. If a building has an insufficient or no social infrastructure, then this is an argument for demolition. If tenants must relocate, they should be offered new apartments elsewhere. If a building has an intact social infrastructure, then this is an argument for renovation, even if the other criteria point to demolition.

Improvements in the technical infrastructure

Decisive in the creation of a standard of use and comfort which meets today's standards is not only the structural renovation but also the technical infrastructure determining a building's value in the long term.

Improvements to the technical infrastructure are often not only just a problem with regard to the building technologies themselves but are also a problem in connection with structural renovation issues. Examples of such difficulties include: the ventilation problematic that arises in buildings with good structural thermal insulation standards; the possibilities of technically integrating building exterior systems (highly transparent thermal insulation, solar energy provision); or expanding the functionality of windows (ventilation, provision of shade). In the context of the ever higher technical standard, a new task area is developing in building renovation, including energy and information supply and telematic building control.

Ground floor space

Building space on the ground floor is often of low value and remains unused; in buildings constructed in the 50s, 60s, and 70s this space could be redeveloped to be used for community purposes, thus increasing the value of the building as a whole for its users.

High quality of living as a criterion for subsidies

Renovations that increase residential quality should be subsidized. Subsidies aimed at improving infrastructure and structure of urban areas would also be desirable.

Evaluative renovation proposal

Subsidy decision makers should be provided with a renovation report, in which the renovation measures for the proposed project are evaluated, so that decisions can be taken on this basis.

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